RAILWAY COMMISSION REPORT.

Western Star, Issue 374, 25 August 1880, Page 3

RAILWAY COMMISSION REPORT.

The following is the evidence taken at Fiverton before the Bnilway Commission on their recent visit with regard to the resources of the district, and the pi'ospects of tho Orepuki railway proving a payable o.ie. Tho deputation, it will be rrmembered, consisted of Messrs J. Beid (Mayor), Crs Mills, Locke, and Petchell, and Messrs T. Daniel, B. Beradtson, and J. Taylor. The evidence is ext,-acted from the report presented to Parliament, and combined with that taken at Owpnki is au exhaustive and fair statement of reasons for completing the line. Mr J. Beid (Mayor) made the following statement; —We have met as a deputation, composed of the Municipal Council and settlers of long standing in this western district to bring under your notice the desirability of the Government carrying out to its completion the Orepuki railway as soon as possibleThere is a contract for 5 or 6 tniles under way. It stops in the centre of a dense bush ; and unless it be carried through to the gold -workings at Orepuki, the work already done •will be to a certain extent valueless. There is an extensive mining population at Orepuki and vast resources of coal and gold. Other members of the deputation, better acquainted ■with the'resources of the locality, will be prepared to" afford any information you may desire. Mb John Bobebt Mixta sworn and examined. The Chairman.'] ire you a resident in the district through "which'this railway would rlm 9 —l am a l-esident of Riverton. But you *re well acquainted with the district ?_L.Y©B; I hwve resided there for .over twehtv yeers. "Will you be pood enough to tell the Commission" what are the resources of the country -which will make the railway payable •?—ln the first place the forests are very valuable for timber of nil descriptions that nre of general use— tot am, red, black, and white pine. I cannot speak altogether from niv own knowledge, but. I understand thore is sn extensive coalfield at Orepuki—that they haYO lately sunk to a depth of 40 or 50 feet, to get coat, and that there is a seam of coal over 20 feet in thickness. The line, if carried out, would go through a larsre area of Crown land at present unsold, and slfo int-weet a de-ferred-payment block which has been recent h surveyed'at Paihi. The geldfied at Orepuki has been in existence for twelve years. Hare there hem miners nt work nil that tfrder—Yes, in alluvial mining. A large amount of money bus been expended in ihe construction of a sludge-channel from the sea-coast, and also in head races to convey -water for long distances to work the claims. Have quart a reefs been discovered ?—Wot at Orepuki, but at Longwood, which is not on the line of railway. The present contract takes the line to the nearest point from the reef, about S or 4 miles. Cnn you speak as to fche quality of the coal?—I can only speak from the reports made of the coal sent up. They have been very favorable. There is also shale, .which I believe will be very valuable. Can you say what proportion of the land is open land, and what proportion is bush that would be served by the railway ?—lhe wholo of the open land in the neighborhood would be opened up by this railway, including the -deferred-payment block at Paihi. There is a quantity of open land at Orepuki, and for some five or six miles beyond it. It is partly open land and partly light timber land, of very good quality. ; With the exception of a wnail portion, the land is still in the hands of the Government. .; ~. s ; t

Do you think I hat there would-be a large quantity of limber brought along fche line ? I have l-iot the slightest doubt of it. In what way would it be dippoßed of—where would it be taken to ?—At present .there is a timber trade between .this place and {he northern ports—-Donedin, principally, and Oamaru.

Can you state what ia the population upon the Hue at present P—There are a large number of miners at the Bound Hill. The line would pass within two or three miles from that place. It is the goldfield between here and Orepuki. I could not say vrith any certainty the number of. miners at work there. What is the length of the line to Orepuki ? I think it is 18 miles altogether. The present contract is for 6 miles.

Mr Wright.] you mentioned shale as being one of the minerals at Orepuki. is that kero--Beii9 shale P—Yes. It burns very well. Are you aware whether it has been tested P —lt has been tested at Dunedin. Is it found te bo as good as the New South Wales shale?—l forget what the report stated about it. I know iffwas a very favourable "''.■' Do you know whether it exists in large quantities ?—There are large quantities of the shale, but it is not so abundant as the cot.l. What is the present price of coal at BivertonP —It depends upon the quality. We hare not any of that coal v\ the market. I mean the price of cool in consumption P - -£1 15s per ton is paid for imported coal. You are not at present using the Nightcaps coal? —No. In the event of these Longwood reefs being developed, what fuel -would they have for their steam engines?—Wood. There are dense forests all round here. Mr Chirk.'] You havo referred to the 6miles extension as being the present contract: how much of that enters the bush ?—lt enter* the bush within a mile from the town. So that even that extension of itself would open up sufficient hush for a timber trade for ■ for Borne years to come ?—No, it-would not —for this reason, that it does not take in the best Of the busk. A great portion of the hush has already been worked by saw-mills, and a good deaf of the timber used. Then the best portion of the bush is left heyend the 6 miles ?—Yes. Can vou give an idea of the extent of population at Orepuki ?—About 250, consisting of miners, and persons in fie township ■who supply the minerß. There are a few geltlers who have taken up land oh the deferred'payment syetem. : Is there much open land ?—There is a considerable quantity of open land. .What of class land as regards quality?— There, ere>ery good ridges of strong flax growing in some places. There is a considerable quantity of light timber land of very geod quality. . You.can give no positive information regarding. the coalfield which is said to exist there ?—No, I cannot speak of my own knowledge. Is there any member of this deputation able to give evidence on that point P I think Mr Daniel and Mr Taylor have both visited the place., . • - la sending timber fromKiverton to Dunedin do you know the amount of freight, that is charged to, Dunedin per 100 ft ?—I believe 3s is charged at the present time. Is that by Tail'entirely, or do you ship at the Bluff?—No ; it is shipped from Biverton. Colonel Pearce.] What depth of water have you in the harbour here ?—There is mors water in the harbour than there .is on thebai.. Vessels drawing eight feet of water can come in here very conveniently, It is a tidal harbour. The timber would be. merely sent to the port at Eiverton, and be shipped from thence P —Yes. Mb T. Daniel sworn and examined. TKe Chairman?] I understand you to have some personal knowledge of the character of the coal field ?—Yes ; I first visited the coal field nine years ago. Do you fcnjuw whether the coul has been

ent down here to report on the coal. He examined it, and his report will be found in tho Blue Books of the session of 1873. He stated that it was superior to the Nightcaps coal, and was of the same quality as that found at Taylor's Creek, on the Waiau. Did he also report as to the probable quantity ?

—I think fee stated that he traced it everywhere. The diggers were then working in the gully. I think he stated he traced it for [about three miles, and that afterwards going over the Waiau country he picked up the same seam there.

Apart, from the supply to the Township of Kiverton, what demand do you consider there would be for the coal ?—I believe the coal will find its way into the Dunedin market at about 4s or 5s per ton cheaper than the Kaita<»Ht.a coal. The last time I was at the workings I saw a tail-race which they bad cut fer 16 feet. I understand they have 20' feet of a facing. Have yoxi any knowledge of the chai'aeter ef the land the line w"*uld pass through ? Some few years ago Mr Holloway, a gentleman sent out to this country as the representative of a number of agricultural farmers in England, visited. Otago. He came to this district. I was requested by the Superintendent, Air Macandrew, to show him the country. I took Mr Holloway in a whaleboat to Pailli. He stated that it was the finest piece of land he had seen in travelling through. Otago: It is one of the largest Maori settlements south of Otago. Have you anything to add to the evidence already given regarding the coal?—a quantity of shale was sent up by myself to Duneshn. Professor Black experimented on it. I saw the oil that was extracted. He published his report in the Otug* "Gazette." He stated that it was some of the finest oil he had ever Been —tbat it was very rich indeed. The only difficulty connected with it was that it existed in a heavily-timbered country, with no port nearer than Ri'verfcon, and that it would bo impossible to get it out except by the iron horse. I went to Wellington eighteen months ago. On my way there I met with Captain Kennedy, the master of a steamer to Newcastle. I showed hi« some of the shale. He ,vas very much pleased with it. He said they were not able to supply the demands of this colony from Newcastle, and he believed this shale would find a very ready market. I have seen some of the shale in large slabs from 2 feet to 5 feet thick. I have cut off a piece, and you could not bear to smell it as it was so. strong. Mr Clark."] Are those coalfields, and the land on which shale is found, Crown lands ?—• It is all Crown land, with the exception of a small piece which has lately been taken up on the deferred-paymer>t si stem. Including the best of this timber?—Yes; the whole of "it is Government land. With regard to the timber, wo have a very good opinion of it from Mr. McKeirow, who surveyed all the country. His report was asked during the time I was a m-smber of the Otago Provincial Council. He.state.l that some of the large totara trees measured 26 feet round the stem, and from 60 feet to 70 feet to the branches.

Mr Wright.] Has this land always been locked up from sale ?—lt was impossible for persons to get there. The roads wer impassable.

Is this land at present shut up from sale under the Otago land regulations ? No; a portion of it is open for sale under the de-ferred-payment system. The k*.d was taken up under this system on the understanding that the railway would be extended there. Mr McKerrow stattd that along tbe line of railway blocks of land not exceeding 100 acres each should only be opened up. Does the deferred-payment land cover the coal field ?—The terminus will be a inilo or a -mile and a quarter from the coal field. Is that coalfield part of tho land now thrown open for sale on deferred payment ? No, it is not. They have only thrown open the open country. There are beautiful valleys, very heavily timbered, with yery little underbrush, it is some of the finest land in the country.

Mr Reid] Does the conl-slialeexist on the flat ? —lt. is a et-rts of cully. Tiiey have opened the face of it, and have cut a aludgechnnnel.

What is the nature of t'.'O soil in this timber country?' It is beautiful soil—decomposed vegetable matter. The gardens an.l small cultivations will astonish any one who sees them. I should prefer tho bush land. I have been twenty years in Australia and have lived a greater period in this country, and have had a great dea! of experience in land. Colonel Pearce.] Does the proposed line of railway go over level ground ? It is pretty level oountry. The portion of the line proposed to be constructed will not cost twothirds the amount expended on the 6 miles. There are no heavy cuttings ?—No. What made the 6 miles of railway so expensive to construct was the heavy cutting through hard rock.

Is it undulating country ?—lt is undulating through the bush. It is not heavy until you get up to the slopes at Lengwood. I believe the Government intend to assist. in opening the sludge-channel. When Mr Bolleston was here he instructed the Government Engineer to make a survey and find the levels. They have got a fall of 55 feet. This will give facility for some 400 or 50C miners to work. There is no goldfield to equal in richness the gold which has been got up there from the Bound Hill onwards. The only drawback to mining is the want of water. We have not had such a dry season here for the last I wentyeighfc years. Mb James Tatlob sworn and examined. The Chairman.] You have had considerable experience as a miner ?—Yes, as a goldminer. I can corroborate the statements of the last two witnesses as to the quality and quantity of the coal.- Wo used the coal for sharpening our tools and for fuel. There could be a very extensive face openel up in many places by bringing up all the fall that could be obtained from the creek. Tho line of reef at present is about 3 miles in length, and it is extending. The Longwood claims are now extending about 2 miles. There are about 250 miners at Bound Hill. The sludgechannel is partly constructed. The object for which it is being taken up is to worir the lower ground. The miners have been working under very ' great disadvantages, being below the-,.water. The Chinese principally work it. Itis a level country right dowu to where the railway would cross it. Do you consider that the formation of this railway would materially help in developing these reefs? ..Icould not say as to developing the reefs, but ifc would be a great facility to the public. The whole of the traffic would come that way. I was keeping a store at the Houad.H.ill. Most of tho gold was brought there. The quantity 6f gold" bought was something considerable. At the place where . the eiudge-ehannel will open, tke Chinese earn on an average from £4 to £6 a week, shovelling the stuff at the low level and throwing it up some eight feet, instead of sluicing it. Mr Wright.] Can you say what number of men are engaged at these Lougwood reefs ? —I think there are about eighty at present. A great many of tha claims are not represented. They are waiting for leases. What is the total length of reef now taken up and covered by claims ?—About 4 miles. At how many points on the 4 miles has the reef been proved? —There are only throe claims at present, siaaply because the others have being doing no work. Mb B. BEttwp'faoN sworn and examined. The Chairman.] Do I understand that you can corroborate what has boen already stated by other witnesses in reference to the coal ? —Yea.

Do you know anything as to the gold ? Yes; I quite corroborate Mr Taylor's evidence with reference to the gold. I may state that, as at present worked, the Round Hill field will never be worked out. The great difficulty is the want of water-supply. Mr Reid] Will not that be remedied when the sludge-channel is made up ?—No; there is no water available. You would require to go 70 or 80 miles to get the water. According to'your opinion, the goldfield is not likely to be more populous than it is n-iw ?—lt will employ about three timaa the

number of men. So»'e minerß can work on higher levels, and the water will bo used two or three times over. Mr J. Beid sworn and examined. • I have had considerable experience in sawmills here. We used to raft the' timber down to the mill. Now the bush lias got used to such an extent on the water frontage that it, is impossible to carry on the trade successfully on account of the long carriage of the timber to the river. The saw-mill industry would be very materially developed if the railway were carried through into the forest. The logs could be brought down to the township to be manufactured. The only solution of the long carriage difficulty is to tap the forest with the railway. There are several saw-mills now shut up on account of the long carriage to the port. If the railway were carried into tho forest there is no doubt the export of timber would be very considerable. There are valuable tjtara and black-pine trees in the forest that would be tapped by the railway. These two timbers are in much request for railway purposes. This class of timber always commands such a price as to enable sawmillers to bring it a considerable distance to the mills. This is not the case with regard to the red and white pines, which are but half the price of the black pine. [On account ef its length we are deterred in the meantime from publishing the evidence taken at Orepuki.]