Report of Harbour Board's Endowment

Feilding Star, Volume IX, Issue 126, 23 May 1888, Page 2

Report of Harbour Board's Endowment

The following is the report of Mr Dundas on the best means, and the cost, of opening up the Harbor Board's Endowment Block:— "I have the honor to present the following repo.t as to the best means of opening up the unsold part ; of the Wanganui Harbor Endowment. I have spent the last five days on the Block trying to follow out the road lines, but I have found that they ar«;generaUy so much grown up and blocked up by fallen timber, that it is almost impossible, to follow "them witttout cutting the lines afresh. I have have therefore had to rely partly on my knowledge of the roads acquired during the survey of the Block, of which I did the larger , portion. I shall first state what has to J>e done; andi is proposed to be done, to the different lines to which access call be given. The road is metalled to the junction at the northwest corner of section 8, block 12, a distance of 11. miles from Feilding. ,.. The line in continuation of this to tho north-east corner of section 31, block 9, which was cleared by the Harbor , Board, is_. now in fair order, a»a bridle "tract. I am informed that a sum of £600 is about; to be spent by this Highway Board mf forming and metalling this part, from north-east section 73. At the boundary of the township the felled line is grown over with koromiko and other scrub, so thickly that it is almost im- . , possible to gbt along the road. This partis almost wholly in steep sidelying ground; From the north- - west corner of section 8, block 12, . a bridle track has been formed to the road junction between sections 5 and 7; and the line towards the river is passable for horses/ as it. . is felled, i.c, J to the. east corner of .".- Sections. The road line from there to the river has been partly felled and burnt in clearing the .ad joining sections, and would be fit for horse traffic if a side cutting Were made down the cliff, about 20 chains. The line from the south corner . of section 5, block 12, has been felled and burnt to the north-east corner of section 18, block 9, and is now passable for hone* . to the north-east corner of section| 15 r block 12. I have been informed that a sum ef £500 is to be spent in forming and metalling this road, and it is expected ° that for that sum. the road will be com* pleted to the north »east corner of section 18. On the Pphangina line a track has - been cut up the cliff in section 61, block 9, and the road is passable for horses up to the north corner of section 17 ; beyond that point there is about ten chains of side cutting required, and on the flat towards the township the ground is boggyy and the line is quite choked up with scrub. With regard to access to the Kimbolton road, I find that the Chelten- ■*■ ham cross road, has been cleared to the* . river cliff. Barrow's road has also been cleared to the river cliff, but a deviation has been surveyed and not yet cleared. In each of these roads there would besome side « cutting required in order to reach the. river bed. Coulter's line has been cleared for about half a mile from the Kimbolton road: 1 should recom* .mend that the roads be opened up in the ; following order;— t(a) The line parallel ■ with the river (as recommended in Mr ■■. Hasseli's report) from the east corner ■ of section 15, block 5, to. the south* east corner ot section 3, block' 2. This is the best part of the Block, J \ the , ground . being level or undulat- ■'■ ing, and the soil fcbod. The outlet from this part of the Block will, no doubts eventually be by Coalter's line, but at present it would be cheaper to cut a track down the cliff from Barrow's line, or to form a road .down the terrace between sections 4 and 5, Block 12. It might be advisable to reserve a right of road through sections 13 and 14, from the end of Coulter's line, without having; to cross the Orouaßiver more than osce. - Length of road, 350 chains (of which 60 ■- chains, would require formation); area : opened np, 2856 acres (of which area 593 acres, in sections 2 and 3, Block 2, would not be likely to sell at present), (b) Theridge line- from the north-east comer of; section 18, Block 5, to the road junction. ' * at the north corner of section 2s, Block • 5, Length of road, 298 chains (of which. 60 chains would require formation); area opened up, 2329 acres (of which 1524 acres on the north and west of the road line should sell re»dily), (c) Continuation of same'iine to the section line ' 9/10 north of Trig H. ; Length of road. 260 chains (of which 20 would require formation) ; area, opened up, 2568 areas ; (of Which 1419 acres, on the west side of the road would probably be taken up at once)- Ido not think it advisable to goto the expense of opening up the ridge, A line from the south east corner of section 70, Block 9, to the junction at the ieast corner of section 21, as only N one sectipj?, Nw?s, would remain, then without access, and it is not v one which is 4ikelj to be i P un ohasedat present, even with road access ' -' d). The road line parallel, with the •• » ,• PohatgiPa Biyer. Jn order to open up ■ v rtuslineit would be necessary, in the' first place, to clear the scrub which has " grown ud on the road line from the top) of the terrace on the western Bide of section JoY Block, S, to the edge of the township; dear land (40 chains}; tc- - form 10 chains of side cutting, down terrace ; and to cut A.draia on the west side of the road lins, on the flat into the - ?l ea Tt (^ '*?**!s«' Theiane would ;;' then have to be felled, commencing at the stream which rojis tbronghtfie town* ship, and. might b£ cleared up to the" - gravel reserve in No. 30, Block 6, * , ofi^ tance tif 310 chains, of whiclrl estimate 150 Chains would .require formation^ Are* opened up, ,1116 acres which I^' think wo«ld readily be disposed of, ex*. = oe P t1 *^ l**\ a P» fc .&#ions t 7 and.B, (286^ * Ore(^ I recommend,, at preset, that this .fine; be cleared,^ t0,.. P boundary. •JPfie-stootioHs nortk of No.*? are not likely to be token up it ,*' present and the line- terminateV af «n r awkward place near Trig ©, wKefe -ib^ ■ cannot be used for giving, accesavtotne^ wver,Ded without considerable expense, I shonjd recommend that sections 13, 19, 21, and 27 be sold,,teirether with thVad*^ :. 3omH»K sections, J&v2f>,-.22, a4d 26 resi - - pee«*ely, thus away with tEe^ - necessrtj of using the Beehive- Creek fis- r a frontage ftesides which any work'do&B? "- ;i iitlhe-tay of improving it for a '.faridp v'u: track is liable to be destroyed by floddsT-- 3 } W !° uld rooommend, i n l e^ng contwiot*" • for any; of these road works^thnictrtP Ifte "- 1 ' " ;> to&^oeths^bush should hefelledywfid "-- nno?«i&t after thisis done the parts ■-re*^;- ' quiring ff ormadon ahouJd be graded, and - • ■ Aet;Wa separate contraoV c^- io oase^of'^%re^Sl* tiQll being let along-. <mtk r th*«^' bußnteUing» it should be made under*

atotkl that i the parts of the line to be formed should be graded after being cleared. I have given estimates for clearing lines one chain wide; ilearing and stumping in centre, 20 feet wide; forming bridle track where required, 5 feet wide, so as to make a fair horse road. Should it be necessary to keep the expenses within £50 per mile, the only plan w..uld be to reduce the width of the clearing to, fay, ha if a chain, with a quarter of a chain stumping. lne mtal cost of the works proposed bj Mr Dundas, as abore amounts to L 1332 15s, opening up 8869 acres — -Chronicle.