TUAPEKA RAILWAY AND WATER SUPPLY COMMITTEE.

Tuapeka Times, Volume III, Issue 143, 3 November 1870, Page 6

TUAPEKA RAILWAY AND WATER SUPPLY COM MIT TEE.

A meeting of the above committee was held in Mr. Gooday's office, Peelstreet, on Friday last. There were present — Messrs. Bastings (chairman), Herbert, Hay, Mouat, and Gooday.

The minutes of previous meeting were read and confirmed.

CORRESPONDENCE.

A letter from the Town Clerk of Alexandra, apologising for the delay which had ocCTirml in replying to the secretary's communication to the Town Couucil of that Municipality caused by the death of the late Town Clerk, was read and received. The letter expressed sympathy with the movement, and when the suitable time appears, they will give the subject their cordial cooperation,

A letter from D. H. Mervyn, Esq., M.H.R., was laid before the committee, but owiug to its great length the latter portion of it was only read, which recommended the desh'ability of securing the services of a firstclass man as their representative in the Assembly, even if they were compelled to pay him £500 or £600 per annum for a few years. He was quite satisfied (assuming this war does not interfere with the scheme for an indefinite period) this, would be money well spent, and that their district would reap largely from the outlay. The letter was received.

This being the only correspondence before the meeting, The Chairman stated that he had* a proposal to suggest. He said, in the face of the present war it would only be futile aud a waste of time and energy to expect rnonp} 1 - from the loan towards the construction of a railway to Lawrence. In the face of such a war no man would be mad enough to float a New Zealand loan similar to the one pi'oposed by the Colonial Treasurer. Any action to benefit this district from that source must therefore be given up. But they were aware that a provincial loan of £400,000 had been assented to by the Assembly for the construction of the Clutha Railway on a guarantee of 8 per cent, for fifteen years ; and he was glad to learn that parties in Tasmania (Mr. Mouat would bear him out) had made the Govern*ment an offer to construct the line on a 6 per cent, guarantee extending over thirty years instead of fifteen, He' understood the Provincial Executive had asked the General Government to give their assent to altering the provincial guarantee accordingly, If such alteration is made, and assented to by the Governor, the necessary ordinance will be passed at the special sitting of the council, next month. The Provincial Government have adopted the 3 feejt. 6 inches gauge instead of the 4 feet -8 J inches one as previously decided upon, and the Tasrnanian firm offers to construct railways of that gauge in New Zealand for £5000 a mile. This is the highest estimate for railways of that gauge calculated by Sir Wia. Fox, the eminent engineer, The distance from Dunedin to the Clntha is fifty miles, which, at £5000 a mile, would take £250,0.00, Then the dis tance from Tokomairiro to Lawrence is at the most twenty-three miles, which, at £5000 a mile, would be £115,000, making, for these two lines, £365,000. The action he considered the committee ought to take would be to devote their whole energies to bring about the construction of the Lawrence railway simultaneously -vith the Clutha one, and on the same contract. He would suggest that the petition they had in hand should be sent to the Provincial instead of che General Government ; and he would gladly go to Dunedin himself and spend a week or two, if necesssary, in obtaining the signatures to the petition of all the in-

fluential merchants and others, and get a strong deputation to wait upon the Government during the special sitting of the Council. From the calculations made, the committee would observe that a surplus of 35,000 would be left, which could be devoted to the water supply of the province, and, no doubt, by bringing some pressure upon the Government, the committee could get part of that sum appropriated for that purpose in this district,

Mr. Hay moved that a sub-committre, consisting of the chairman, Messrs. Mouat and Harrop, be appointed to prepare the memorial to the Government to construct the railway to Tuapeka in conjunction with the Clutha railway.

The motion was seconded.

Mr. Herbert stated that he was speaking to several gentlemen in Dunedin, and they quite agreed with him in thinking it was absurd to carry the railway from Dunedin beyond the junction of the Tuapeka road near Tokomairiro, as the Tuapeka line was bound to pay twenty times better than one to the Clutha.

The Chairman said that could be used as a good argument with the Government. If they thought it wise to construct a railway from Tokomumro to the Clubha, where the traffic is but trifling, surely it would show much greater wisdom to construct one to Lawrence, where the traffic was so much greater,

Mr. Hay asked if the sub-committee had done anything with regard to the public meetings which it had been agreed to hold.

It had been thought advisable to postpone these meetings until the Provincial Council met.

ACCOUNTS.

The following accounts were passed for payment: — L. 0. Holmes (collecting), £1 10s. ; Fowler (drafting memorial, &c), £2 10s.

Mr. Herbert was appointed treasurer, and the committee agreed to make a call of 25 per cent, of the promised subscriptions to meet current subscriptions.

The Chairman hoped that the people of the district would give their subscriptions willingly, as the object in view was for their own good.

Messrs. Bastings and Hay were appointed to collect subscriptions.

A special meeting of the committeee to be held to-morrow at three o'clock.