Over That Garden Wall.

Southland Times, Issue 11757, 9 June 1891, Page 3

Over That Garden Wall.

At a meeting of the Chamber of Commerce in Dunedin a few weeks back, the Otago Central Railway being under discussion, Mr Pyke said he merely desired to remove a misapprehension which was very prevalent and which had been twice repeated in the meeting respecting the route of the Otago Central railway. The explanation that appeared to be necessary, he believed, could best be given in the words of Sir Francis Dillon Bell. When the matter was under consideration the question was between the route via the Shag Valley and the route via the Taieri Gorge, where the railway was now constructed. Sir Francis Dillon Bell put the matter somewhat in this way. He said :— " If you take it by the Shag Valley you will get a first-rate line to Pigroot, when you come to an almost insurmountable obstacle, the altitude being 2000ft; if you take it by the Taieri Gorge you meet with your obstacles first, and, assuming that you get through, there are none remaining beyond, the highest altitude being under SOOft." This consideration, together with the fact of the shorter distance — because the quettioa of freightage waa very impor-tant—-induced the committee to decide in favour of the Taieri Gorge route. The land through which the line was now constructed was undonbtedly difficult country ; but it was not useless. A part of this so-called useless country comprised the Gladbrook station, from which the finest cattle were obtained. Then again, on this country there was the Bare wood station, which produced the best sheep and cattle. It was all very well for a stranger to say that nothing would grow there, but sheep and cattle would grow there to feed the people and for export. It was not everyone who had an eye to see whether country was of use or not. The line had got to Middlemarch, and there was now 20 miles of a dead level country. Then there was a small gorge of two mileg passing through Idaburn, and then th«y got to Taieri Lake and to Maniototo Plain, which we would not insult the intelligence of any gentleman present by saying waa available, every part of it, for agricultural purposes, with land suitable for pastoral pursuits all round. It was the largest- 'plain in Otago, and was pretty much of the same character as the Canterbury plains. Then they came to Rough Ridge, the highest point of the whole route 1600ft above sea level, and from that they could run down through agricultural land right to Alexandra. The Government said that there was not a penny to expend upon the line, and he supposed they must take that statement as literally and strictly correct ; but when they considered that L200.000 appropriated for this railway had been diverted to other lines, he thought they bad a right to demand that it should be paid back. He thought the people of Dunedin and Otago would not be true to themselves if they did not demand that the mon«y borrowed on the London Exchange for their use should be spent for their use.