NEW ZEALAND RAILWAYS.

New Zealand Mail, Issue 48, 23 December 1871, Page 3

NEW ZEALAND RAILWAYS.

[lndependent.] We understand that the question of the construction of the railways authorised by the Assembly has constantly occupied the attention of the Government since the close of the session ; and that, after considerable negotiation with Mr James Brogden, preliminary arrangements have been made with that geutleman on behalf of his firm, and a determination has also been generally arrived at respecting all the authorised railways. The arrangement come to with Mr Brogden is to tnis effect: —With as little delay as possible, the Government will place in his hands data sufficient to enable the firm to tender for the construction of various railways. If the Government are able to make arrangements with Messrs Brogden for railways to the extent of £700,000, then, “ Contract No. 2,” as entered into by Mr Vogel with the firm in England, is to be cancelled —otherwise, it will remain in force. Several months must elapse before the necessary data as to all the railways can be given to Mr Brogden ; but as the data for each line are given, he is, on behalf of his firm, within one month, to send in a tender for its construction, and if the Government should not consider such tender to be reasonable, they will be at liberty to call for public tenders for the particular work. During the interval before final arrangements can be completed, the Government may give to Messrs Brogden and Sons the construction of such portions of railways as may be resolved upon; and the works are to be excuted under the direction of the Engineer-in-Chief, the firm receiving, as payment, ten per cent, over and above the actual outlay, all expenditure being under the control and by the direction of the Government. This provision will enable work to be commenced without delay, upon such lines in different parts of the country as the engineers may have ready for commencement, It is provided that if the contract for railways to the amount of £700,000 is arranged, or if negotiations for that contract fail, and Contract “No. 2” is consequently revived, the Government may include in the works to be done under either contract any railway or parts of railways which may meanwhile have been confided to Messrs Brogden to be constructed under the 10 per cent arrangement: so that that arrangement really enables works to be commenced in anticipation of the contract finally to be made, without

necessarily importing any additional terms of agreement. On the other hand, if the railways be not included in the contract, the Government have power at any time to end the 10 per cent arrangement and to call for public tenders. ‘The following is a list of the railways concerning which it is proposed to make arrangements with the firm : Dunedin to Clutha, such portions as are not being constructed under contract; Blenheim to Picton ; Rakaia to Ashburton ; Ashburton to Temuka; Temuka to Washdyke ; Invercargill to Mataura; Moeraki to Waitaki; Auckland to Drury ; Drury to Mercer ; Wellington to Hutt Valley (20 miles) ; Waitara to New Plymouth ; Napier to Paki Paki (20 miles); Brunner to Greymouth, and Kawa Kawa to place of shipment, the last two conditional on satisfactory arrangements being made by the Government with the owners or lessees of the coal mines. In respect to the Brunner mine, arrangements have already been provisffinally made with the Superintendent of Nelson. As we have said, if the £700,000 contract is arranged, the No 2 Contract will cease to be of force; and should the “ No 2 Contract” be brought into operation, the railways enumerated will be railways to be constructed under that contract to the extent of half a-million. In either case, the construction of lines not coming under the contract arrangements will be let by public tender. As to the authorised railways or works not included in the list we have given, we understand that the Government have agreed as to the plan of procedure, which may be stated, generally, as follows :—■ Tramway from Napier to the Spit, to be pushed on expeditiously. Waitaki Bridge works to be carried on by the Government, and proceeded with expeditiously. Kaipara to Riverhead, or to Auckland : the contract to be proceeded with, and the question of diversion to be left for consideration. Hawke’s Bay Railway (continuation), Paki Paki to Ruataniwha, to be proceeded with leisurely, after the length Napier to Paki Paki lias been completed —the works to be extended over four years. Hutt Valley to Masterton, to be proceeded with leisurely until the line to the Hutt Valley has been completed, then to be pushed on expeditiously. Tramway, Manawatu to Wanganui, to be completed in four years; but between Rangitikei and Manawatu the works to be proceeded with quickly, by local labor. Nelson to Foxhill, to be- commenced at once, to be proceeded with leisurely, and to be finished in three years. Rangiora to Ivowai, to be commenced when the line to Rangiora has been completed, and then to be finished in two years. Selwyn to Rakaia, and Timaru to Washdyke : The works now in progress to be, in each case, proceeded with as quickly as possible. Winton to Kingston, to be constructed in four years. Tokomairiro to Lawrence, to be commenced next summer, and then to be completed in two years. Wanganui to New Plymouth, to be commenced when the line from Waitara to New Plymouth has been finished (say, a year hence), and to be proceeded with leisurely, to suit the progress of settlement. The Canterbury four branch railways (for which the funds are partly supplied by the province), to be completed in four years. Westport to Mount Rochfort, to be proceeded with expeditiously, as soon as the direction of the line has been decided. The foregoing will inform the public generally as to the position of affairs between the General Government and Messrs Brogden and Sons, and we may add that although the contract entered upon is only a provisional one, there is the fullest probability of its being satisfactorily extended. It will be remembered that the Assembly gave authority to the Government to enter into a contract with Messrs Brogden to the extent of one million, and the understanding was that plans and estimates of works to that

extent should be submitted to the firm in question before their beingcalled upon to tender. As matters really stand these full plans and estimates are not ready nor are likely to be for some time, but j Messrs Brogden are (we are informed) willing to meet the Government and at once commence the works included in the schedule to the Railways Bill of last session on their being paid ten per cent, profit on the outlay. They may not be in a position to enter upon the full work of construction at once, but they are ready to make a commencement of any of the works if they can come to an arrangement with the Government. Pending the preparation of the necessary plans and estimates, it is ‘agreed that Messrs Brogden shall begin at once at various points, amongst others with the commencement of the line from Wellington to Masterton, the surveys of which are to be immediately undertaken. The Picton and Blenheim railway is in a condition to be contracted for in a few ' days. The plans of the lines from i Clutha to Dunedin and from Invercargill | to Mataura are now being prepared, also those for the Selwyn and Rakaia line. Mr Bell (one of Messrs Brogden’s engineers) is now at Napier collecting necessary information, and examining the line from thence to Ruataniwha. The Government En-gineer-in-Ohief is, we learn, going to Auckland as soon as possible, to arrange j for the commencement of works in that j quarter. Should the Government and Messrs Brogden fail to agree eventually as to the million contract, Messrs Brogden will, we understand, receive 10 per cent, on the work done under the present agreement, and No. 2 Contract will be fallen back upon.