ROXBURGH RAILWAY LINE.

Otago Daily Times, Issue 13208, 15 February 1905, Page 5

ROXBURGH RAILWAY LINE.

TO THE EDITOR. Sni,—Will' you kindly givd a iittlo spaca for a few remarks oa tho Roxburgh railway line. .Having had a little to do with' the initiation of this line, or rather prospective line,. I' think it., opportune to bring tbiia matter boforo the public now that tho Kdievale'section, six miles from Heriot, is to be opened officially on the 15th inst. This section was begun four years ago, and means a shortening of the distance .from Roxburgh to Heriot by road of eight miles, and from- Roxburgh to Lawrence of 12 milefe, tho worst parts of the road boing averted. Therefore the public is greatly benefited by, oven this shoi't piebb of line. Tho Roxburgh-Hefiot rotito was first surveyed 33 years ago by a Mr Millar, F.S.A., and again in 1332 by Mr Eilgbur, who estimated tlio construction of the lino to cost £87,000. It was again run through' by a Mr .Ross, who calculated it to cost £200,000. Why or how siibh a disparagement of figures could so occur is bewildering, unless Mr Kilgour based his estimate on a straight-out contract, as was then tho manner of building railways, whilst that of Mr Ross would probably be considered on the co-operative, system of to-day, which takes nearly as many bosses as workmen. However tho ease may be, it is apparent that tho matter of cost of construction of this- route should be' fully gone into. Mr Kilgour was ah ■. engineer of undoubted ability, whoso estimate I prefer to take as accurate. A sur- • vey was also made by Mr Ross from Lawrence to Roxburgh, via the east bank of tho Molynoux, tho estimate of cost of which I am not sure of, only that it was lom than the Moa Plat route, "which' is tho Hcriot-Roxburgh- route," judging by the shortness of the Heriot' route compared to that of Lawrenoo and the firm nature of the groundno tunnels or expensive bridges. I should reasonably conclude that Mr Ross's estimate of tho Hcriot-Roxburgh construction is seriously at' fault, , But no serious thought was entertained I>v, the' public that, the Lawrence route would :bo thought of, because- it did not open.up any new country or pass through any. part that.was likely, to carry any considerable population, whilst the Moa Flat route opened up positive progross tho whole way; and now that sis' i miles of lino is constructed towards Roxburgh. " although deviating a little from the original route at tho Edievalo end," and. the Moa Flat Estate is being cut up for settlement, there should bo no reasonablo excuse s for the Government not to continue tho construction on from Edievale, as wo have- 10 years' start of the Lawrence proposed Touto, by beginning at tho formormentioned place. Strango to say, our member advocates tho Lawrence route, and a section: of we:ther cock?, instead of' adhering to their first bethrothal, ■ have veered round, and have been urging .tho Ministry to put an estimate on for tho Lawrence construction. Why such idiocy as to begin to bring a lino from Lawrcnco to . the Beaumont when already wo arc as near tho line, and have a better road to it, than wo would bo if it were at tho Beailrhoht. |sivo : us 'by all means tho advantage we have got. Sixteen miles of linn will fetchus within eight miles of Roxburgh, am ' « every rnilo of construction will, return good results, whilst it will cost nearly as much, .' if not more, to bring tho lino to the Beau. Mont as it will to briflg it into Moa Flat-'-, namely, £78.000,—and then we would bo ia just the Same situation as at present—two lines bidding for trade or business.' The Railway Department has also toconsider'several items in regard to tho Lawrence route. First,-it has to consider . | the imperfect line tn Milton, which is,tho ." greatest trouble to the denartment of any fine in the south (the grarlo on tho Mount Stewart section is. so heavy that the maximum weight of freight per engine is, .30. • tons), and also the Lawrence drainage works, which the Government-would have to considerably interfere with . and doubtless take over the responsibility of, beside? an expensive tunnel between Lawrence and tho .- Beaiunbht. The Lawrence route means no . Roxburgh lino for tlie next 30 years-Moa "' Flat inthreo years.—l alii, etc., '.•■■■ ...- ■■;'■: A. H. T.