MOUNT SOMERS RAILWAY.

Ashburton Guardian, Volume IV, Issue 1047, 13 September 1883, Page 2

MOUNT SOMERS RAILWAY.

The following is a copy of the petition laid on the County Council table yesterday at the request of Mr Wright:— “ To the Honorable the Minister of Public Works

“ We, the undersigned landowners of the County of Ashburton, respectfully request that the Tinwald-Mount Somers railway may be extended a further distance of about three miles towards the valley of the Upper Ashburton, in accordance with the recommendation of the Engineer-in-Ohief for the Middle Island. “We desire to point out that the Mount Somers railway has been promised for many years past, and that its lardy construction has been a serious loss to many who purchased land in the district on the faith of that promise. “ The attempt now being made to divert this line to Alford Forest is opposed to our interests, and in direct contradiction of the action of the Alford Forest settlers themselves in 1878, when they voted for their district being included in the rating area for Rakaia-Methven line of railway, when this line was projected in opposition to the line from Tin wald to Mount Somers, which was promoted by the Ashburton County Council. “ The Public Treasury has received a large sum of money from the undersigned for the purchase of land, in full reliance that the said railway would be constructed, and there is, moreover, a con-, siderable area of Crown land, which will be readily sold should the Mount Somers railway be extended a few miles further in the direction advised by the Engineer-in-Ohief.

“In reply to those who urge that this line should have been carried to Alford Forest, up to forks of the Ashburton, we call attention to the fact that the area of agricultural land south of the Ashburton, which this branch railway opens up, is two or three times greater than the entire area of agricultural land in the Ashburton Porks and Alford Forest districts, and of which a large portion \% ill be fairly accommodated by the railway in the course we advocate.

“ That although the preponderance of population at the present time may be greater in the Alford Forest district, yet in a few years a much greater population may be expected to be located south of the Ashburton and in the upper valley of that river.

“ We therefore pray that no deviation may be made in the route of this railway from that indicated by the hngineer-in-Chief. “ The area of land which we hold is stated opposite our names “Garrick and Cowlishaw, 3,030 acres; D. Morrow, 6,000; McG. Watt and Jas. Coskerie, 5,500; W. S. Peter,

18,000 ; A. Stvachey, by his attorney, J. E. Pounds, 2,000 ; F. Paine, by his agent (tenant) ; Hugh Cassidy, 680; Geo. Roberts, by A. Roberts, 2,400 ; C. J. Warner, 3,400 ; Green and Scrint, 365 ; Richard Strachey, by his agent, C. J. Harper, 1,000 ; 0. G. Hawdon, by his attorney, J. E. Pounds, 5,500; M. Studholme, 5,000; John Ballantyne, 2,000; A. B, Napier, by his agent, C.’J. Harper, 1,000; E. C. Mouldey, 881 ; James Dellow, 15; James Corbett, 330; Jas. J. Boyd, I, ;J. Whitelaw, 912 ;D. Scott, per J. Whitelaw, 250 ; J. H. Twentyman, 1,846 ; G. Harry Gordon, Ifor Colonial Bank of New Zealand, 500 ; Leonard Harper, trustee Cracroft estate, 3,500 ; total, 65,389.