D.—2a.

1883. NEW ZEALAND.

CANTERBURY AND WEST COAST RAILWAY LINES REPORT OF COMMISSION ON, APPOINTED APRIL 2, 1883.

Presented to loth Houses of the General Assembly by Command of His Excellency.

To His Excellency Lieut.-General Sir W. F. Drummond Jervois, R.E., G.C.M.G., C.8., Governor of New Zealand, &c, &c. May it please Your Excellency,— In presenting this our report, in completion of the duty imposed upon us by your Excellency, to make inquiry into the probable cost, and economical or commercial value, of the different lines of railway for the connection of the Provincial District of Canterbury with the West Coast of the Middle Island, we have the honour to inform you that, immediately we commenced our work at Christchurch, it became evident that, to the better understanding and appreciation of the subject, a personal inspection of the different routes, and examination of witnesses at the various places affected on the West Coast, was essential. So, leaving Christchurch, we drove by the Arthur's Pass route to Kumara and Hokitika, and thence to Greymouth, taking evidence at each place as to the various industries likely to be benefited by the construction of a line, or to add to the receipts to be derived from it. Then, on horseback, we travelled by the Arnold River line, crossed Lake Brunner, ascended the Teremakau River to its source at Harper's Saddle, and descended by the Hurunui and Waitohi Rivers to the end of the present railway at Waikari. Next, after crossing the Amuri Plains to Upper Waiau Ferry, opposite the Hanmer Plains, we followed the Waiau, Hope, and Doubtful Rivers to the confluence of the latter with the Boyle, where, dividing, one party crossed the Amuri Saddle and examined the line of the Ahaura River to the Kopara Flats, thence to the Township of Ahaura, and from there by the Little Grey River to Reefton ; whilst the other party, crossing the Lewis Pass, the Cannibal Gorge, the Maruia Plains, and the Rahu Saddle, arrived at Reefton by the Inangahua River. From there, after taking evidence, and inspecting the mines, we went to Westport, and returned, via Greymouth and Kumara, to Springfield. We have attached, for your Excellency's guidance, a map showing the different lines which have been explored, and the foregoing itinerary will show your Excellency that we travelled over the most important of the proposed lines, and had an opportunity of making ourselves acquainted with the appearance and quality of the soil which would be affected by the alternative lines, and of the mineral and other products likely to be carried over them. We did not inspect the Mathias and Whitcombe Pass routes. The height of the passes, —respectively 4,229 feet and 4,180 feet above sea level, —the unfavourable impression we derived from the evidence of the Government engineers and the Chief Surveyor of Westland, in addition to the greater number of miles from Christchurch by either of these lines, made

Itinerary.