RAILWAY EXTENSION.

Wairarapa Daily Times, Volume VIII, Issue 2281, 28 April 1886, Page 2

RAILWAY EXTENSION.

(To THE EOITOK.)

Sib,—ln your issue of Monday you have a report of a meeting of residents at Eketahuna, convened,for the purpose of adopting a petition prepared for the purpose of urging upon the Government and the General Assembly of the House of Representatives,'at its next session,'tho advisability of pushing on the construction of the railway from its present terminus at Kopuaranga, to Eketahuna. The object is a laudible one, and will no doubt strengthen the hands of the Government, who intend without doubt, in my mind, to embody the construction of this line in their schedule. of works proposed in the statement of the Minister of Public Works at the next session of Parliament, to be carried out. 1 shall be jflad to do all thai lies in ray. power as Secretary of onoof the Special Settlements, to get signatures to.the petition, but before I do bo, the petition must bear a nearer resomblance to the truth. The petition must read—lß,ooo acres have already been taken up by Special Secernent Associations opposite and adjoining the township of Eketahuna for 30J000 asthe petition sets forth, and one saw-mill for two. It is true that two members of our association have beon negotiating for the erection of a sawmill there, but it is not yet erected, and therefore cannot be said to be at work, unless our friends at Eketahuna claim tho Pahiatua sawmill as an Eketahuna one, which will be hardly reasonable. Where they get their 50,000 sheep, and 2QOO head of cattle, and 40,000 acres of kiw around Ehetahuna, I am at a loss to tell, unless they include the' Alfredton District, if this is the case, why not set it forth in that form ? If the petition is amended in the manner suggested by me I shall bo glad to give it my support. '. ' ■'. lam, &c, Jqb Vim.

TO THE BWTOn, ' ■■;. Sia,~i notice in a reoont iwtjeof your paper a long letter and a' report on tlie Institute from Mr Fannin, the design of which appears to be to cast reflections •upon myself. Would you kindly allow me apace for a few words in reply 1 Mr Fannin' says that my estimate for repairing the budding after its partial destruction by. fire, etc., was £225, and that his estimate for the same work waa £l7B. The difference in the amount of the two estimates is very, easily accounted for- I presumed that materials similar to those used in the erection of the buiUing would tje used for the repairs, also that n part uf *e ret* w*fla;biß hrfwa $m .U^Sm

to ascertain tho full extent of tho injury : which it had sustained. This cettuinly 'could nofc'bo established- without first taking off part,of.the lining roof boarding. Tho materials used for repairs wero much inferior to those used in the erection of tho building. As an instance, whito pine shingles ffero, used for repairing tho roof, whereas they were originally covered with heart of totara shingles, lhe wrlui were so badly pitf iwrnflftat : shortly after their completion thdWfohl boards at tho North-west confer) had tal be patched with pieces of zimHo prevenF tho leais, which were' bad and frequent, notwithstanding Mr Fannin'* assertions : to the contrary.. A great many badly'damaged parts were left untouched, and tho window Bashes, instead of being glazed with whole panes,were, glazed with pieces, in some caaoß luring itspace between, through which the raitt can easily flow. The new additions are no better, but leak as badly as any ± part of the building, Mr Fannin's statement that the repairs to the main roof cost only £5 indicates that tho damaged parts were - simply covered tip. •Hisreportisainost" extraordinary production;. Irisfeid of confining his remarks to the part .of- the building that it appears lio-was appointed, to report on, viz., the strength' of thV roof ttesses and floor, he shirks thU business altogether, and makes a rambling statement about tho condition of gutten,. drawing largely on his. imagination -in - ondeavorlng to show what changes; fhijr had passed through from tho construction to the date on JrhiciPie made his examination. His duty, 1 think, , was simply to calculate the amount of tho forces tending to derange or destroy ,tho roof trusses, and tho intepsity of the strains in the central members, caused by such forces, and to bliow front fiis '"deductions the fitness, or otherwise,'' of the trusses to sustain the load imposed u'pou them. The carrying capacity of the Boor should also have been computed.'' 'Tho opinion of.an architect on a-matter of this kind, unsupported by carefully made calculations, is worthless. v. Tam,. etc., ; -•' :V ' John Kino. .

\ (TO THK EWTOE.) f " ' . Sik.—Many of our Wairarapa friends, ' when visiting Wellington with tho intention of purchasing at Te Aro Houso here, have been puzzled by the close proximity of another draper's shop, to know which wiib which, To prevent niistakea^.wo' lmyo had the words "'To Aro Houso" painted in black letters on whito ground on each of our doorsteps. 1£ they will only look for these, errors and loss may . bo prevented. ' ' Yours, &c, James Smith, """■' .< TeAro House.