RAILWAY TO TUAPEKA.

Evening Star, Volume VIII, Issue 2285, 2 September 1870, Page 2

RAILWAY TO TUAPEKA.

The Committee appointed at the recent public meeting at Laurence are pursuing their labors with creditable earnestness and zeal. They have addressed the following letter to the Colonial Secretary : Sir, —By direction of a Committee duly appointed at a public meeting of the inhabitants of Tuapeka, convened by his Worship the Mayor of Lawrence at the request of a number of the residents, I have the honor to bring under your notice the attached series of resolutions, passed at the said meeting, and to request that you will be pleas'd to bring the same under the consideration of the Executive Council, with the view of ascertaining—1. Whether the Government are or will shortly be in a position to make, or to assist the above-mentioned Committee in making, the necessary preliminary survey of a proposed line of railway from Tokomariro to Lawrence. 2. Whether the Government are or will shortly be in a position to furnish or assist in furnishing the necessary professional assistance for reporting upou such schema of water supply as the Committee may suggest. . 3. Whether the Government will be in a position to devote any of the proposed loans to the construction of any of the above-men-tioned works, and whether they are inclined to regard favorably the suggestion to set aside, subject to the approval of the Provincial Government of Otago, the return of the Tuapeka Agricultural Reserve (9.3,000 acres) as a guarantee for the interest of the proposed railway expenditure. I am further directed to Tiring under your notice the opinion of many competent persons, that the proposed railway and water wmrks would be directly reproductive after construction. The former work, taken in conjunction with the Otago Southern Trunk Line, would be of service to the whole of the residents of the Mount Benger, Duustan, Cromwell Lakes, Switzers, Teviot, Alexandra, and the whole of Clutha Valley and Tapanui districts, and there can be no reasonable doubt that the greater part of the goods and passenger traffic from the places above-mentioned would be carried on the line. The traffic from the Dunstan, Cromwell, and Lake districts, is at present carried on by way of

Palmerston from Dunedin, a distance of 160 miles ; whereas Clyde can be reached from Lawrence in about 70 miles by the road It is believed that there are no serious engineering difficulties to be overcome in the construction of the proposed railway line, and no tunnelling or other heavy works will bo required. The entire absence of proper material for the construction, and the consequent large cost of maintenance, of ordinary roads along the line of the proposed railway, suggest the expediency (economically) of constructing a line of railway in preference to roads. It is also believed that if a good supply of water can be brought on to different parts of this district at a reasonable cost, a very considerable quantity of auriferous ground, which is now unproductive, would be made to yield excellent returns. I have the honor to be, Sir, Your obedient servant, Wm. Nott Gooday, Hon. See. Tuapeka Railway and Water Supply Progress Committee.

The following is a copy of the letter sent to all the Otago members in the House of Representatives, referred to in the above minutes ;

Sir, —I am directed by the Tuapeka Railway and Water Supply Progress Committee to write to you requesting you to urge upon the General Assembly and the Government the importance of the proposed railway line, and the probability of its being a directly reproductive work. The proposed line is a very short one (about twenty miles), and will pass through country either already settled or in progress of settlement, presents no engineering difficulties, and can be constructed cheaply. There is already a lan e traffic along the proposed route, which will be increased greatly by the construction of the line. A large revenue has been derived from the goldfields, for which they have received no adequate return. The Committee have learned with surprise that a deputation of the Otago members have waited on the Government to urge the construction of railways through comparatively uninhabited tracts of country, whilst no effort has been made to urge a proposal beneficial to almost the whole of the Otago goldfields. At the last meeting of the Committee, Messrs Bastings, Walsh, Herbert, and Hayes were appointed a deputation to wait on the Superintendent and Executive an I urge the necessity of an immediate survey and ascertain their views generally on the proposed railway ; and resolutions were adopted for the appointment of a committee to draw up a memorial to the General Government urging the advisability of obtaining authority to construct the line during the recess ; and to seek the co-operation of goldfields’ towns in the objects of the Committee.