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75. Mr. Seddon .- And the total population of Arahura Eiding is 3,177 ? —Yes. 76. What is the population of the Borough of Kumara? —1,275. 77. Hon. Mr. Gisborne.] And Pindlestone? Mr. Seddon : That is in the riding. 78. Hon. Mr. Gisborne.] What is the population ofthe Greenstone or the Pounamu, County Grey —the Hohonu Eiver? —In the Hohonu Eiding the population of the Greenstone Creek is 110, and of the Greenstone Eoad 23. The whole ofthe population ofthe Hohonu Eiding is 526. 79. Have we got Stafford Town ? —That is included in the Aharura Eiding, representing 3,177. 80. Mr. Seddon.] When was this census taken? —In March, 1878. 81. Since March, 1878, a rush has taken place at Westbrook, and that would mean an increase in the population ; but you cannot, I suppose, give any information about it?—l cannot. Mr. C. Y. O'Co.vnob, District Engineer, Westland, examined. 82. The Chairman.] Mr. O'Connor, we have had Mr. Blair's and Mr. Brown's evidence ; and, aB the Committee heard that you were coming up, they thought they would like to hear your evidence. The Committee, as you know-, have met for the purpose of inquiring as to the deviation of the Hokitika and Greymouth Eailway? —I do not know if 1 can say much more upon it than F have said in my report. We have not had your report. Mr. Seddon : The report was made in 1877. The Chairman : You had better give your opinion from a professional point of view. 83. Hon. Mr. Gisborne.] Did you make a report on this matter ? —Yes; a report of mine accompanied the map, which I see is before the Committee. 84. What date is it, and where is it ? —lt is the same date as the map; and I sent it up with the map. 85. Is it this year ?—Yes ; about a month ago. S6. I have never seen that. Will you read it, please ? What is the date ?—The 20th October, 1879. [Eeport put in, and read, as follows : —] Hokitika, 20th October, 1879. In re Hokitika and Greymouth Eailway. Proposed Deviation through Stafford Town, Goldsborough, and Kumura. Memorandum for the Engineer in Charge, Middle Island, Government Buildings, Wellington. I_sr accordance with instructions contained in your telegram of the 10th instant, I have the honor to forward herewith plan and sections, showing grades on original line of proposed railway, as well as on proposed deviation of same above alluded to ; and also sections showing grades along the branch line, proposed as an alternative in lieu of the said deviation; also a copy of the memorandum on the subject, furnished to the County Council of Westland, at their request, in June last. The sections showing grades along proposed deviation aud branch lines are necessarily only approximate, as no regular survey has been made along them ; but they are, nevertheless, pretty reliable in the main, as a good deal of data, iv the shape of levels taken for roads and water-races, was to hand, from which they were compiled. Further than this it is scarcely necessary for me to say more than 1 have already said on the subject in my memorandum to the County Council above alluded to : but I should mention, as regards the crossing of the Kapitea Gully, therein mentioned, that this, which on road line is 40 feet deep for a distance of 20 chains, would be considerably reduced by following the line now proposed ; said reduction, however, being attained by an increase of a mile in the length of the proposed deviation, which is now eleven and a quarter miles longer than original line, instead of ten miles longer, as stated in my memorandum hereinabove mentioned. C. T. O'Connor, D.E. Copy of Memorandum on subject of proposed Deviation through Stafford Town, Goldsborough, and Kumara, furnished to County Council of Westland, at their request, on the 20th June, 1879. The proposed deviation would increase the length of line by ten miles. The estimate (and probable cost) of the line as it now stands is, for works ami permanent way alone, £6,000 per mile. It is evident to anyone on the face of it that the cost of tho proposed deviation would beat least as much per mile as the original line, and therefore the extra cost involved by the deviation would be at the least £60,000 -. and two branch lines to connect both Goldsborough and Kumara with the main line could be constructed for less than that amount. In fact, the aggregate length of the two branch lines would only amount to the excess in length of main line which the deviation would cause ; and the branch lines, while fulfilling all the requirements of the case, would avoid the difficult country between Goldsborough and Kumara, especially the crossing of the Kapitea Gully, which the proposed deviation would encounter. Besides all this, it has to be remembered that the Hokitika-Greymouth Eailway would eventually become a portion of a main-trunk line from Nelson to Dunedin; and, looking to that contingency, it would not be wise to increase its length by ten miles unnecessarily, and so bring the whole of the large traffic which might be anticipated upon a main line ofthe sort over an extra distance of ten miles, when the end sought to be attained by the proposed deviation could as well be attained by branch lines. There is also another point against the deviation, namely, that while increasing the length it would at the same time increase the inclination of the grades, and this, for a line that would depend greatly for its traffic on the carriage of timber and coal, would be very undesirable ; whereas, if Kumara and Goldsborough were connected with the main railway by branch lines, the grades on these w-ould not be of much importance, and a given length of such branch lines could therefore be constructed at a far less cost than the same length of main line over the character of country in question.—C. Y. O'Connor. 87. Hon. Mr. Gisborne.] With regard to the point where deviation would commence—4 miles 60 chains, 1 think—that is on the northern side ofthe Arahura, is it not?—No; 4 miles 60 chains is on

Mr. Brown,

2nd Dec, 1879.

Mr. O'Conno,

2nd Dec, 1879,