TUAPEKA RAILWAY.

Tuapeka Times, Volume III, Issue 148, 8 December 1870, Page 5

TUAPEKA RAILWAY.

The following is the report of the Select Committee of the Provincial Council upon the Tuapeka district and Dunedin petitions relative to the construction of a branch line of railway from Tokomairiro to Lawrence, brought up by Mr. Haughton, December 5 :—: —

Your committee having considered the petitions referred to them, and taken evidence upon the allegations set forth therein, desires to report as follows :—: —

Ist. That the traffic between Tuapeka and Dunedin is at present greatly in excess of that between Balclutha and Dunedin. The returns furnished by the treasury, and appended hereto of the receipts from the Clutha and Tuapeka Junction and the Stoney Creek Toll Gates for the year ending 31st October, 1870, shows the amount of £507 14s. 2d. received from the Tuapeka traffic, as against £235 15s. from the Balclutha traffic.

2nd. That there is no doubt that in the event of the construction of the proposed railway the traffic between the greater portion of the Otago goldfields and Dunedin would be carried on by means of this line.

3rd. The length of the proposed line would be 21 miles 3 furlongs, as shewn by the chief engineer's evidence and tracings laid on the table of the House. The country is comparatively easy, and it appears probable that the cost per mile would not exceed £8000, but upon this subject the committee would refer to the evidence of skilled witnesses appended hereto. 4th. That the proposed line would pass through country well situated for settlement, and which at present is being rapidly occupied and would afford access to country beyond Lawrence; now proved to be auriferous over a very considerable area. sth. That the land required for the proposed line is, with the exception of six miles, in the possession of the Crown, being either unsold or reserved, or occupied under agricultural leases, see returns annexed. 6th. That the maintenence of the proposed line when constructed will not probably exceed the amount which would be

necessary to maintain the present road in a state of passable efficiency.

7th. That tak'ng Dvi «:lin as the emporium of Traffic, Tuapeka is the natural highway to thu interior of the province, and, so far as railways arc concerned, the line must take this course. The Blueskin Range form an almost invincible barrier to the northern route.

The evidence, with the exception of that of Mr. Thomson, Chief Surveyor, seems conclusive as to the desirability of the construction of the proposed line in conjunction with the Southern Trunk, and your committee further desire to remark that the connection of Dunedin with the goldfields by railway will be productive of immediate benefit to the community, and especially to the emigrants of the labouring class, who, if unsuccessful in obtaining employment in Dunedia, are unable at present to reach the up-country, owing to the expense and delay of travelling ; and upon this subject the committee would call attention to the letter of Mr. Hallenstein, Mayor of Queenstown, appended hereto. Your committee have not lost sight of the question whether the proposed line is likely to be remunerative, and upon this there appears to be no conflict of testimony. The evidence and the statistics appended hereto leave no doubt that if constructed within the estimated cost, the returns will at once cover expenses and interest. C. E. Haughton, Chairman.

To the Chairman of the Select Committee appointed by the Provincial Council of Otago to examine and report upon the Tuapeka Railway Petition.

Sir, — At the request of J. C. Brown, Esq., I have the honour to give you my opinion respecting the intended railway to Lawrence. I believe that if a railway in Otago will pay, no line will pay better than the one to Tuapeka ; but whether it pays or not, no line will tend more to develope the resources of the interior gold fields than thia lino, and thus indirectly in any cage it will pay. It will prove of great benetit to the Tuapeka district, but it will be a special benefit to the more distant goldfiekb, whose resources are comparatively undeveloped for want of population. Seventy miles nearer to the principal and most frequented sea port, means to the interior more population. Afc present the immigrant lauding at Dunedin requires as much means to take him to the interior goldfields, Lakes, Skippers, Cardrona, Bendigo, or Cromwell, as it took to bring him from the homo country, and it is as cheap for him to go to Callarat, 2000 miles from here, as to Skippers, Cardrona, Bemligo, *or other distant goldtiekb in Otago. I believe railways towards the interior will more than anything els^ develop the distant gold fields — Government aid to supply them with water, good as it may be, not exceptod. I would strongly recommend the proposed railway to Lawrence being pushed on to the Beaumont, the river being the terminus. From my experience of the requirements of the goldfields, I should think that the intended railway, absorbing the traffic of the Taieri, Tokomairiro, Lawrence, Beaumont, Teviot, Alexandra, Clyde, Cromwell, Cardrona, Lindis, and fully half of the traffic of the Lakes, would amount to 15,000 tons per annum, yielding at the average rate of 30s. per ton, £22,000 ; in addition, there would be the passenger traffic. Calculating the cost of working expenses, the proceeds would pay something like 2.V per cent, on the capital, say £300,000, being at the rate of £5000 per mile. Such a result, considering that ordinary roads are a continual expense, while there is no direct return, is in itself a sufficient argument that the line should be constructed. It is as favourable a result as attended the railway in the interior of Victoria, though at present those railways pay 5 per cent. That such will be the case here after a few years, I do not doubt. — In haste. I have the honor to be, yours obediently, B. Hallenstjiix.

Our contemporary the " Evening Star," in a blood and thunder article, has made an alarming discovery relative to the memorial from the Tuapeka Railway Committee. Our contemporary has discovered treachery on the part of the deputation who presented the petition — they have, according to the "Star," insulted the electors, played a practical joke upon the Superintendent, and who knows what other terrible things have not been done by them. Some time since we found it necessary to open the eyes of our contemporary to an illusion which troubled him considerably, and we suppose it will be again necessary to administer to his impared vision. In order to calm the troubled spirit of our contemporary, and give the lie to the reports which have been circulated in Dunedin, we have pleasure in giving a place in our columns to the ungarnished statement of the only gentleman who really knows the circumstances attending the presentation of the memorial, and all ooncerned therewith. For the information of our contemporary, we may state that the inhabitants of the Tuapeka district have every confidence in the gentlemen with whom they entrusted the memorial, and believe them to be quite incapable of the conduct of which they are accused — To the Chairman of the Select Committee appointed by the Provincial Council of Otago to examine and report upon the Tuapeka Railway Petition.

Sir, — Having become aware, through various sources, that certain statements have been made relative to the manner in which I conducted the presentation of the above named petition, and that statements have been made both in and out of the Provincial Council, I consider it my duty, both towards myself pensonally, as well as towards the matter 1 had in hand, to draw your attention to certain facts which will, I am satisfied, utterly refute the statements to which I have above referred ; and in doing this I have the honour to request that you will lay this letter before the Committee.

Firstly — Relative to the presentation of the petition to His Honour the Superintendent instead of the Provincial Council. It was by the advice of a member of the Council, who was^of opinion that the petition should go to the Council through his I Honour.

Secondly — I am accused of having delayed the presentation of the petition ' until after the debate upon the subject, which took place in the Provincial Council on Thursday, the 24th November, was over ; and it is further alleged that 1 did this for a purpose, but what that was is not stated by any one. When entrusted with the petition, I went to Dunedin as early as possible, consistent with my private engagements. Arrived in Dunedin on the night of the 21st of November, that gave me bub a short time to canvass the city for signatures, and I did not know that any debate then pending had anything to do with the matter I had in hand. I am absolutely guiltless of the charge of having delayed it in the slightest degree ; but on the contrary, T can prove that I worked hard and diligently to get the matter through. Allow I me to add that the charge of having delayed the petition for a purpose is an enigma to me. If those who make the charge would only state their meaning, I might and certainly would be able to frame a reply.

Thirdly — I understand that certain honourable (?) members of the Provincial Council have stated that some of the signatures are forgeries. To this dastardly slander I have simply to reply that I am in a position to prove the genuineness of every signature, and cannot more aptly end this communication than by assuring you that the accusations " begin with, a lie, go on with a lie, and end with a lio."

I am strongly of opinion that it will be found that the public of this province will have an increasing disrelish for assisting the commonwealth if such unfounded statements are made against the bona Jules of individuals who come forward actuated by nothing but a desire to benefit thu province and enhance its prosperity. I have the honour to be, Sir, Your very obdt. servt., Horace Bastings. Lawrence, December 3, 1870.