FOXHILL AND BRUNNER RAILWAY.

Nelson Evening Mail, Volume VIII, Issue 193, 12 August 1873, Page 2

FOXHILL AND BRUNNER RAILWAY.

The following was received from Mr Curtis by the Secretary of the Inland Communiootion Committee, and laid before a meeting of the Committee this morning: — Memorandum for consideration of Government relating to Mr Caloutt'a report upon the 1,400 000 acres of land propo**ed as security for the construction of a Railway from Fox-hill to Brunnerton Mr C<dcutt estimates the quantity of level land at about 200,0P0 acres, of which 5«>,000 are open land and 150,00 > are covered with timber. He estimates the valuo of these 200 000 acres at £137,000 in their pn sent comparatively inaccessible position, or at £286,000 when the proposed railway has boen made. Mr Cnlcutt however makes no estimate of tbe valu I**1 ** of the remaining 1.200,000 acres. We cannot agree with Mr Calcutt in tbe opinion that only that, portion of tbe level hush land covered with fine timber, which lien within one mile on each side of the railway, would be enhanced in value by the construction of a line connecting it with a first-cluss port On the cortrary we think a distance often miles on each cide of the line would be a much more reasonable calculation. .Nor can we accept tlie view that level land covered with "* excellent " birch timber is of value for the timber only. We need not follow Mr Calcutt into his calculations of the cost of dealing bush land, arid of the cost of survey, wbich Mr Calcutt ' asserts '"would represent a large percensage on the amount realised •*** On the latter point we will however mention that a contract for purveying 10 000 acres of the heavily timbered land to which Mr Calcutt refers into 50 acre sections was recently complcteld for fourteen pence halfpenny per acre. Adding to Mr Calcutt's valuation of £288,000 for the 200 000 acres of level l*md, the vidne of the 1 ;200,000 acres which he docs not take into account, and which, although for the most part hilly and even irountainous are nevorthelesit almost entirely covered with timber, and have hi-en provt d to contain large deposits ot coal of various qua ities ranging from good steam coal to ordi • nary brown coal— over wbich extension alluvial mining has been carried on for many yesirs past, and in which numerous auriferous quartz reels, especially at the Inangahua and the Lyell, ure now iv successful and profitable working (see annual report on Goldfields) we submit that ample security has been offered for tbe cost of construction of the proposed railway, without taking into account tho additional security of the revenues of the Province, which in ihe case of moat of the other railways authorised m other provinces has been deemed to be sufficient in itself. Signed — Oswald Curtis A. J. Richmond Joseph Shephard Charles Parker L>. M Luckie A. S Collins Eugene O'Conob W. H. Harrison.