DUNEDIN AND MOERAKI RAILWAY.

Evening Star, Issue 3462, 27 March 1874, Page 2

DUNEDIN AND MOERAKI RAILWAY.

COMMENCEMENT OF THE DEBORAH BAY TUNNEL. Messrs M‘Kenzie. Bros., the contractors for cutting the tnmielat Deborah Bay, of the Dunedin and Moeraki Railway, invited His Honor the Superintendent and a large party of gentlemen from Dunedin and the Port to be present on beginning the work. ; We cannot deserve the ceremony as “turning the first.sod,” for in that romantic glen, in the particular spot selected for the entrance of the tunnel, a sod would be difficult to find. The tunnel, when completed, will be 1,440 yards in. length, through one of the Purakunui hills, and the work on the Deborah Bay side is at such a height as will render a detour necessary to enter the Port Chalmers line at Sawyer’s Bay, with a : descending gradient of lin 50. "I he contractors liberally provided the' Peninsula steamer. tcL convey the Dunedin guests across the harbor from the railway pier to Deborah Bay, where, on account of the state pf, the tide, they had to bo landed by means .of boats. I There were present—His Hfinor the Superintendent, the Rev. Dr Stuart, the Rev. Mr Johnstone, Professor M‘Gregor; Mr Bastings, Brovincial Secretary for Works ; Mr D. F. Main, Registrar under ,the Lands Transfer Act’ Mr Blair, District Engineer ; Mr Higginaon, -Superintending ' Engineer for the Middle Island j-'Mr. D.;Hutchison,.Mr Burt, of the Dunedin City Council; Mr D. Ross, archi- . tect; Mr G. F. Reid, Mr Copeland, Mr J Smith, Mr Coyle, Engineer, the-. Mayor and Councillors of Port Chalmers, and several others, besides some ladies and children. Perhaps few in Dunedin, excepting, members of the Field Naturalists’ Society, have ever visited the romantic gully through which the party had to climb to the scene! of the proceedings.Leaving _ the ladies, the party made its way, sometimes on the haqk, ah '! sometimes in the bed of a mountaih stream, that pours down a volume .of water, now running to waste, fully equal to the supply of the present population of the Port, fiver boulders, through swamps, and now ahd'theu through water—compelled occasionally to leap over deep clear pools, and to secure an uncertain footing amongst loose stones or twisted roots- past Messrs Beauchop’s saw-mill, past a team of bullock yoked to a log of timber,, drawn up in line to give their strange visitors a share of the track, toiling over stumps, swinging,np little banks by the help of .branches, stepping carefully on edge arid sleeper of a tramway down which sawn stuff is rolled for'shipment at the bay—with scarcely a misadventure the party: reached a little, knoll, on which his Honor took his stand, and on which the subsequent proceedings took place. On his left, water fell splashing and roaring from a height of ten or twelve feet. The’visitors ranged themselvesas best , they could on the ground below, though only very few had the remotest chance of hearing the addresses of the speakers. Refreshments, of which many stood much in need after their unwonted exertions, were handed round, and Mr Blair, District Engineer for Otago, addressing his Honor And those present, said —At the request of the contractors, and on his own behalf, he had much pleasure in welcoming those present to begin tin Dunedin and Moeraki Railway. His Honor had always taken a lively interest iri works of that kind, and, so far as Otago was concerned, he hail been the prime mover in every scheme having j for its object tho improvement of the Pro-! vince.—(Applause.) It was therefore most fitting that he should inaugurate this, the most important link in the railway system of the Province.—(H ear, hear,) A few years since, it was thought that the mountains' which surround Dunedin were an insuperable barrier to the construction of railways ; but hp was glad to say that a closer acquaintance with them showed there were several openings, apparently l&ft by Nature as pathways for the iron horse. Consequently the lines, both north and south, couUi be constructed at a moderate expenditure of tjiqe and money. He trusted, therefore, that his Honor would! soon be.called on not only to begin, but to open line after line through the length and breadth of the land—(applause) and that the day was not far distant when tbe journey from the Waitaki to the Waiau, and from Dunedin to Lake Wakatipu, could be accomplished in a few hours.—(Hear, hear ) He begged his Honor to turn the first sod of the Dunedin and Moeraki Railway.—( \pplause.) His hotfOß immediately took of his coat, and being presented with a new spade, loaded a barrow, wheeled ifc to the where the earth is to be deposited, emptied tfie barrow and brought it back again. His example was followed in equally good workmanlike style by Mr H. M.‘Dermid, Mayor of Port Chalmers, and the Rev. Dr Stuart, who pleasantly remarked that the Church would . n °t he behind tho State in the prosecution of good works.

The S.URERiNTgNpENT, after resuming his coat, said lie cciuld ppt allow this occasion to pass without making a fjow remarks. Tho last time he had the honor |bo perform a similar ceremony was whep ’ the Graying Dock, a short distance from where they wepe now standing, was commenced a few years ago ; and he thought they would all admit that that was a work which did credit to those who constructed it. He believed that the contractors had made a satisfactory profit out of it, and he thought he was right in saying that the work was completed without accident; to life or limb. He was sure he only uttered the wishes of all present when he expressed an earnest hope that the work no>v initiated would be so completed as to flifn to say precisely the same with reference to it at its termination. He sincerely hoped t that the Messrs M'Kenzie would have the pleasure not of meeting the present company on the side they! were now standing, but that jong be- ■ fore the contract time expired the pom-! pany would be congratulating them upon both sides of the mountain, shaking hands in the centre.—(A pplause.) If he mis took not, with the exception of the Canterbury tunnel, that was the largest undertaking of tho kind which had yet been attempted in tne A ustpqlasian Colonies, and he believed, if it were carried put yithin the contract price —which he had no dquht ft would be—it would be one of the cfieapepfe works of the kind ever constructed, ‘ in' this part qi jtyp <

world at least. He thought tliey might well congratulate’themselves that they had not been obliged to go oiit of the Province for contractors to construct th’e tunnel. He thought it was a, matter for congratulation that they had local inen who were both able and willmg to contract for these and much larger undertakings. . It Was also matter of gratification to reflect that nearly the whole of the money—L3s,000—expended on this contract, would be spent in the district oh labor. . Ho thought that was a very satisfactory consideration, and ho sincerely hoped that a very small proportion of the money would find its way into the coffers of the General Government in the shape of duty, on spirits.— (Laughter and applause.) He hoped, on the other hand, that a very large proportion of it would find its way into the Provincial Treasury in exchange for land —(Hear, hear) He thought there could be no doubt that tbe p 'blic works policy upon which the country had entered would not prove a complete success unless a very large proportion of the millions we are now borrowing passed through the hands or the receivers of land revenue, to be subsequently expended in the construction of branch railways and feeding lines throughout the country. He did not know whether he was addressing many of the men to be permanently engaged on tbe work, but if he were he would point out to them that with industry, sobriety, and frugality, at the end of that contract there was no reason why they should not have enough saved to enable them to become freeholders—there was no reason why every man of them should not be able to sit under his own vine and fig tree. It had long been a maxim of his—and long experience had given him no reason to doubt its truth—that no man in this country should be in the labor market for more than three years. He regarded, that as the period beyond which it was not necessary for a man to* remain in the labor market. After that period he should retire to make room for others, purchase land, and become an employer of labor. As far as he was concerned himself, and fie thought he could speak for his responsible advisers in the Provincial Government, they were all exceedingly anxious ito facilitate settlement in that direction, and although under their peculiar land regulations they had. a great deal to contend with, aud were met with obstacles on every hand, yet he had no doubt that they would in the c ourse of a few years settle thousand* of families in this Province. He hoped that those men who worked in that* tunnel would be in a position to put down ready cash, and not to need wait for any deferred payments. The tunnel which they had just commenced he looked upon—as Mr Blair had well said—as a key which would open hundreds'of thousand of acres of agricultural land which were still in the hands of the Crown tor beneficial occupation. The Provincial Government was now making a branch line up the valley of the Waitaki, and were about making another up the valley of the Waiareka. He hoped that after next session they would have power to make what might be called a main branch line, which would *o up the whole length of the Maniototo Plains, where he was sure there were hundreds of thousands of acres of lalnd fit for settlement. If those plains wfere brought into connection with the sea-board, as would be done by means of the railway, system, farmers would be able to bring in - their golden grain for 2d or 3d a bushel, and that from a country hitherto considered merely fit for pastoral ‘occupation. That would ifford opportunity of exporting corn at a profit. Thera was also a glorious country about Naseby which he honed to see occupied by a settled population, lie proposed three cheers fbr the Queen. Three hearty cheers were accordingly given for Her Majesty, which were followed by cheers for the Superintendent, the Contractors, •’ the Mayor of Port Chalmers,' the Rev. Dr. Stuart, and the workmen. At the request of His Honor, the Rev. Dr Stuart offered up the following prayer ; “o>-od, our Creator and Preserver, with united hearts we thank Thee for giving us a settlement and a home in this pleasant country, and for enabling us by onr industry to provide for our families, and for our little ones. Grant, we pray Thee, that in all our efforts we may constantly recognise Th\ Providence, and seek the well-being of those who are to fill onr places in the State'and in the Church in after years. We recommend, O God, to thy Divine Providence this undertaking ; we thank Thee with all our hearts that Thou hast put it into the minds of our rulers to endeavor to quite all the,district« of this Province by means pf communication so admirable as railways, which- ‘effect so much good, not- only for : the .diffusion of material wealth but also for the social wellbeing and happiness of the country. Bless, we pray Thee, our Governor and his. advisers. Grant them all the wisdom necessary • to carry out the policy they have initiated ani by which we humbly trust the good of our country will be secured. Bless those-ib authority in our midst. .Bless, O • God, ouri engineers, and be unto them a head of wisdom, and to our contractors an arm of power, so that in due time this great -undertaking may. be completed, and the well-being of the country promoted. Bestow thy blessing and love upon all ;here assembled. For all we ask is for Christ’s sake. Amen.” The return journey proved scarcely less laborious than the climb up the steep, but dui not occupy so long a time. It did not affect the wind so much, but perhaps was more trying to the nerves. On the Superintendent’s arrival at the shore ofgthe Bay, he was met by Capt B. Robertson, who acted as escort to Mias Ada Julia, daughter of Captain W. Julia—a child born in the Bay. The little lady yracefu ly presented to his Honor a beautiful bouquet of flowers, with the words “ Welcome to Deborah Bay, from a child of the soil,” neatly written on the envelope. Captain Robertson also gave him some fine apples grown there, and a glass of fine water from an adjoining stream—that stream which Mr Miller, one of the Port Chalmers Town Council, as long back as ten years ago, proposed to utii.se for supplying the township with water. The Superintendent, in thanking the donors for these timely presents, remarked that some years ago he little thought such a welcome awaited him in a place that was then a wilderness. Shaking hands with the young lady and Captain Robertson, he proceeded pyerland, accompanied by Mr Miller, to Port Chalmers by the road now in course of construction by the prisoners. The rest of the party were conveyed to the Port by the steamer, where luncheon was provided at the Provincial Hotel in Mr Dodson’s’ best style.Between sixty and seventy g.ntlemen sat down, his Honor the Superintendent being in the chair, supported on the right by Mr H. Bastings, M.P C., and on the left by Mr D. M'Kenzie. The clotfi being drawn, an amalgamation into one was made of the usual loyal toasts, and the Superintendent proposed “ Success to the Dunedin and Moeraki ail way, ”or per haps he should, have said the *• Dunedin and Oatnaru Railway,” the principal part of which they had that day initiated. He thought it was almost impossible to foretell the results likely to accrue from the construction of this railway, which, when made, would bring, a very large extent of agricultural country, into communication with the Port of Otago—with Port Chalmers he believed—but he would call it tbe Port of Otago. He believed thrit when this railway was made, and the branches necessary, the wool and gold export would sink, inco insignificance in comparison with the staff of flife, the wheat, 'which would be brought in for a penny or twopence a '

bushel. He believed that this country was destined to he a great graia producing country, and he did not know of anything which would more readily ensure this consummation than the construction of the Northern, i'runk Railway. Therefore he was sure it required no argument from him to induce the ;company to drink to the progress and prosperity of that railway. In connectionwith that toast he thought they might well drink the health of the contractors He believed that they had taken this contract at what was considered a fabulously low price, and judging from the other tenders sent in, he had no doubt it was so. Some of the tenders reached L 90.000 against their* L 35.000, but they were thoroughly practical men, and he believed they would carry out the contract with profit to themselves. They had a hint of what Messrs M'Kenzie could do in the tunnel at Cavershatu. They successfully carried out that undertaking, and he only hoped that while goiog through with this tunnel, if they did not hit upon gold, that they would find what was far better—viz., coal. Just before he sto id up, a small coterie were moralising a little with themselves ; and now, although the time forbad him to moralise at any length on the present occasion, yet no one who was here twenty-three or twenty-four years ago could help moralising upon the wonderful change which had come over the face of this locality. At that time the whole harbor side was covered with wood—Nature’s solitude. Now they had indications of manufactures—they had shipbuilding, and a great many other things besides. He had no doubt that the next twenty years, nay, the next ten years, would fcee much greater changes than even the last twenty years has witnessed. He had said that day already th'at L 35,000, to. be expended on this, tunnel, . would be mostly spent on labor. He was in 1 hopes that even the powder for blasting in the tunnel would be manufactured in Otago.—(Hear, hear.) He believed that there was a manufactory in

Port Chalmers, which, with a little encouragement, might produce a far .more effective powder than that got from Home, and at much less cost. He proposed “ Success to the Northern Trunk Railway, coupled with the health of the contractors, Messrs M‘Kenzie Bros. ”

The toast was drunk enthusiastically. Mr D. M'Keszie returned thanks, and said "that the contractors would do" their utmost to realise the kind wishes expressed by his Honor.

The-Superintendent, having an .engage* meat, retired from the chair, which was taken by Mr Bastings, who asked dr Wade to propose the next toast, “The General Assembly of New‘Zealand and the Provincial Council of Otago.” Mr Wade,- as a stranger in this part of the Province, although he had resided in another part of this great Province of Otago for many years, could only say that a General Assembly and a Provincial Council which had shown such colonising power and spirit as they had witnessed that ctay were worthy of all honor that, could be shown them, ’ ;<

Mr J. U. Creighton, M. H. R.; 1 responded on' behalf of the General Assembly.' .They owed to 1 the General Assembly very much of the festivities and the hospitality they were enjoying, for had it not been for the appropriations of the Assembly uader the Colonization Policy, introduced by the present Ministry, they would not be present at that festive meeting, nor would that wilderness of supplejack and rock through which they had just travelled have been disturbed for many years to come by the shriek of the railway whistle. He believed, notwithstanding all that was said against the General Assembly, especially against the present Parliament, in newspapers and out of newspapers, it would be a long time before they would find a similar body taking broader views, aud making more liberal provision for extending the sphere of settlement and colonization than it. The Chairman responded on behalf of the Provincial Council It afforded him a great amount of pleasure to be present at tie inauguration of this great pub ic work. He felt especially gratified that it had been undertaken by local contractors. Whatever a foreign company might have done in the construction of public works in the Colony, they would find tfiatrthey ha t within themselves both talent and means to carry out those public works, as satisfactorily as ever had been done by foreign capitalists. ,He hoped that for the future whatever works might be undertaken, local capital would be found to carry them out. On behalf of the Provincial Cpuncil, he could say, as a member of. that. body, jbljie feeling which existed in the Council in reference to the action of the General ,Government of the Colony was a very healthy one. There was a time when there was a feeling of antagonism between the General Government of the Colony ahd the Provincial Government of Otago, but he faded to see what difference of opinion could nqw really exist. There ought to be only one opinion in the minds of any men representing the people, that they should ■ all- work together for .the advancement, not 1 only of 'Otago, but of New ‘Zealand’ as a whole; and He thought that that was the feeling now entertained both by the' Provincial Council of. Otago and by tho General Government of New Zealand. Uis r’ionor the ’(Superintendent had stated that he thought the paramount interest of this conntry was the agricultural- interest, and he must say that on this point he differed 1 in la great measure from His Honor. His Honor said that that/interest- was of more import-

once than the gold interest or any other, but he (the Chairman, felt it his duty to say that there was another interest he thought was of the importance—that was the gold interest of the Province He would say unhesitatingly, and he did not think any man could contradict it, that if it had not been for the goldfields, Dunedin would not have attained its present position of commercial prosperity. —{Hear, hear.) He did not contend that the discovery of gold was everything to a country, but he believed it was a means to. an end, and if men devoted time and capital to the development qf the goldfields the Government should afford them every facility to acquire land for settlement. They weald then find that this progressive policy, this railway policy, would do a large amount of good. As the runs fell into the hands of the Government, instead of having, as at present, one man settled on 30,000 or 40,000 acres, they should endeavor to get 300 or 400 families and homes located there. They had seen a great deal in the papers lately about the action of tfye people at Roxburgh ; and on account of the representations made by those people he felt a great inclination to rush into print. Certain statements were made there by people whose interest it was in a business point of view to keep up a local commotion and men occupying respectable positions did not s ;ruple to tell a lie in endeavoring to show to the public here and in England that the Government of the country were not desirous of promoting settlement, but were desirous of handing over the land to a few capitalists. He would say that that was an

untruth—(hear, bear) —and he thought that everyone who knew himself and his colleagues m the Executive, also knew that all their desires aud all they were,possessed of were devoted to the advancement of the Province It was therefore wrong for men who knew better to promulgate what was not true, and to. endeavor to ihjure the country in the eyes of those who might come but here and better themselves. _ However fast the Assembly might be going in carrying out the grand

Govern. ment endeavoured to beep, them. Whenever the Central -Government were constructing a main line, the' Provincial Governmeuts endeavoring to, meet 'it with branohlets—(hear)—so as to develop the resources of the country and make the main trunk pay. Mr Copeland proposed, “The Corpora.tions of Port Chalmers and Dunedin” coupled with the names of the . Mayor of Port Chalmers and Mr Alexander Burt, of Dunediu., Mr M Dbrmxd returned thanks on behalf <>f the Corporation of Port Chalmers, and Mr Rdrt for Dunedin. The remaining toasts were, “The Engineers and Contractors,” and the “Dunedin Press.” Mr Blair responded on behalf of Mr.Higcinaon, himself, and the engineers j and Mr Bell, of the Evening a tar, on behalf of the Press, The party then broke up, and the Dunedin visitors returned by the six o’clock train.