OAMARU NASEBY RAILWAY COMMITTEE.

Oamaru Mail, Volume III, Issue 618, 26 April 1878, Page 2

OAMARU NASEBY RAILWAY COMMITTEE.

—» A meeting Gf this Committee yras held at the County Council Chambers this morning. Present—Messrs. Steward (in the chair), Shritnski, Reid, Bee, M'Leod, Evans, Sumpter (Hon. Secretary). The minutes of the last meeting having b.e.en read and confirmed, The Chairman dealt at some length with what had been done by the Committee last year, and pointed out that many of the difficulties which had to be dealt with by the Committee had been removed. He also said that he thought that the line, if constructed, should now be made either from the terminus of the Waiareka line at Ngapara or at Windsor, the arguments in favor of taking the line from Duntroon having been removed by

the proposal to form a line to-\Kurow. While in Wellington lately he has interviewed the Minister for .'WiotEks. on tTve-:sfiVjecfcV :^n d\had [pointed •out-'the^advisabiiifcy/of extending the : JTgaplraf Sine :to Livingston. . T&e Hon.. Mr. Maeaiidrew; had '; recognised the; ciigenby bf the arguments he had used,; ahd had 'asked him (Mr. Steward) to put his request for the survey of the extension iii writing. This he had done in the following terms :

Wellington, April 13, IS7S. The "Hon. the Minister for Public Works. Sir, —1. have the honor respectfully to invite the consideration by the Government of the advisability'of taking the necessary preliminary steps with a view to determining I the expediency of constructing an extension of the Oamaru-Waiareka branch railway. _ The line in question is, I believe, admittedly one of the best paying of constructed lines, and that the extension now suggested would pay equally well does not admit of the shadow of a doubt. I would sliggcsfc, then, that the survey be for an extension as far as the township of Livingston, a distance of some 12 miles, the whole of the country passed through being fine agricultural land, part of which is in the hands of private owners, and part in the hands of the Crown.

The line to Livingston might either be carried from just above the present Windsor station or from the terminus at Ngajjara. The latter would be the shorter mileage, but the former would, I think, be more easily constructed, involving nothing of any consequence in the way of cuttiugs. It may be said tliat the line could he constructed" by private euterpri.se, under the "District Railways Act, but in reply I may say that a short distance like this at the end of a Government line should obviously be in the hands of the Government, and would be more cheaply worked than if under a separate staff. A survey of the extension would not involve any serious outlay, and. I should be glad to hear that the Government would cause it to be undertaken prior to the approaching session.—l have, «c., Wm. J. Steward. Chairman Railway Committee. | _To the Hon. J. Macandrew. To this letter ho had received the follow-

ing reply: Public Works Office. Wellington, April 15, 187 S. Sir. I have the honour to acknowledge the receipt of your letter of the 13tli inst., pointing out the advisability of taking preliminary stops with a view to extending tlie Waiareka Branch Railway to Livingstone, and, in reply, to state that Government fully recognises the importance of such extension, which, I quite agree, with you, ought to form part of the existing line. It is impossible, however, for the Government at present to anticipate how far, or when, it mav be in a position to recommend this extension to the Legislature. In the meantime, directions have been given to have a survey and estimate made of the proposed extension.—l have, &c., J. Macaxdre'W. His Worship the Mayor of Camaru. A lengthy discussion took place as to what course should be adopted, and during tliis Mr. Shrimski said, that although the' Government had undertaken to make the survey, there was not the slightest prospect of the extension of the line being made by the country. Mr. Sumpter thought there would not be the least difficulty in getting the line j to Livingstone made bv the Colony. The line so "far as it liacl been made, was ..one of tho ljesc paying lines in the Colony. What he would suggest was that the Committee should endeavor to get this line made by the Government; and that an effort should be made to get a survey made for an extension of the line about to be made by a company from Dnntroou to Isjirow. By this means the lino might eventually be carried into the interior. Ho moved—"That this meeting adjourn to Monday, the 13th May. at'll a.m., specially to consider the extension of the present Government line from Tcaneraki to Livingstone, and also the extension (under the District Railways Act) of the Dim t.roon-Kurow line, and that the Chairi man, Messrs. R"id, Evans, and Menlove be appointed a Sub-Committee to furnish information as to the former, and that the Chairman, and Messrs. Campbell, Gardiner, M'Mastev, and Smith, be a Sub-Committee to furnish information as : to the latter, said Committees to havo , power to add to their number." The motion was seconded by Mr. Reid, and carried. A few small accounts having been passed for payment, the meeting ad- : journed.