RAILWAYS IN NORTHERN PART OF THE MIDDLE ISLAND.

Globe, Volume XXI, Issue 1705, 7 August 1879, Page 3

RAILWAYS IN NORTHERN PART OF THE MIDDLE ISLAND.

WELLINGTON, August 6. The following is a summary of Mr Blair’s report on proposed railways in the northern districts of the Middle Island:— 1. There is little prospect of a direct return for a railway between the East and West Coasts, and the collateral advantages are not commensurate with the enormous expenditure required. 2. Tho extension of the main trunk lino to Pieton may ultimately pay, but the collateral advantages in the immediate future are not commensurate with the outlay. Arriving at these conclusions, I have viewed the subject entirely from a professional and commeicial point. Now it has to be considered on the basis of one of the propositions set down at the outset, viz.—That the West Coast, as an integral part of tho colony, should be connected with Cook’s Straits and the East Coast. It is scarcely my province to enter minutely into the consideration of every phase of this question, but it is my duty to show tho expenditure involved, and give my opinion for what it is worth. I have already described the railway which I consider best adapted for the northern districts of tho Middle Island when railways are required. But I cannot say that I think any of them will bo required for many years to come. It would undoubtedly be a great advantage to have railway communication completed between the East and West coasts, and also from the end of tho Island, but in view of tho large expenditure involved, the uncertainty of a return for capital invested, and the few collateral advantages, I think the whole scheme might be postponed for tho present. If tho good land on the main trunk line was still in the hands of tho Crown, I would have recommended that tho line be gone on with gradually from both ends, as it would thus pay its way. But under present circumstances it may well stand over for some years. He makes the following recommendations :

1. That beyond the completion of the Groymouth and Hokitika railway and a section from Brunneraton to Nelson Creek, no railway works be undertaken on the West Coast at present.

2. That the idea of the East and West Ooast railway bo abandoned in favor of the Greymouth harbor, the said harbor to be made available for small vessels with the least possible delay, and afterwards adapted for larger colliers as required. 3. That beyond the completion of the line through Weka Pass to Waikari "Valley, no part of the main trunk line be undertaken for the present. 4. That in lieu of railways the main trunk roads be made or completed from Blenheim to Amberley, Tophouse, Hanmer plains, Hampden to Ahaura via the Maruia plains, and along such leading valleys in Marlborough, Nelson, and Westland as may be necessary for opening up the country. 5. That surveys be made of the main trunk line from Amberley to Ficton, and that the survey now in hand of the line from Nelson to the Buller Valley be finished. The following are the West Coast lines examined : Browning’s pass, Taipo route, Arthur’s pass, Porter’s pass route, Hurunui route, Hope route, Hanmer plains route, Amur! pass, and Cannibal gorge. On traffic he says it is from the mineral resources of the West Coast that the principal railway traffic will be derived, so it is necessary to consider the return and localities. Leaving out gold, which merely augments general traffic, coal is the only mineral hitherto worked which (may be depended on for a large permanent revenue. The quality of the western coal is equal to any in the Australian colonies. It is the only fire coal in New Zealand. The supply is practically inexhaustible, and the mines are easily worked. But it should be pointed out that the main deposit occurs in a narrow belt along the sea coast, which entails a maximum of length of carriage across the country. Coal has been discovered in small quantities up the Buller Valley to within forty-five miles olJNelson,and this has been nrged as a reason for constructing a railway in that direction. But the deposits are small, and according to the geological map there is not much likelihood of a large coalfield being found in that or any other locality many miles from the coast, at the Grey oi the Buller, at any rate in the vicinity of direct lines across the country. We may. therefore, sum up the resources of the West Coast that will directly bring traffic to a railway as timber and coal. The timber traffi; will spring from the crossing of the range, but the coal must be brought from the extreme eud of the line. On the eastern side of the range the West Coast line would pass through ordinary pastora country that will give little traffic. With the exception of the Waiau and Hanmez Plains all the good country is commanded by railways now open or in progress, and in the case of these plains they are not particularly well recommended by lines that have a preponderance of other advantages. The supplies of coal and timber of good quality on the West Coast are practically inexhaustible, but hitherto they have been little utilised, and we are importing annually between £300,000 and £400,000 worth of tbs commodities from other countries. The anomaly of this position is too obvious te require pointing out, and we are led directly to a consideration of its cause and of the means calculated to remove it. There is little difficulty in finding out the reason why the natural resources of the West Ooast are still lying dormant. It is simply want of ready communication with a market. It is not, however, easy to indicate by what means this want is to be supplied. The main coal deposits occur on the Coast at the Buller and the Grey. Consequently the readiest communication is by sea. It is also well known that water carriage is, under ordinary circumstances, and particularly for a long distance, the cheapest means of conveying coal. Unfortunately, however, the harbors in the neighbourhood of the coalfields do not favour this mode of transit. Naturally, neither the Grey nor the Buller is a good harbor, and the former is decidedly bad. The Buller is generally accessible to moderate-sized vessels, but the Grey bar can seldom be depended on for more than a few weeks’ time. Coal staiths and wharves, with training walls and other necessary works, have been constructed at Westport, and the whole of the appliances are very complete. The largest-sized vessel frequenting the port can load up at tides. Although these works were finished about a year ago they have scarcely been used, the coal mines not being in working order. It is now, however, expected that a commencement [will soon be made.

About 4000 tons of coal are exported annually from the Grey, a great portion being sent by steamer to Wellington. About £40,000 has already been expended in harbor works at Greymouth, and the whole scheme is estimated to cost £600,000. The harbor is expected to be aupo-ior to Westport when the works are completed, but the difference is by no means commensurate with the railway between the East and West Coasts, which is only intended to accommodate the Grey coalfields, it being quite impossible to send coal by railway from Westport to Christchurch at paying rates. At present the freight, exclusive of towage, on coal sent by sea from Greymouth to Lyttelton or Port Chalmers is about 15s per ton, and with a permanent channel it could be taken for 12s or 13a. From Westport the figures will be somewhat lower. The present freight from Newcastle to Lyttelton and Port Chalmers is 15s to 16s. It is thus seen that the Canterbury market is the only one open to coal that will be carried by railway between the coasts. Now this market is very limited. According to Parliamentary returns the quantity of Newcastle coal imported ts Lyttelton daring the year ending the 39th June, 1878, was £46,031 tons, and into Timaru 7584 tons, making a total of 53,615

tons. Although the consumption must necessarily increase, it is not likely that the imported article will be shut out altogether, neither can we calculate on supplying all the Timaru district. We may, therefore, safely assume that at the utmost the railway will not carry more than 40,000 tons per annum for many years to come. At the present tariff this is equal to £30,000. Ordinary working expenses are 70 per cent, of revenue, but it is well known that mineral traffic is the least _ paying, so 80 per cent, is in all probability the lowest estimate. That makes the total profit amount to £6OOO. But it is questionable whether the ordinary rates will pay over the steep gradients on the West Coast lines. The exceptional clines are equal to fifteen to twenty miles extra length, on a fiat line, and so far as I can judge the costjof working them will absorb the small balance above shown. In short the coal traffic will barely pay the working expenses, leaving nothing for interest on capital. As already shown, ocal cannot pay more than than the ordinary rates between Q-roymouth and Christchurch, so it must be carried without profit to the railway, otherwise it will go by sea,