Hawke's Bay Times. Nullius addictus jurare in verba magistri. SATURDAY, OCTOBER 7, 1871. RAILWAY DEPUTATION.

Hawke's Bay Times, Volume 18, Issue 1140, 7 October 1871, Page 2

Hawke's Bay Times. Nullius addictus jurare in verba magistri. SATURDAY, OCTOBER 7, 1871. RAILWAY DEPUTATION.

A Deputation of merchants waited jipon his Honor J. D. Ormond, General JG-overnment Agent, at 11 o'clock to-day, with reference to the contemplated line pf railway in this Province. The deputation consisted of the following gentlemen :—Mr Kennedy, Mr Kinross, Mr Balharry (representing Watt Brothers), Mr Stuart, Mr Tautier, Routledge, and Mr Robjohns. The following Memorial was presented jto Mr Ormond : Untp his Honor J. D. Ormond, Esq., Su perintendent of Hawke'a Bay and General Government Agent. The Memorial of the undersigned Merchants, Traders, and Residents in the Town of Napier, Respectfully Sheweth, — That jour Memorialists have only reoently Been in the newspapers a report by Mr Weber, the present Provincial Engineer, i*elative to a proposed line of Kail way to the Town of Napier without any provision being made for the extension of such line to Port Ahuiiri. That your Memorialists consider that the trade and progress of the Town and Port of Napier would materially suffer were the Hi e pf Kail way from the interior not continued to the Port. ' That without offering an opinion as to the most suitable site for a terminus in the Town, your Memorialists submit that if the Railway approaches Napier from tlie Olive direction, a level and inexpensive line to the Port could be made by way of Wellesley and Hyderabadroads to Battery Point, thence ac os- Maori and Gou2h Islands to Port Ahunri. In support of this view they direct your Honor's attention to the accompanying Estimate by Mr Rpchfort, C.E., late Engineer of Roads to the Province, of the expense of a Road from Car-iyle-street to Waghorue-street by the route indicated. Your Memorialists, therefore, respectfully urge that you will use your influence to obtain direct Railway communication between the Port and Town and inland Districts. [Report from James Rqchfort, Esq., C.E, above referred t 0.3 The formation of a Road 16 feet wide (metalled all through with broken metal) from Carlyle-street by Hyderabad road to Wag-horne-street, I estimate at £2,700, including the embankment of the channel at Battery Point, and the formation of a bridge 66 feet long, and embanking part not bridged of the phannel between Gough Island and Wag-horne-street. This wpuld be useful for driving stock, and would be a level road for carrying pountry traffic to the Spit, and up-country traffic from port. The distance, however, would be slightly greater than that by either tlje Coote-road or Shakespearp-road, Jambs Rochfort, C.E.

Mr Kinross said that as. there was now the prospect of a railway being ponstructeci, they came to urge the continuation of the line to the Port, whatever route was adopted. He had employed Mr Rpchfort, late Government Engineer, to ascertain the cost of a road from Oadylprstreet by Hyderabad road to Battery Point; thence across IVfaori and Gough Islands to the Spit. Ji|S estimate had been received, and

attached to the memorial. This would give a level and substantial road, and with the limestone alongside, it could be maintained very easily. It would be an unusual and suicidal thing to have it otherwise. The trucks which bring down the wopl and country produce should deliver the same at the wharf, so that the transit charges should be as light as possible. A further argument for bringing the line in this direction was that the increased trade at the Port was already such as to render wharfage accommodation necessary, and the deep channel abreast of Gough Island and Maori Island was now naturally the position in which to have these wharves. With a road from Battery Point they could be made at little cost.

Mr Ormond thanked the Deputation for bringing the matier before him. The Memorial would receive from himself and his colleague the attention it merited, and he might mention that it was quite his own view that the line should be continued to the wharves of the port, as well as having a station up town.