THE EVIDENCE TAKEN BY THE COMMISSION.

Otago Witness, Issue 1499, 7 August 1880, Page 9

THE EVIDENCE TAKEN BY THE COMMISSION.

The Wellington correspondent of the Southland News telegraphs : — Wellington, July 28th. The evidence taken before the Railway Commissioners at Invercargill and Biverton occupies 14 pages J of their report. The evidence was taken on the sth April, when Messrs Denniston, M'Nab, Dalrymple, Wade, Lumsden, Mitchell, Murray, Turnbull, Finn, Bain, Shanks and M'Caughan interviewed Commissioners with reference to the Seaward Bush railway. Mr Lumsden, who was first examined, after giving the history of the line, said that a large portion of bush land had been taken up by millowners and by others as suburban allotments and village settlements ; a large quantity had been sold at a high price, the purchasers believing the Government would carry on this railway as intended, and the purchasers looked upon it as a grievance if not carried out. He had heard nothing against the wisdom of carrying out the line during the last session, and the previous Parliament recognised the value of tho line so far that a reserve of three miles on each side of the line was made to meet the expense of carrying out the line. It is excellent forest land, and splendid country for settlement. Land was sold after the line had been proposed by the Government and tenders for it were accepted. The advertisement calling for tenders was dated January, 1876. Mr Bain Baid : I produce a plan of the land offered for sale, and used at the time of sale. No doubt the proposal to construct the railway was looked on as an inducement, as purchasers of sections in Seaward Bush township, and in many other places, paid very high prices for some of the sections." Mr Arthur gives evidence at length as to the value of the bush, &c, and recommends the line to be proceeded with for the following reasons :— " It will be seen from the annexed calculations that at present the rates for sawmill royalty and railway carriage would probably amount to L 200.000. After deducting for swampy and the timbered land, also cost of construction, railway working expenses of rate proposed, the proceeds would amount to L 967,000. This is perhaps the most suitable district in the Province for giving grants of land to poor, but morally well-conducted, families, having from half-a-dozen to a dozen members each." The heavily-timbered land was worth £4 or £5 per acre. Messrs M'Nab, clerk ; M'Nab, farmer ; and Dalrymple, farmer, gave evidence as to the prices paid for land. Mr Dalrymple stated that the land would fetch £6 per acre if the railway went through it. There was a compact, he said, entered into by the Government with the purchasers and the public, and he said, "If I had done what the Government have done they would have me on the roads for six months or six years. It was simply obtaining money under false pretences ; I have no special interest in the matter, only general interest." The last sentence of Mr M'Nab's evidence is as follows :— Question. 543— Then the value you attach to the construction of the railway was contingent upon your obtaining a siding ? " Yes." — Mr Wood, M.L.C., said that without a connecting link all the timber in the bush would be of comparatively little value. The land would acquire great value immediately, and be saleable immediately, if it was known that the railway would be_ constructed; even the royalty on the timber would be increased. A deputation, consisting of Messrs Brown, Miller, Morris, and M'lntyre, waited on the Commissioners in reference to the Forest Hill tramway, and was introduced by Mr Bain. Mr Brown was the only man examined of those. — Mr Arthur, general manager, was sworn and examined. — Question 581 — Can you suggest any method by which working the line could be economised ?— There is no method, further than that practised at the present time ; and I have practised every possible economy up to the present time. During February the traffic expenses were £11 3s 4d to earn £100, which share, no doubt, you will admit is very low, and leaves a great margin for other departments to work upon. That was for four weeks, and includes all the working expenses with the exception of stores —Question 832 : Then are you assuming the general expenditure to be 71 per cent, as made up ?— I cannot answer that question ; other departments are not under my control.— Mr Edward M'Kenna, stationmaster, was asked : It appears from the published returns that the working expenses of this section are higher than the Dunedin and Christchurch sections. Can you account for this ?— I have not been here long enough to judge. I only know the traffic has been a pood deal less than it was.— Has any means suggested itself to your mind for having the working expenses reduced? —I have made a suggestion on that subject.— State your suggestion ? — Amalgamation of the two offices of stationmaster and goods agent. From my cxperienco of railways there is not sufficient ■warrant for an officer for each department. Ido not think one train a day sufficient, but would only run three days a week to Kingston, and on the other three days from Invercargill to Elbow only. The passenger trains to Kingston have been worked at a loss. I should think from oneto three through passenger days would be sufficient. The numbor of passengers booked to Kingston, from

Invercargill from the Ist of October, 1879, to the 31st of March, 1880, was— First-class, 231— equal to £254; second class, single, 356; equal to £261. First-class, return, 101— equal to £166 ; second-class, return, 14-oqual to £15. Total number of passengers, 702; total receipts, £697 5s 4d. Referring to the Kiverton traffic, he says:— "l suggested to the Minister to bring the train no farther than the llakarewa, returning from there and meeting the train from here to Kingston. It would save 23 miles of tram running." On April sth, Messrs Reid, Locke, Petchell, Daniel, Taylor, and Berndtson waited on the Commissioners to urge on the completion of the Orepuki line. On Wednesday Mr Arthur was examined as to Sunday traffic on tho Bluff line. From the 4th October, 1579, to 4th April, 1880, the passengers were 1164, equal to £144 13s Bd. This the business part of the year ; the whiter traffic is about half. According to the figures given me, the working expenses were £238, and receipts £217, for 12 months.— Do you think it advisable to carry on the traffic of so unprofitable a nature? — I do not; but it satisfies the wishes of a section of the public. The abandonment of the traffic would interfere with the mails brought up in no way. — On the Otautau line, from the 15th of December to the 7th of April, the passengers were 626, equal to £189 7s 6d. Would you state whether you consider passenger traffic with the present number of travellers sufficiently remunerative to justify the Government running those trains ?— Taking the passenger traffic alone into consideration, the trains run in excess of requirements of the traffic; but taking the goods traffic into consideration, unless we run the present number of trains we would require to lay on special goods trains. The following is the return of passengers booked at Invercargill for stations on the Bluff lino for tho six months ended March last :— 7164 passengers ; value of fares, £983 13s lOd. From Invercargill to Kingston, for the same period, 702 passengers; value of fares, £697 5s 4d,