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Southland Times, Issue 1590, 11 June 1872, Page 2

THE ELBOW TOWtfSHIP. Sir,— l understand that part of the recently [ surveyed Elbow- township is, in the Otago | Gazette, advertised to be sol- 1 early next month. Well, I warn the public to beware of investing in sections there until it is known that the position of the Oreti railway is finally fixed. Your correspondent " Oreti " brought to light a scandalous state of matters, viz , that the Otago G-overnment, upon the recommendation of an obscure body called " The Ma.tau.raai id, Wakatip Ruilw.iy Committee," set agoing the machinery of the Colonial Secretary's and Engineer's departments, besides engaging the services of Mr BrcrajtonjG. E , to investigate a self-evident absurdity ; and that the Government did so although- the merest glance ,at' their" (own .maps would have enlightened them, not only as to the unreasonable nature of that committee's proposal, but to the 'fact, that this proposal was founded, either. iipon ignorance-of- the relative difficulties of— the-routes discussed, or deliberate" ;mL3-statement|- c. gt., the / committee's letter stated tbree_irhportan£ bridges to be required where the x map. of ~ the late Mr Paterson's survey must : show only' one. This indicated buclj gross carelessness-on the part of the Government .that -one: is i justified- in concluding them capable of putting up the. Elbow township for sale without due consideration of, possible peculiar circumstances — consideration.' which might reveal to them they might be doing a thing equivalent to getting money under false pretences. . . - ■", , • • If the railway is made,, according to- the .late Mr - Paterson's surrey, the advertised Elbow .township ou?ht to be valuable, ;b'utif the railway is kept on the east bank of the Oreti all the way up, people might as well throw their money into that- river as spend it in " town property" in said township. Sir, the late Mr Pafcerson was considered one of the first engineers in, the Colony. He sur? . v eyed the Oreti railway from Winton to Athbl, and, as already pointed out in your columns, selected a "line" "-'combining the gre'afesfc utility and safety with the shortest distance."— Mr W. N. Blair has, in his capacity of Colonial District- pngineer-, reported in "Favor of Mr Paterson's line— that it is the best, shortest, and probably the cheapest by £5000 to '£6ooo. One might suppose that the;decision pf these well-known gentlemen was sufficient to-fis the position of this railway. But no ! A third engineer — Mr Brunton — meantime furnishes a contrary opinion, arid apparently his suggestions were listened to and acted upon— acted upon although that opinion was based upon the asserted probability of a pecuniary saving in first construction ; or, ..that probability failing, as treason — upon A proposition, Tvliich, in the circumstances, I would expect the veriest tyro in engineering to -reject- as untenable, viz., '.that "the fut-iwe 1 cost in maintenance of two large bridges must be a serious item of "consideration in de-terminingscwhich-.route the line should take-;" the., circumstances being that the absence of these bridges would always be felt an inconvenience by, and would occasionally rendor the railway quite u-eless to, , the inhabitants of an . extensive tract of country 1 (The two bridges to cost about £4500 a-piece.) If Mr Paterson's line, selected with a view to usefulne.as^.and .composed o.f. long easy _Bweog3,J3 " "displaced by the proposed wriggling deformity, a permanent disgrace to'tlie district will be established. — I-amr&c, - - - Settles. June 6, 1872. ' "