MOUNT SOMERS ROAD BOARD.

Ashburton Guardian, Volume V, Issue 1394, 2 December 1884, Page 2

MOUNT SOMERS ROAD BOARD.

The ordinary monthly meeting of the Mount Somers Road Hoard was held at the Board’s office, Mount Somers, yesterday. Present - Messrs Peache (in the chair), Edaon, Mcßae and Macfarlane. — A letter was road from Mr W. C. Walker apologising for his non-attendance. CO RESPONI'ENOB The following correspondence was read: cil stating that foctbri g< a w dud be placed across water-races as required by the Hoard.—(2) Prom the same stating that the Council would pay Is 3d per 100 for small birds heads or eggs, and under taking to refund to the Board any expenditure in that direction at the rate advised. —(3) From the same in reference to the Mount Somers pound. It was resolved to recommend the Council to call for ] tenders for leasing the pound,—(4) From Mr W. 0. Walker, M.H.8., stating that the Public Works Department had promised that the Board’s objection to the removal of Westerfield station would receive due consideration.—(s) From the General Manager of Railways to the same effect. (6) From Mr D. Symes requesting to be allowed to remove stones from his land to the water tables where they are washing away. Granted —(7) From Mr M. Carney, requesting that Mr W. Fergus’s name be substituted on the rate roll for his. - The application was granted. overseer's report. The Overseer’s report was read and adopted. fores. It was resolved that the contractor for keeping fords in repair be notified that unless they were placed in order within one week the contract would be cancelled. WOOLSHED CUTTING. It was resolved to grant L 4 from the funds of the Board towards repairing such part of the woolshed cutting, Mount Possession, as is on the public road. cough’s crossing. The Overseer was directed to expend L2 15s on clearing fori and stone picking at Gough’s crossing. carleton’s creek. The Clerk was instructed to write to Mr James Carlton, requiring him to take steps at once to prevent the water from his creek running on to the Mount Somers and Alford Forest road, and giving him notice that the Board will hold him responsible for any further damage done. CLEARING GORSE. It was resolved to give Mr D. Forbes notice that unless the gorse was cleared from the roads opposite his fences within one month, the Board would do the work at his expense, and enforce the legal penalty. TENDERS. The following tenders were accepted : No 5, repairing Armstrong road, JameE Carleton, LII 5s ; 6, repairing station road, James Carlton, L 2 4; 7, Gorge road cutting, J. Brown, LlO, ACCOUNTS. The usual monthly accounts having been passed for payment, the Board ad' journed. BY RAIL TO INDIA. The long-talked of Indo - Europeat Railway appears to be in a fair way of be' coming a fait accompli, as there is now every probability of a company being formed to carry out the scheme. Of pro jeots for connecting England with Indh by rail we h?ve had many, each being ir turn abandoned on political or financial grounds. One of those moat in favor was a line through Germany, Austria, Turkey over Constantinople to Asia Minor, anc by the Euphrates to India. The latest scheme, and the one now before us, s also by way of the Euphrates, but, in stead of taking the route north of the Mediterranean, It is proposed to take the line along its southern shores througl North Africa. The principal points of th< route would be Paris, Madrid, Gibraltar Tangiers, Tunis, Tripoli, Cairo, Bassorah Kelat, Kurrachee, and Bombay. Outsidi of Europe, of course, large distancei would have to be covered with iron roads butasfaras Gibraltar the existing rail ways of France and Spain would b« utilised, The Straits of Gibraltar wouk have to be crossed either by steam-boat oi steam ferry, and as public opinion in Eng land has decidedly pronounced against s channel tunnel, the steamboat will con cinue to supply the missing link betweer this country and the continent of Europe From Ceuta, in Africa, a lino would havt to be constructed in Morocco to join on ti the system of French railways in Algerif and Tunis. From Tunis a railway would have to be made through Tripoli to forno a junction with the Egyptian railway sya tem. It is estimated that the section ol the line extending from Tangiers to Cairo could be constructed in three years, whilst several portions of it could be put in working condition in two years. From Egypt the route to India would be continued to reach the Euphrates along the coast of the Persian Gulf to Kurrachee. Here the great system of Indian rail* ays would be struck, communicating with Bombay, Calcutta and Madras. Five years is the period In which it is thought the whole line from Tangiers to Kurraches could be constructed. The nominal capital for this grand undertaking, which, if now carried out, will give a muchneeded impulse to the iron trade and its related branches, is fixed at L 12,000,000 ; but to complete the whole Indo-European railway a much larger sum will probably be required. The surveys of the line have been entrusted to competent French and English engineers, who are said to be confident that the success of the under-

taking is assured. The entire distance from London to Bombay by the proposed

railway is calculated at 7,000 miles, which, going at an average railway speed of thirty-five miles an hour, could be covered in less than nine days. Should the undertaking be carried out as projected, the advantages to be derived by the trading and travelling classes of the country and Europe generally would he great indeed. It must be said that the arrangement of train service as proposed will tend to such a result. It is intended, as soon as the Indo-Euro-pean Railway is completed, to run an express train from London to Bombay every day, carrying passengers, local mails, heavy parcels, and other goods and articles of value. A special mail train is to be started from London to Bombay every two days. Ordinary trains are a'so to start from London, so as to ensure the advantageous employment of every part of the line. Front an estimate made the receipts, it* is calculated, will ensure a large return for the capital invested. As the line would practically have the monopoly of carrying passengers and goods from Europe to India and vice versa in the time stated, there ought to be no doubt as to the.rentability of the Indo-European Railway, —Morning Post