OPENING UP. THE SEAWARD MOSS.

Southland Times, Issue 3324, 14 February 1879, Page 3

OPENING UP. THE SEAWARD MOSS.

;:- - U: --AA.A.. ,:-.^+,A:-aAA-AAA-.A,A "■'i At a meeting of the Waste Lands Board, ""held a foi tnight ago, the Chief Surveyor ,wa6 requested to report '-oft the best method of jopeningup * Seaward Moss, with the funds available . for the purpose. ; The repbr]t prepared by Mr Spence, which came 'before the Waste Lands Board, is really, of considerable interest, and we therefore publish itin fuU. T^ -,:report :— T -—T-TT '-T-.T; '-'■"A ' tn cbnipUance withthe ; wish pf the Board, I wouid^report in regard to the best mpde^of bpenihg-up for settlement the unsold lailidu'h and around what is known on the map as ". Seaward ; Moss.". A..a T v; -T ■: T '.;■!' 777 a !Af ter giving the 'matter- due consideration ■ ; I feel ; persuaded that the most judicious way of|dispbsing : bf^the Parli^&teryl vote of £2000 is to use it in rthe' ; construction of a main road branching but frbih' the Inyercar-giJl-Blufl: road near Woodend, aUd penetrating the. mteribrWth^ mSuey will permit;. Had the land consisted ?bfj. a vaUey" the sidesTpf/whtch sipped unir formly down to a swampyTbasin, it, bable ih such '\vi\ esse that the;^mosfr reproduce it if c- way.'Of.Cspen"ding/the 4 money^buld,'&y i e J'oeeD to i have cut- a mainTUrmn.idp^^the ~ cehtre^jthe 'valleyT lea^ F me'aii_Vafterth6.lah the yiaribus fflde' drains : 'be^neces^ ! siM-yfo adapt thelaud^orc^ surface configuration of- --^Seaward Moss "/is /' quite a- Contrast 10 such :a"..',"'ca.Be.rM'--.thißf;'A-.i[t '» wpuld be impossible I think owing iov the. ;.; V.cbmparative flatness of ; the country . and; the, eyer-;changing, direction oi \ the i falltp^haye a c mkinT, draini; f I serveTmu*ch purpose,^ iv/wl&' from excess: of^water. T^he';iiatural ;drain for the north .westem^.art:'b£tne.:felb^;' ' id. of 'course tlie Mokotua- Crebk, -whibh I fear/ owing to 1 - ; tidal character,' cbuldi not ' ' tnuch improved for drainage purposes, except v. at "very, large expense. only j proper c6uTse.tb,fifcthe.land for-'cultiyatipn will bs, tb have anumber of smalls^^ formed; tb\ suit' the varying day" pf-thie^ country, .which' '"' drains I:need not remark, .could be, far more v e&nveniehtly and successfully, cphsfeucted.by,; opcupantslof thedand than by the Govern-, ment; .Being then T of opinion that a main '■■ ' rbadihtb theb'lbck is the great' want,; which. ;; Government funds; .{are 'best fitted.tb;. supply/ i I have i^ainimedthe^cb^ ascer^ihingiVwMch^ ; ? takei'TT^asjprevibu^iy , of^opinion, from ; a ■ I less'^^intimate'khbwledge of the.grbund thau;l' 'have at present, that the best- way of 'piercing the- country,- and 'doing -the -mostT good /for future settlement, Awaa- to ;begiu the. construe? tion*^of ' a ; road : from the-r Invercargil 1-Bluff: line about amUe below Wopdend,' following § the surveyed; road between sections;; 3 and; 4, I block 2, Campbelltown Hundred, and' trend- >, ing-ih; a generally south easteiTic direction fowards Awarua; Bay. • . This- line;; starting .|rom present;^ •rive^at -Grown lands, Sand wbuldT connect "; . as . = large TanT extent of .country,/ 'with bpth rail" way and ocean; beach, as any^other. I find, ' ' however, on.- r 'rece,nt-..;'-; ; insßMfibnf^;'ih'at;;/the'';-' cpvintiy ishipre variable inTcharacter than -I i had calculated b_T r ; ranging!^ - drained ; and broken >up would be very- fair ag^ riciUtnral land to land consisting of a thick ■, spongy mass of messy vegetation TwMch -it '' wbuldtake' years of labor and? expense to pulveriselandform into loam;^ Whereverthe snrr-; faPe'is covered'with manuka scrub there almost ;invariably is '-to -; be found a. thick - 'spongy carpet of moss,:,'wMch will onlyb.e " tackled .". by . the agriculturalist when 'the; lahdTiuTthe 'TYiciriity; is 'in" profit- , ■; ; able, "occupation , ; and 7 {has. 'Jbecpme : valii-^ ;able..-/;lhj ; vie>v^'bf -^^ the"TdesirabiUty, there- , fore, "of j.f orming theTrbad, through ilandthat is mbstTavaUable for immediate' settiementT jand , of the fact that the /best laud in block' lappbars ! 'tb ;: . be' on"- the Teastern side bf-tfie JMokptua Creek (opposite-block 3; Campbell- - : ; ;to'wnf''Huhdred)., -I would be- disposed; to ' jredbnimeiid to the Board the^construction 6l • [a fbaa : ln continuation of- the ' present- sur- ; -veyed road_ running -south-east -from WbpdT ;end and: forming -the ;^ north-eastern bouh- ■ Idary -of 'sections. il;>fp .15^ block 2., -A 'short^JTandT-possibiyT a better . rroa r ; from the : ; Invercargill .and Bluff line into the* land 'referred "to might possibly be got j through pnyate 'prbperty, but as. the Inverr; • cargill Road VBbard, liunderstahd. are about ; '; to make: passable: the -road'line as' far as stirI veyed: it : would -be weU for the Government"' ito adopt tMs ;as. the ma'h road into, the ■intn-rfor nnd,: tolapgnn t.tip vnta i n f^r^f ;nnir|nr fwhatthe Road Board wiUhayebegun. Judging ifrbmthe'sum set apart^by the Road Board, I fea^thatth^wprk.\viil be^e^.impeif ect, but :if this ; rpiece of road: be used by the Governvmeht -asl a/lihk in i-he.ehain of proposed' : traffic 'I think- it would be r a"legitiniate appli- ' - catiohfpf portibn- of ; the-ypteiwefeit-applied' 'to _upplement the efEprtstof •* the Board-ih- - properly forming 'a piece ' bf -foad wMch,- if. badly formed, would render useless ;. the * Government expenditure ''further ouT "TMs "pro rata , subsidy should T not, if pos^'sible,v exceed pound for pound, and take ;up no undue propoitibn" of vote. For the L most part, iEnbt^^ltpgether, the road extenr sion into the Mt'^ibrT Would require to be ; formed .^th side - ditches and raised gravel ' centoei^e^cp^lpi- ?^vhfch^ mights rpughly be v estimar^-a^£6pojper nrUe^";"^'T^ " "1 V . The Public^Vbr]-^" Department,-/which the -Governmeht)|fis usual, will, I presume, instruct to make an^engineering ;bf the road ; preparatory-^ should, of , -course r^n : ayes.aJinple, -power §toTihake What deviations the ; features of i^Jhe ground may reqmre. "The-Survey Department, I need .not say, -wiU beiglad to furmshiWhat assistance it "' .cah-giveT''"'""T%-"iTT ' ; - ; -. ■ UAi'A Of course, .'should^hejlnvercaTgiU Road Board prppbsal -fall thrbugh, or should trial surveys 1 of ';the ?g^pund reveal a better route via the surveyed road, heading . about a mile below Woodend, the two departments should be left with full "discretion in the matter of alteration.— lam, &c, ; ••. v-v- JbHN Spence; Chief Surveyor:*