WAIRARAPA EAST COUNTY.

Wairarapa Daily Times, Volume 5, Issue 1319, 5 March 1883, Page 2

WAIRARAPA EAST COUNTY.

The first meeting of the newly elected Conucil was held at the Council Chambers Masterton, at noon on Saturday last. Present—Ors Beetham. Chamberlain, MoGregor, McOardle, W, H. Beetham, and Mackay. Absent—Ors Williams, Bellis, and Meredith, The last named forwarded a telegram stating that he was detained by illness, Mr R. Wilsone, the returning officer, reported Ihe result of the late County elections.

Cr McGregor moved that Mr G. Beetham be re-elected Chairman, His knowledge of County nffairß would be at that juncture very valuable, as the affairs of the two Counties were just then Borne what complicated, and would require a considerable amount, of knowledge to clear up, Mr Beetham possessed this special information, and if the duties of the office taxed him unduly, by-and-by a fresh arrangement- could be mide. For these fi-isntiß as' well ns for his general fitness for the office he had great pleasure in proponing him as Chairman.

Cr Mackay seconded the nomination, The knowledge Mr Beetham posiessid of the nllaiis of the late Council would enable him to give the new one a fair start lappluiise), The resolution having boon carried unanimously, the Chairman elect said he had groat pleasnro in aooepiiog.the office, as it rhowed that the confidence which had I eon reposed in him by the lale Council was continued in the present one, It was not his intention to retain the Chair for any length of time, as he was not a resident in Masterton', and he recognized that it would be a convenience for tho head of the County to be on the spot, but while he continued to exercise the duties of the office he would discharge them to the best of his ability, and endeavor to emooth the special difficulties with which they had to contend at the present juncture. He was sorry that the result of the recent agitation for amalgamation had not enabled them to meet as ono united County for the dietriob as a "iiuje, The counter petition had been presented, and he believed that the prayer of it would prevail, Jt might be possible 'n re-open the question, hut with the faildivisions which had baen arranged there was a community of interests in each County, and. if they had not Beoured amalgamation they had certainly obtained good boundaries. He was glad to bear that Mr Booth had been elected unpoposed as Chairman of the West County. Mi Booth ha,d always taken great interest in its sffairs, and wprked ivith.great ability for its interest*. He" would be happy t» work with him in arranging the financial affairs of the two counties, The minutes of the previous meeting were then read and confirmed. CORIHESPONDENCB. '

A letter was read from the Public Works Department stating that threeeights of the amount applied for under the Boads and Bridges Construction Act would ba granted, viz,, £12,650 From the.Treasury advising the remittance 0f..J)760. V. From Thomas Cot offering £i 10s per annum for the Taueru Ferry reserve. From John McDermolfc offering £4 per annum fur the same. FroraW. Hercock offering" jE2 per an num. > From the Featherston IWd Board, asking for settlement of Board's olaitn fori coast road. The chairman explained that £450 was voted for this road and that a balance of, f 160 waa still outstanding. The. road ; i had not been properly carried ouY, but j they hadno alternative except to pay the money. ~Vr ; .' , Cr Beetham-Wai the money spent in purohaßingiland? ; : ; ; ;i-. V'- ;-.'| The Chairman—No... It was expended in constructing a roadway iwhioli waswashed away, by aireah, .the.road being laid: off in ;a': wrpng: p|ace- by the Boad •: Board, engineer. l -\> ! : * '•■' <■ •' ■'■ '■ '■' '■;■-■.' : ':-; , " \ Or McGregor raoyed tbat. the amount. large sums of money that there should be

a guarantee'tHn'v it' would not be wasied'tL hy irresponsible iriid engineers; : He w! believedlhnt h;il iii>. County Repent the; i : money through their ovvnj engineer: it tl would have! been laid out ?to more advan- tc tage.' ~' : y"'W H The moUoh wasoiirried.;- : 1 C With respeoY to the tenders for the w Ferry Besorve, the clerk stated that Ihey ai were withdrawn, as it was found that 0 instead of four acres/the property eon- P eistedofonly o»e, '■ ::: ' : ■'"'"•'* I Or Mackay imovod that the Council n retain the reßevveia its own, handß,'and ti that Mr Hercook be allowed to remove tl hia building which was erected on it, ' e , : Or Beetham seconded; the motion,' ' which was curried. '■■' '■■■'■ '--vt .;■'•'; ..' >j A letter was read from tho Survey 1 t Office, giving a schedule of sections ' I through which power- had been taken to a i lay'off roads, ' v On the suggestion of the chairman it c was referced to the Works Committee," ; 1 A letter was read from the Munawatu i s County asking for a copy of by-laws re ( stray goata and pigs; also from Kaikoura ( . County asking for a copy of all by-laws, t The clerk was inatvuoUd. to reply that i tho.Oouncil had not passed any'by'-laws.f I , k letter was read froVtheiMasierloh ■ r Highway. Board suggesting that small | ] squares of luminous paint be placed, on ( j the county bridges. ■': x '\ , Cr Beetham—ls that from Cullen ? ] The clerk—No, from the Board.' i t Or McGregor approved the suggestion" y Or Chamberlain thought the luminous , paint would increase. the danger by^ I frightening horses. .-,'.;,, f ; ii .! Or Maokay thought horses would soon j become educated to tho paint,:-; , . ' ] * Tho chairman asked if the' Works i Q Committee should be allowed to'experty menl with the psint, being, of course, l- responsible for any accident that might ! " occur throut'h it —(A laugh,) / p The Council gave the necessary autho|S rity. . • . . The Mnslerton Highway Board wrote I, applying for portion of the Kaumirigi and Timeru road to be metalled before winter, The application was referred to the ' is Works Committee. Ie A letter was read from Messrs Smith A and Hogg applying for a share of the )• advertising and printing, n Cr McGregor expressed his opinion that • le they should take a commercial viow of n advertising, and only expend money on * it to the extent to which it benefited if them, If they found one paper suffice ie for their requirements it was a mistake to usb two. Many papers were established from time to time in the district, and if , they admitted all claims the cost would !t be heavy, No complaints were made by , s contractors of insufficient publicity being > 6 aiveit to their amiiuncements. He moved id that their announcements be conduced in ie the Daily as heretofore, d ; ; Tlie Chairinau said the question had tl been discussed in the old Council, and the d feeling of.members seamed to be that the: | e greatest publicity should be given to '< advertisements for tenders, but that no !? formal notices need be published in more [° than one paper, Cr Mackay thought special advertiseae ments might be given to two papers. „ e Or McOardle thought that in bush e. settlements some people took one paper ly and some another, and that a portion of it them would be placed at a disadvantage if tenders were not advertised in both. Cr Beetham moved that the Works Coaamittee when necessary might adver use in twopapers. ■,. -.'.: Cr Mackay seconded the, motion, which" ■ was put and carried. A letter was read from Mr Woliers enclosing an account of L 9 14s 6d, for . expenses of Licensing elections in the ' Masterton and Alfredlon distriois, ; arid ' stating that both elections had failed. '. I(| ' The Chairman thought that it was part | of their business as a County to make'a slronir representation to the Government; as to the abominable waste of money 3r incurred in the Licensing elections The ' whole system required to be ohanged as soon as possible. n The clerk Btated that he had received jjj aniaccouiit from Mr Frcetli for another at din'ttiot amounting to £1514 a. < [n Tho Ohairinau feared that the County;) le revenue '• would not . be benefited by] license lees, ,■•'-' iar TREASURER'S. REPORT. la ' The treasurer reported • a credit on ke special, fund account of £B6B 13s 6d. t fl on general fund account £sßll9s'J 6d. 01 ' Among'their, assets was a sum of £?<7B '"I Is 6d due on account of tolls from the ire Masterton Highway Board. The Chairman explained,.that these in - figures merely referred to the old County, °' Till they adjusted accounts with the West i» e County they could not realise their actual lrl position. j e( j ROADS CONSTRUCTION ACT SURVEYS. he The Chairman questioned whether >e, they could recover costs of surveys from ch the Government in connection with their lie applications, lie, Cr McGregor said the Act specified ,he surveys as an item to be oh&rged, /as The Chairman admitted this, but exhe plained that they had omitted to includo toe this item in forwarding their estimates, :' )e GOVERNMENT VOTES, ' ise •gn The Chairman reported that the vote nd on the estimates amounted to £10,358, ies but he feared that it was nearly all exihe pended. : A sum of £1,750 was available he for Mangahao, and. £2,800 for the Forty. >a- Mile Bush road. With reference to the as votes under the Eoads and Bridges Conia struclion Ac, there was a sum for-the en Waipoua Bridge; which they might get, fer but it would be the : duty of the Council lie to gel it if they could,' Of course they lir would have to.be responsible for a fourth re of the twelve thousand pounds either as oh' a whole County or in defined districts of ed it. They might expect to receive ,£8,558 ed from the Government, and they would mr have to find L 2,139 themselves. This ed by annual installments spread over ten ili years, would cost tliem L'2l3 per annum, in The rating value of the various ridings ity was as follows:—Alfredton,L339B J 'to Cashpoint, 114,989 ;MastertOD,L29,llo, lal and Wainuioru, L 10.351. When the new rolls came into operation the valuation up would be based on. the actual- instead of Ihe annual value, and would give an in; crease nf fifteen-, per.oent They might expect to get L3OO a year from the Crown , lands rate. A rate of threy farthings in ihe pound would give the County an j ! e -' annual income of about L3.SJO. ler. 10 l A DEPUTATION/ . Mr Harrison.ex lessee of the Hurunui ''• orangi toll, waited upon the Oounoil to ask for a refund of £5 which he had j ,9r expended when a tenant at the ferry, ''. If appeared that his case had previously or been decided at a Council; meeting, but that through some inadvertence the result '", had hot been communicated to him, The chairman, informed him that through '&>. recent'changes his claim was.against the ' 0I ; West not the Eist County, and regretted. that lie had been put to'the ; trouble of fla waiting upon them, i• ■;■■ , ;';', of. . . •■ ! " ; ,'i ''.' ■:' ' ■'■■.' :'. ■'.//'■''' ';'-' ■ j ..,.:■ j',' -■[. ELEOTION OF COMMITTEES. ' '.'.' ,nt : Or Mackay. iti proposing a Works .and ay Finance Committee, pointed out that it .•;'. was necessary to retain,on.r.these. commitin ;i.e'e's|some i-qf the, ; mernbers^of.,.the old- ;'-.' Council aim]at';thy &ai^e^time ;% tb Jallow ed eaclirtding.iO; ; be ; .'r.epfeyente'ii|~oh>'tbem*. as■ He ■''lherofo.re;.mpyed' : i Hat,, Messrs <s ; ,\, ng H. Beetham,. McGregor, ,id Beethiua,; Gliamberlain, iapdithe; rnoyer: constitute the Works : ;and;Finan'ce:fCo7ni: nt mitteea,-three ng , The chairman saidjtbatiat'jyrto was' be disposed to favor distinot committees, but

t M?-^ or^!^ 8 " B P^:.i I !ierwoTeri\ that'one.; a would ':■% ,-'■' V '<£\ ivTh»inotion:waß;then.put ahdjarrieayl that th#s!alL I to-yb , te;fpr;tKehjselves, ■& '.'!';; .■ '\|f i fj ! 4GjfMoGrego|iaia | CounbjL tb appoint 'the ohairmeri^ofthe 1 - i committees, who bcoupied very important ; and honorable positions. He moved that j Cr W. H. Beetham bo chairman of the ■• PubliojWorks (Committee and Cr^G...,. Beetham'chaWatfdf* tKe" FiiiHM : Com-:' mittee. He hoped the linance Commit. ; tee, as m_ County.West, ' tho business of their department prior to each sitting of the ; ,Cqunoil.,.. I/i" .-, ' Gr H.: Beetham proposed tlißt Cr ■McGregor should * be 1 chairman -'Of the Works Committee, He was thoroughly " au f»it" in all ihe duties of the .office, and the speaker would be glad to work with him on the committee, but not aa its chairman.;: ~. ■ ' v ;. '. Cr' McOardle-supported;; the appointment of Cr McGregor, and "suggested that Or W. H, Beetham might be elected chairman of the Finance Committee, and thus relieve his brother of duties for whioh he would have little leisure during the session. vy| , / l t p* ■*'s>'''f'CH approSd of 'the.Buggesi, tion made hy Cr McOardle and Or McGregor was formally elected Chairman of the Works Obbmittee, and Or W. H. Beetham Chairman of theiFinanoe Committee. . '■' ■ CLERK'S SALARY. >'';-, Cr Maokay said it was ;obvio,ue that in ' thenef COuncjllhe clericafworli; frpuld be much heavier'than in'the 61d one, and it would, be necessary to pay ; their Clerk a larger amount than' heretofore. He moved that applications be invited for the office of Clerk at a salary of £2OO per annum. This sura would not be thought to be too muoh if the Clerk relieved the Engineer of the olerical work of his office and enabled; him? to devote more , time to outdoor work. The Chairman thought they could' get a Clerk for a rather less sum than £2OO. The duties would not .take up- the whole of ; on'e man's time, and £l5O Wight be sufficient. '; ' ; ' "■ Or Mackay acceptedHib suggestion and altered his motion to £150., The • resolution as aiheiidodwas l put and, carried; • ■ ENGINERR,,. ...... .',.... Cr VV. H. Beetham proposed. that Mr .King .retain his office as County Engineer. They might go a long way before they 1 obtained' anbttfeFolceif equal to him. The Chairman ;agreed with the motion. He did liot thiiik they .w.ould ba justified in offering Mr King less than his former salary viz: £4OO per annum-and £IOO for travelling expenses,.. : ; ; ::,;■; | Cr Mackay pointed out that Mr King's ! work would not be reduced,- •■- The Chairman-No; he will in reality hecome Boad Engineer to the Oastlepoint 1 Board.! ;; i, ;i \ y ' Cr McGregor ngreed with the motion, ' and had great pleasure in ac'oepting it. '- The resolution was then j'ut and carried 1 unanimously.' : The Chairman, addressing Mr King, congratulated him on the position ho hadattained, and whioh he thoroughly de ' served. Whan the plans under the Koads J ConstructionAotwefereoentlysentiu,'Mr Blackett, theGovernmentEn«ineerj|spoke in high .terms; of commendation on the • completenoßS'and orderlineaaof them, Not 8 only Mr King but his assistants also deserved their thanks for the manner in . which these plans had been prepared, 1 Mr McGregor said praise should be given when due, and in the present instance the County had been served fora f considerable period with.the yery best results. There was but one opinion as to Mv King's effioienov and'eapacitv, and he consideredthat the Wairarapa was largely . indebted'tdhiV energy and ability. Noth- * ing was of greater importance to a '' distriot likejh'e Wairarapa than' the '■ proper location of roads and the construe- ' tion .of bridges, and Mr. King-; had •displayed a special capacity for :botti. ■ He ■, confirmed' the compliment paid to Mr a King's assistants,-They- had--worked I night and day ;tp. get the plats ready bj the appointed time, and deserved great J-: praise for the spirit,they had infused into " their work.''."' '••' .'< i: " ; ; ; ; •" BANKISO. ;'...,.■. Cr.W. H. Beetham moved that the " Bank of New Zealand be tho- County I- BahkV ■ -.:■■ ■;,;. ■;,: -, ; i -' :!;.i ■.■■<<.■■ '• 'Cr McGregor,.in seconding, said, they 8 wanted a-stfbng'^BarJk':- 1; He 'nnder'stood lB L 1,600 worth of accounts had to be passed for payment,.'.and that would be pretty b good for a first shot. (A laugh.) jj. , : .MBETINaS. d . Cr Mackay pointed out that hitherto the County had not held meetings on fixed dates, and. expressed, an opinion that it would be better : fo 'do so for the !r future. (Hear 1 hear!) He suggeßtod n that if the two ; Highway Hoards met W. early in the month it would be convenient to fix the County meetings in' the « latter part of it. : •OrMoGregorapproved of fixed-meet' '"• mgs, whioh would not clash with the 1° Highway' Boards. Cr McOardle suggested the first oi second Saturday in each month. Cr Chamberlain pointed out that the ;( ) Maßterton Highway Board '■ held- a meet'i ing every four weeks, ' " '.." [ ; OrMackay moved that the County ' e . meet every four weeks from date.- '• Carried. - . :■ \ . - . 16' ~-•■. |. DnO;,ItEGISTRATIOS, ~-;,.. ..'-. Ie The Chairman-asked l what steps 'they t, should lake.re appointment; of a registrar, il Cr McGregor, regarded registration, ai y a farce pure'and sitnploj {' County! settlers h were.worried to pay taxes on usefuldogß, is while the animals' that did all the mis if chief went untaxed. At'this particular 8 juncture when: rabbita had to -i be ; put d doWn, it would be better to ignore regisis tration.'"'' : ""''"'.";." : '' ''"''' ' "■ n Or McOardle pointed."put that if the i. Council desired to ignbrelt "Or' McGregor [a should have said'nothing about it. They ; could not let it gdforth to .the world- that ), they were deliberately, evading.an ,Aot oi w Parliament, He recommended bringing n it' into foroe bu,t not -hunting} settlerß to if. register, - ■ • ■' ■ '■ "'■•■-' : -•- -.'■' ■ -, i: : Thequestjbn wai then referred to\the II Works,go'mmittee to arrange in conjuncn tion with trie other County. n : Crlackaypointed, outt^at.evenjf lbt n registration fee twas !! 'reduced'ow'ners of large numbers ; of. f rabbit. ; ddgs ( ., were victimiiett for collars.. The other 'day in , his n.eighborhopd.ajdog .worth, twenty 1 pounds was': Hung. uji and.lost .throngh a ::i;' ;. d" "■". .'-'' ' '' , '.■■: „' ' [(. . ;' BOUKPARIKS.' '- '' ' y The . CouncilJhey^discussed- and arit ranged ihe boundarießp^theidistoclß.over It which-special rajes? would ihav,e* : ,to; lie e voted in'connection appliostions h under the. Roads and 'Bridges Construee tion Act. The Public-Works,..Committee I wire authorißedto take tho necessary.polla if as early as pdiaible.'? ; ./ "' ■' . ".-. . "'■■•. *,'.r;i;ii.-- Awfi-'ir.lu i'-:, I , t The^ehal(rman 6 pointed ;J out'that the d Taiieru road was now a County road, ( ". it - Or"--AjdnjrjGtrajppy./e»I^^ia^i^^e plws :- so whild'thlsy diS'woflc.urjon^t,jb,ut''that d- after they had it j over to the Board, ■■■■■''■■■''■'■*■ II { 4 ;ThB Chairma_rrreplied that they would [i, •npfbeableloagaindiyesT'ttiemaoTyes of ■'; jt: ; ; Board..iiiM;o&!s $ MpGregoWsn^ested: ;i; might^gpflon!; a : it :~ : : The Chairman said thej. would not take

; aotiqif|then^(;^(iul(i : vlle tetter for the pi >arii&tako:thV ; initmtivei;■; r' gl W M'- "■ m Sotfs BSORT.* tl |jT||;:Chairmafiij)al||6j the table the tl 3pllfl|ing report;— as so much w ihaa'tfeen Baidlabpji&it'tba't it was deßir- ti able t o gee ai copy, of it.-;f "At the same time a' he did hot' think it necesaary for the a Council to'tako action with resoeot to ' : Public. Works Office, „ '■ -: ~~ ..^..„.:,?^ e Mai. Maroh.lßßo. f •Toi the" Eb£[ineer-in-Oharge North'lsland. J Sir,—i have the honor to forward plan, • section, and report of, the undermentioned s work:— ". ■ . ,/LVi;'Wi,i:;! '•■.''■ •,: . } ! The reason that a. tracing only of the sur- \ veyed section has been: Bent in, isithat the , line being so circuitous, Mr Park had to c , plot it upon BDvoral separate sheets of paper, e and when this was done I considered it ' better,to?makea ; tracingof go ' that you'may be able to'view'the line''in its' ' : entirety, otherwise you would.;hayeShad j 1 same difficulty in comprehending'the 1 geneMdireotion of-the line and the'country ' " traversed by it. I have also forwarded a \ plan upon asoaleof one inch to a mile, j ' which; shewsv.the ; position, of this ' ':, line with that from Masterton via the Forty- ! . Mile Bush to Woodville. This plan upon a ' [ smallscalewasnot compiled with the view. ! of Bhewing aU the minute details of the ' \ survey of either line, but merely to shew , their irelative positions, approximately by : ■'. means of mapsil.obtained, from the Survey J Office in Wellington, You will perceive by ) tho plan that the. line,has only, been, sur- ! , v ( oyed as far as 23| miles, and the section ; . levelled as far as the 2l| mileage. As I, ! mentioned .to you in my. letter at the time, c the. survey had to be relinquished from this': ■ 3 poiut, by reason of the oxtremu roughness : r of the country onward, the total absence of r any horse or.even cattle ' t with the Betting in of the season, e which in that part of the country, as arule, s is attended with rain for'weeks together. e Mr Park, who had charge of tho surrey party at the time, instructed' them to re.j. turn to'Masterton with'the pack-hpneS, I whilst himself,- accompanied Iby one, man, ' traced their way'through'the' bush to a pcint on the coajh road about ten miles f south, qf Wppdvjlle., -.The cause -of the cliainage hot; being continuous at the first d part of the survey is owing" to an obstruci- tipn on the part of the Maoris, who weie •very indignautaud also insulting at the idea ' of the Government i surveying their j lands '."' without permission, exclaiming at the time ■ v that they would not hesitate to shoot any r. mpn ,t'nat attempted to proceed with the' y survey uutil they had been first paid for tho land which was taken from them some time i. ago for the public road whichpasses through' fl their property. • This remark applies to the ti first change:in the bhainage only, which ir takes place at two miles fifty-four chains. For the first six miles the Hue passes over i ground favorable enough for-'a line of railWay, but from this point ,tq tho .twentieth mileage, at the, township oi Alfredton, a y distance of fourteen miles," it would be'sublt jectod to very sharp curves, with side-hill cutting the whole, way (see plan), This, no i, doubt, is the worst part of the whole line, and is; in my opinion, sufficient in its'?lf to id condemn this route, as there is na avoiding the valley- of the Waugavhi River. I in- ,( structed Mi; Park that when ho reached a 'd. point between tho fourth and.fifth mileage j. on: the plan to observe the country in.the I direction a line would take from thie point, , so as to' join the line about a mile from Masterton, on the road to Opaki.. This he did, [e and his remark upon the subject was as M--18 Iowb:—" A line by this route could hot be 't had without tunnelliag, bat I consider the io cost thereof wo .Id be covered by the saving in in distance." If this be admitted, jt.dpes not relievo us from the necessity of cintihu)6 ing from that poiut the course oftherail : i). way tough the valley' of the Wangaehu ■j -River for upwards of ten milei Along Bt this portion, Mr' Park remarked :'..''That to a saving in curving, cutting, and filling" could be made by 'crossing"the . Wangaehu Elver about six times in v addition to three other absolutely necesJ ' sary. From the'l6th mileage an alternative a line is shewn by taking the course of the 16 lbauraua river, and rejoining the line; again o- at;the 22nd milo near the'township of s-j Alfredton, This Mr Park statos will'save Ie: the' tunnel at the 17th mileage,' but will lr necessitate side-cuttings for nearly fivemiles. B (j The line fiom Alfrodton township still keeps' by along the valloy of the,lhauraua River. t.q. „i its junotion with the Tiraumea, about a mile' , jfrofn where.the survey ended. As shewn, .upon 'the plan where the course of the rail-, way .is represented, there is no choice bjut to follow the yallev of the Tiranmea river, at he; the country onboth sides is hilly andcovered ty with dense bush, henco the difficulty which . amounts to a'certainty, of the'country not B y. affording a;practipal ronto for a line of. rail-, way.. This line, is Bhewu as ■ joining the , Forty-Milo Survoy.peaf its. crossing' ,p£ the river aaeitber line will: bo com- •' polled to tako'advantage of it, as the Alfredton line could not reach Woodviileby any other route as.will bo seen byMrKochfort's survey. Tho worst or more difficult p;rt of t0 thelino lifts been levelled over, shewing the on ruling gradient of this line to be 1 in 25, I on, -have only shown upon the section a few be grades viz: the steep ones, as the other porud tionsaie in no way, objectionable. But iot although these Have "been shewn, Iby no ii. means consider that they are a practicable le means of overcoming the elevation of' these saddles, Thero is ono grade of 1 ii> 12 near a j. tho: 19th'mile, and I question: very-much i. whether this grade would not become the ruling one, for although I havo laid on the grade of 1 in 25 in five or six places yet I *" am of opinion that the constructive .works to carry this grade would he found to be as he costly as tunnelling, and from the sharpness et- bf the curves.that.would bo required in these lengths the grades of 1 in la would bo found ty to bo altogether ■impraoticnblo, and: that recourse to tunnelling would be iudispensa* ble.' Nothing of this kind occurs upon the Jforty.Mile Bush line, and I believe this to be the principle cause why the township of ey Alfredton has become so isolated, and why lr , up settlement has taken place in'.thetoivnaj ship, and no road communication made with |rß Masterton, Whilst the Forty-Mile Bush ' route has a good road the whole way through !■• and would have had an infinitely better on'e, : 18 ' bad it been, taken through Mauriceville, ar following the rolite.'of the proposed railway u ' instead of that, of' Mr- Kochforts' krvey, is-, entailing heavy side hill cuttings with sharp ourves, and four or five miles longer than it he need to have been, It has been stated that or because theieis a .good road through .the 8 y Forty-Mile Bushithey.don't requirei a railia(. way. This I believe to bea mistake; for, asj 0 f a rule, roads precede railways, and when the oxception occurs the neighborhood, when tbc r railway is finished, jery soon finds out that , j it is of no 'use to'ihem until they get;a roaf J for vehicles' along its entire length o.- in' '? e '. some way parallel to it. It appears tome !°: to bo an argument in favor, of the. Forty-, Mile Bush line having a road, f or.in.that case be there will be no further expense required in of making one. On the other hand ,iMhe;rail. re, . way goes by Alfredton the expense (haying in hp road) will be enormoua in getting railway l y material through a country whwe thofe .]j are no roads. They have been for years .tryingto constructaroadfrom. ISketahanS' to Alfredton and wliat is its Condition at tho ■presentmoment?' Another road has beiri IV . staked out further North fcr, some time; but, el , nothing done to it, iTheiposition o!f Ihese , roads I have shewn upon 11 small Bcaloinap. - The: ruling gradient upon the Forty-Mile ■'• Bush line is shewn upon the section as being lc '• .1 in 62, The aeption ,pf jthis line was. j l6 . plottedby.mefrp&!.feyels'at,variouapiaces fls, along Mr Roohforts' survey of a of ,; ; railway through this part of the country ! ,''' Borne years ago, Tse points selected were "; all well defined ones, and were chosen with he the view of. producing a .continuous .section j, 'from td, the '' crossing' o) the' # .Ruainahuhga i; RiverV i --i- fei Baforhetieal iat! .readings were taken When' the railway ,i( l Ime i : vaTied to any extent ;from that '""'' gentleman's Burvey. We jj perfect safety conclude, that gradient npon the Forty-Mile Bush line will .v, 'hqt exceed oneiu^fifty^J think f"' iidered by the advobates'of the line. of isu- '& way;Via>Alfredton that.;a ( strong point jn. W 'their fwo : r v was|th|t,li?o6dville worlld b£ ii r onlyF forty 'mileßf-frorn ifi rfespeotively submit must be a/great mistake, ke for even f straight line between these two

place? measures more than forty miles,. By a v-;-:'': :i glance atthe map on a small Bcale the general ' ■■ K:': ; 'i direction of the lines, ixr faTor of : tf?;jf; the Jforty-Mile I ;Bush line.' This, ronto is : ' more clearly represented by this map than/ : - ; '•'.:; that of Alfredton, andthe measurement the '• wholeway (withthe. exception of that por-. :' ; -v tion lying between the' Ruam»hanga hnes :v ; • and Masterton; aud which I believe has been •:;''• also surveyed by Mr George'Blaokett) is'.'a. ■;■ oonajWe chained one. Whereas oh the other v;--:!, hand,;to .'see the. tortuouß--natute ■ of-the' route. yia Alfredton you: must .inspect the •■ map tijon the larger eoale..; ■ Hero you will * perceive that from about the sixth mile from Masterton the'line winds around the hillside to that extent that in the survey/lines scarcely'exceedinga ohain in length could '''■]'.,'. not in tony pladoj be had, and wusms; in a 'great nieasuro with the'addition of the great bend at the. eighth mile in •' distance between the two' lines'. From* thjl end of the survey between the 23rd and 24th mileage the line is shown, to follow the '•'■■: valleysof.thelhau,lharaua, and[Tir,aumea >'- riverß'to;the ijnhotio'n bfthe'iFdrt'y-Mile ,"'■..' ■'' Bush line.-. There can be no doabt but the lineiwould have to follow the course of these rivers; .which.wouldincrease to astill greater! extent; the'length of the Alfredton route. The courses of tnese rivers have been taken from ,plans .supplied .to me survey office in Wellington, arid' may there-" fore be considered, at all events, approximately correct. ■ The, distances. of > these re- ;< spcctive'ibutH ate as follows:—Forty-Mile'' Bush line, 47 miles; Alfredton line, 58 miles. By this you will see that the Alfredton line ~ is bj'far the'longeat/and : ' :•• would, T feel certain,' when surveyed, bo cpusiderably inoreased. The following is a list of "settlers and owners of property along .•/ the Alfredton route, furnished to me by Mr : •: !i ' Fark, who received instructions to collect all ; the information heCbuld;U'p6nthißS,ubJMt:f"j At 2 miles'is the 'native' settlement. 'The •••'■ Maoris appear to be jealous of any interfer. once with their, land. Near,'the 3rd Me s markod upon the plan Mr MoKenzie with his son balds an extensive'piece'of land chiefly nnder"bush'witha few pastoral clearings of ' poor land ovurrun with rabbits. At 5 miles - Messrs Mawley and Dodgehua hold about 15,000 acres fair pastoral country, a good deal • of which is still under bush. At 6. toiles smallholding bolongingHb two brotherswho " | are engaged at bußhfivllihg, bnt'liavlng no capital thoycan never make a living, qnt, of, it, Between G;and 8 niilesamen l uErnVd'j Lankey holds cbout'SOO acres chiefly ''bush','' , has a fewoows, but generally works fcr ■Mawley and Dodgshun. 7to 10milei,6oJ vernment land, heavily timbered, 10 miles,' a fair pastoral clearing,.belonging toia'inta t named Perry a butoher at Masterton. 13 , - ■■ to 19 miles,in handiof.peisons'who arei| , non-residents, Messrs Cattel, Pharazyn,! s. J. Brandon, P, A. Buckley, and CSapham being j- a few of the names of the holders of , lands. ..From,iß. to 24,mi1ea,.; Mindhui.T [. brothers, chiefly leasehold, uatural olearuiga,,,[; pb«,pastoral, country, except .one or.twoV( j flats along the river side, which le good landj , ■ , ■'. Four settlers live, along the. Tehoeßivei.y, l land being open, but poor 26 k miles, a settler named ','Sanders, hilly country. 39 to 40 mile?, Beetbam brothers, j also hilly.' Although it must b» admitted ••■•). j that both of these routes pass'throligh' what might be termed-a hilly : J yet 'as regards present comparative:-'' , population with its continual influx! of:-I I settlers it is most decidedly in favor'of the ii ■ Forty-Mile Bush routv also that the immi-''. '■••• j grantsandothersaremorelirmlysettleddown"."' 8 upon the lands and that a greater amount of ■' "' ■•:• timbered laud; lias been oleared, all of which 1 ' factsarereasonablegroiindsforthepreference; ': of this route from a settleinen t pomt of viow. ■•' v :' ' As to the respective cost of the two cbrapet-• f ' e inj; lines neither survey give a sufficiency-i' B of detail so as to enable an estimate■•toi- 1 -' , be prepared even approximately. But , the question arises as to whether all other - considerations, relative to a line of railway, ,--f |. are suoh as to bring the item of cost'to bear j upon the mattor-1 think not, for I „ the route via Alfredtonto be altogether an j impracticable one, unless another can ho .j discovered whereby that part of the line by e the Wangaehu Valley can be dispensed with; - 1 IE this can be done then it may become a ~ matter for considering the various points 6 essentially necessary before a.line^ofjailway e ought to be'constructed: ' I feel fully con[j vinced that from every point of. view jn r . ( » which the subject may at-present', bo' con-',' ) e sidered the :.Forty-Mile Bush line is infinitely [I the more preferably' of the two, if there ,_ really does exist any moans whatever by j' 'whiohacomparißoh'cJnbeniade, There is' ~ no avoiding the Wangaehu Valley in connecg- tion with 1 a'line 1 of railway from Mdstertou- • n to Alfrodton. If the alternative line I ! have ■>- |.' previously Rinded to was adopted it would'' i /; $ only cut off some foaror 'five miles' of it,* '■'' •• lS leaving 10 o' 12' miles mora to'contend' : >; against." Nor is it a- line practicable -from- ; ' : I) any point within the vicinity of : Opaki, 'for. '< • jj such -would have to pas's over the -Rangitu- '}<" ' I, mauor/l'arewaherereranges,-'■ Everybend'''' ie ' shewn' in'tho'rel line ; of the 1 Wangaehu' e Valley Survey is a measured distance, where • ' t ; afresh angle had; to be taken, andhowcould' t {. aline of railway be constructed; especially „ as part of a main trunk line, along' a M" 1 ' i* side thiit Vauld: require curves of onechain : -,' J 3 [ vadhiß. 'lf : 'th'C va',li:ys uf tho rivers along 10 the Alfredton route were of sufficient breadth • '■"; j to adlnit of getting long lengths of line away w from the river as is tho case with the other r . lirto'thon it might with some .degree of .i reasonableness and chance vf.success enteV ?'"' 10 into competition with it.' But a- country/ j' posseting no suoh advantages-cannqt bp 0 considered or praciicablo route 96 for part of a main trunk line *f rajlway. I J. have given yqu a list of tho settlers along \ tho entire length of the Alfredton route, a wh ch will give you some idea upon the r question of settlement. And in conclusion I must state that'the township of Alfredton-ia ' represented by one solitary-individual namod Cross, ■-•■•■■ w • Ihave,.4e„ 'I , " ' ' Thomas M.Foy.' ■• it ', ~; • WAIHAKEKE-CASXLEPOINTi, l " Cr Ma'ckay'iip'piied fur the Ehffineer Io '® lay off the W„iliakeke-Caßtlepoint devia'i tion under tlm Roada : Construction' ; Act, y There had not been time to get it sur- |: veyed.befirq "the first applreations wero h sontin. h The Engineer was instructed to prepare h the necessary plans. '•' '/ ! " ' CHEQUES.''' -''' ''•'"' ! y :The Troasurer a'nd any. two membew of -r l, the Council : were authorised ; to-sign, /< p cheques '6 it . finance,; .~; li The Finance Gommittee'were authorle ised'to'pass-the accounts ''certified to that '* day bytHe Weat-Oounty.- .' ® The Chin'raari was 'requested to call a :^X | e meeting of the Einance Committee for the lt purpose of. conferring with the-Wait V County re adjuatment'of icconn'fßi-'j--f fV . ij ' Touchers to the amount of 'o$ fere **- ie pasßed for payment. _ j-, The Council .Ihsn