The Southland Times. FRIDAY, JANUARY 3, 1868.

Southland Times, Issue 875, 3 January 1868, Page 2

The Southland Times. FRIDAY, JANUARY 3, 1868.

The subjoined correspondence will be found to contain the principal events that have occurred, in connection with the Railway question, since the last meeting of the Council. We have, on more than one occasion, censured the seeming apathy of the Government in not vigorously pushing forward the recommendation of the Council ; but the frank explanations $ given by His Honor in the publication of the correspondence, demonstrates that he has used every exertion towards the completion of the Northern line of railway. We are glad to perceive that the Government have acted energetically, and that their efforts are likely to be crowned with success. The following is the correspondence .— TELEGRAM, 19th SEPT., 1867. To the Hon. the Colonial Secretary, Wellington. Copy of Resolution passed by the Provincial Council of Southland, on Thursday, 19th i September, 1867. "That this Council, deeming it expedient that the unfinished public works known as the Oreti Railway, on which a la»-ge sum of money has already been expended, should be completed to Wmton with iron rails, recommend His Excel-" iency the Governor, in terms of Sub-section 2, j. Clause 36, of the ' Southland Waste Lands Act, 1865,' to make a grant of sixty thousand acres for the payment in land of the said works ; such works to be constructed under the supervision of the Provincial and General Government Engineers. No action to bo taken with regard to the disposal of the land allocated until any proposed agreement or arrangement with Contractors shall have I been submitted for and received the sanction of tho Council." (Signed) J»o. P. Tayeob, Superintendent. TELEGRAM, 21st SEPT., 1867. To the Hon. the Colonial Secretary, Wellington. The following Resolution was passed by the Provincial Council on Thursday last : — "That this Council being convinced of the great benefits that would be conferred both directly and indirectly on the Province by the formation of a Railway from Invercargill eastward to the Mataura, recommends His Excellency the •Governor, in terms of Sub-section 2, Clause 36, "of the 'Waste Lands Act, 1865,' to make a grantor grants of land for this work, viz., 150,000 acres of land in payment of, or compensation for, these worka ; such works to be carried on under the ' supervision of an Engineer appointed by the General Government conjointly with one of the Province: provided always that after surveys, | plans, and specifications have been prepared and tenders received, the same shall be submitted for the approval of the Provincial Council." (Signed) • John P. Taylob, Superintendent. Superintendent's Office, Southland, Ist October, 1867. Sib, — I have the honor to enclose herewith copy of a Resolution passed by the Provincial Council recommending His Excellency the Governor, in terms of Clause 36, " Southland Waste Lands Act, 1865," to make a grant of 60,000 acres in payment of works necessary to finish the Oreti Line with iron rails ; contract to be supervised by a General Government as well as a Provincial Government Engineer, and to receive the approval of the Provincial Council. As on this subject a deal of correspondence has already taken place, all I need at present say is that I trust His Excellency will be advised to accede to the recommendation by minuting and notifying the grant to the Province : the Crown Grants to be issued to the Contractor or Contractors when the Superintendent and Engineers shall have certified and the Waste Land Board adjudged. I have the honor to be, Sir, Your obedient servant, Jno. P. Taylob, Superintendent. The Hon. the Colonial Secretary, Wellington. Superintendent's Office, Southland, Ist October, 1867. Sib,— l have the honor to enclose herewith copy of a Resolution passed by the Provincial Council of Southland during its late session recommending His Excellency the Governor, in terms of Clause 36 of the "Southland Waste Lands Act, 1865," to make a grant of 150,000 acres of land in payment of works necessary for the construction' of a Railway, eastward from Invercargill to the Mataura ; contract to be supervised by General Government as well as Provincial Government Engineers, and to receive the approval of the Provincial Council. As a large amount of correspondence has already taken place on this subject, all I need at present add is that I trust his Excellency will be advised to accede to the recommendation by minuting and notifying the grant to the Province : the Crown Grants to be issued to the Contractor or Contractors when the Engineers and Superin--1 intendent shall have certified and the Waste Land Board adjudged. I have the honor to be, Sir, ■** . Your obedient servant, f (Signed) Jffo. P. Taylob, Superintendent. The Hon the Colonial Secretary.

Colonial Secretary's Offito, Wellington, 17th Oct., 1887. Sib,— l have to acknowledge the receipt of your Honor's two letters of tbr Ist mat, enclosing Resolutions of the Provincial Council of Southland, recommending extensive grants of land in payment of works required respectively for the construction of the Railways from Tnvercargill to Oreti, and from Invercargill to Mataura. What, it is presumed, the Council intended to recommend was the reservation of land to be given ultimately in payment, as no grants oould be made before the works vere completed. On tlus subject I would observe generally, that while the advantages resulting from the complethn of the Oreti line would appear to warrant the giving 60,000 acre£ of land inpayment, inasmuch as it would give access to crown lands, and facilitate their sale, it is not so certain that the construction of a Railway to the Mataura would justify the I alienation of so large a tract of country as 150,000 acres, aod it would accordingly be desirable that , this work should, if undertaken, have the previous i sanction of an Act of the General Assembly. j Moreover, the legislation of the recent session j of the General Assembly, having released the 1 impounded Land Fund of Southland, the Provincial Council may consequently desire to i reconsider the whole question of giving in ( exchange for public works lands of such extent as j to interfere largely with the future sale of land, j On this question of the proposed Railways I enclose for the information of your Honor and of the Provincial Council, copies of the reports of select committees of the Legislative Council and House of Representatives, appointed during the recent session of the General Assembly. I have, Ac. &c. E. W. Stafjokd. His Honor tie Superintendent, Southland. Superintendent's Office, . . Southland, 24th October, g IE> — I have the honor to acknowledge the receipt of your letter of the 17th inst. with its enclosures. . - , You rightly interpret the intention of the recommendation of the Provincial Council to mean " the reservation of land to be giveu ultimately in payment." I agree with you that the question as to the construction of the Mataura line need not at present be further discussed for reasons already given in former letters, and also that this project should first have the assent of the General Assembly. I am glad that you agree with me that " the advantages resulting from the completion of the Oreti line would warrant the giving 60,000 acres of land in payment, inasmuch as it would give access to Crown lands, and facilitate their sale." Regarding your suggestion that the Provincial Council might be desirous of reconsidering the subject now that the land fund is released, I would observe that the resolutions passed at its last session being precisely whaj; you understood them to be, I cannot conceive that its opinion can be materially altered in this regard by the legislalation of the General Assembly, seeing that the consolidation of provincial loans (and consequent release of the Southland Land Fund) was anticipated at the time the resolution recommending the allocation of 60,000 acrrs of land for this purpose was passed, and that the report of the Select Committee of the Legislative Council on the subject was read during the discussion. I do not conceive ' that the appropriation of 60,000 acres of land for this purpose Tvould practically interfere with land sales and the production of actual revenue from that source, but the contrary. Supposing it decided that the work shall be gone on with, some months after the meeting of next Council must be allowed to pass to permit of advertising in Australia as well as New Zealand, and many more after acceptance of tender before a demand' could be made on the Government for any reserve of land on account of work done, as the greater part, indeed almost the whole, of the earthwork is already constructed, and a great proportion of the sleepers already provided and laid down. The great bulk of the expense will be for the iron rail?, wl.ioh having to be ordered from England, will probably not even arrive out here for twelve months to come. Meanwhile, the fact that the line is actually authorised to be finished will cause those who have been long dettered from buying, by 'he uncertainty which has hung over this project for such a length of time, to come forward and complete their intended parchases at once, and be ore the Contractors can have any land certificates to dispose of, and give confidence to many others here and in Australia to invest, who, in the uncertainty as to the Railway, and also as to the permanent price of the land, would not otherwise leel justified in investing. That there are many such, I know ; as lam aware of certain parties who actually withdrew from negociations for purchase on hearing the tenor of the Select Committees reports on our Railways. This being the case, as it assuredly is, and our available revenues in fature being dependent almost entirely on the proceeds of the sale of land, it becomes highly necessary that any existing hindrance to such sales should be removed at once. The Provincial Council meets again next month, and I have therefore to ask simply whether you will authorise me to lay before it the assurance that hia Excellency the Governor will be advised to confirm its recommendations as far as they relate to the completion of the Oreti Railway. If you give me this assurance, I have no doubt of obtaining satisfactory tenders within the limit named, otherwise I do not think there is any likelihood of raising sufficient revenue to enable us to carry on the ordinary business of the Provincial Government. I have the honor to be, Sir, Your obedient servant, (Signed) Jno. P. Tatlob, Superintendent. The Hon the Colonial Secretary. Colonial Secretary's Office, Wellington, 18th Nov., 1867. Sib, — I have to acknowledge the receipt of your Honor's letter of the 24th ult. on the subject of the proposed completion of the Oreti line. As the proposed appropriation for completing the line of so large a proportion of the available crown lands in Southland as 60,000 acres would only be warranted if the work, when completed, opened up for sale a much larger proportion of Crown lands, so as in a short time to repay the original cost, I have to request your Honor to be good enough to cause me to be. furnished with estimates of the probable value and tracings of the extent and locality of available Crown lands that would be brought into the market if the Railway were completed. Before arriving at a decision on the matter it will also be necessary to ascertain whether the portion of the Railway already constructed is of a substantial character and in good condition, so as to ensure that the line, if continued, would be a permanently useful work. With a view, therefore, of ascertaining these particulars, Mr Balfour will be instructed to proceed to Southland and to examine the state of the works already executed, on the Oreti line, and to report thereon for the information of Government. I have, &c. &c, (Signed) E. W. Stajfobd. His Honor the Superintendent, Southland. ' TELEGRAM, 19th NOV., 1867. To His Honor the Superintendent, Southland. Question of proposed grant of 60,000 acres for the completion of Oreti Railway will be considered in Cabinet, when Ministers now j absent return. (Signed) E. W. Stafpobd, Colonial Secretary. Survey Office, . Invercargill, Dec. 16, 1867. Slß,— l have the honor to enclose a tracing, showing in distinctive colors the purchased land and t.he Government reserves in the vicinity of the Winton township, the proposed terminus of the Winton Railway.

The total area of \mA Composed within"* "^ radiis of ten miles of Winton is 200,062 acres* of this 50,160 acres hare been escheated from the Crown, and 1500 may be put down as being set apart for roads, and absorbed by river beds, &0., 6700 acres have been reserved for township, timber, gravel, and other similar reserves, learinsf a balance of 142.702 acres still vested in the Crown, and open for free selection. Of this 21,500 acres is timbered, and 121,202 acres open grass land. The timbered land is principally situated in the Winton, Forest Hill, and Spar Bushes, which contain some of the best timber in the Province, and a considerable portion of these bußhes will b« sold aa bush frontages, with the adjoining open land. The 121,202 acres, comprises open grass land of e^ery description, almost the whole of it being either level plains or terrace land ; part of it being equal in fertility to any in the Province, and I believe that at least two thirds of it will realise the present upset price of rural land; only a very few acres of the township reserve at Winton has been sold, and I think that a considerable portion of it will fetch the present upset price of £32 per acre when the Railway is completed. .-, As a very large area" has been reserved Mtm this township, part of it might be sub-divid«^r and sold as suburban land at a considerable advance on the present price of rural land. The radius of ten miles from Winton includes only a very small portion of Crown Lands outside the present Hundreds, and the completion of this line of Eailway will bring many thousands of acres in the Oreti and Aparima valley 3 into a comparative short distance of a market, the main road being gravelled nearly the whole way, for the first ten miles north .of Winton, up the Oreti valley. Several thousand acres have been already purchased for agricultural purposes up the Oreti valley in the run districts more than, ten miles from the Winton township. I have, &c, &c, John H. Baker, Chief Surveyor. His Honor the Superintendent, Southland. Superintendent's Office, Southland, 17th Dec, 1867. Sib, — I have now the honor, in compliance with the request contained. in your letter No. 467, 18th Nov., 1867, to transmit you herewith a report, by the Chief Surveyor of this Province, relative to the probable value and extent of available Crown lands that would be brought into the market were the 1 Oreti Railway completed; also a tracing explanatory of said report. I have carefully perused the Chief Surveyors remarks, and am of opinion that his estimate is a moderate one in respect to the area of land that will be made saleable. I entirely coincide with him in his statements relative to the land that will be made accessible in the valleys of the Oreti and Aparima. Mr Balfour has, in pursuance of your instructions, gone over the Oreti line, and will, I trust, be able so to report of its condition as to warrant you in recommending His Excellency to authorise the appropriation of sufficient land for its completion. It will be of the greatest importance to be able to lay before the Provincial Council, at its next meeting, the intentions of the General Government in this regard, and I would, therefore, • respectfully urge your very earliest attention to it. . The Council must meet by the 2nd January at latest, as the Appropriation Ordinance, now in force, expires at the end of this month. I have the honor to be' Sir, Tour obedient servant, (Signed) Jno. P. Tayior, Superintendent. . The Honorable the Colonial Secretary, Wellington. \