D.—2.

mended for adoption." Bails : Moved by Mr. Wright, seconded by Mr. Beed, and carried, " That the letter, as drafted, be sent to the Engineer." 4th June, 1879.—Moved by Mr. Wright, seconded by Mr. Beed, and carried, " That the Minister for Public Works be asked when work will be commenced on the Ashburton and Mount Somers Bailway, as many men were seeking employment, and unless the work be commenced at once there is little prospect of its being ready for use by next harvest."

APPENDIX E. Beport of Committee of the Ashburton County Council. The committee appointed to investigate the question of diverting the Mount Somers Bailway across the South Branch of the Ashburton Biver—present: Messrs. Wright, Jackson, Lambie, McEarlane, and Walker (Chairman) —beg to report as follows: " That during the last month they have visited the district affected, from Methven southwards, including Alford Forest, Mount Somers, Upper Ashburton, as far as Lake Clearwater, Gawdor Downs and the Bangitata Plains, and have endeavoured to discover the wishes of all classes of settlers on the subject. In preference to any of the three routes surveyed by the Public Works Department, the committee beg to recommend the following, viz., that the line should be carried round by the traffic bridge, which can be strengthened at a small cost for railway purposes, to Bowyer's Stream." W. C. Walker, Chairman. 29th November, 1882.

Petition referred to in Mr. Walker's Evidenoe. Ashburton, 13th December, 1883. To the Hon. the Minister for Public Works. We, the undersigned, landowners of the County of Ashburton, respectfully request that the TinwaldMount Somers Bailway may be extended a further distance of about three miles towards the valley of the Upper Ashburton, in accordance with the recommendation of the Engineer-in-Chief for the Middle Island. We desire to point out that the Mount Somers Bailway has been promised for many years past, and that its tardy construction has been a serious loss to many who purchased land in the district on the faith of that promise. The attempt now being made to divert this line to Alford Forest is opposed to our interests, and in direct contradiction of the action of the Alford Forest settlers themselves in 1878, when they voted for their district being included in the rating area for the Bakaia-Methven line of railway, when this line was projected in opposition to the line froni Tinwald to Mount Somers, which was promoted by the Ashburton County Council. The public Treasury has received a large sum of money from the undersigned for the purchase of land in full reliance that the said railway would be constructed, and there is moreover a considerable area of Crown land, which will be readily sold should the Mount Somers Bailway be extended a few miles further, in the direction advised by the Engineer-in-Chief. In reply to those who urge that this line should have been carried to Alford Forest up the forks of the Ashburton, we call attention to the fact that the area of agricultural land south of the Ashburton which this branch railway opens up is two or three times greater than the entire area of agricultural land in the Ashburton Forks and Alford Forest districts, and of which a large proportion will be fairly accommodated by the railway in the course we advocate. That, although the preponderance of population at the present time may be greater in the Alford Forest district, yet in a few years a much greater population may be expected to be located south of the Ashburton and in the upper valley of that river. We therefore pray that no deviation may be made in the route of this railway from that indicated by the Engineer-in-Chief. The area of land which we hold is stated opposite our names : Garrick and Cowlishaw, 3,030 "acres; D. Morrow, 6,000 acres; McG. Watt and Jas. Coskerie, 5,500; W. S. Peter, 18,000 acres; A. Strachey, by his attorney, J. E. Pounds, 2,000 acres ; F. Baine, by his agent (tenant), Hugh Cassidy, 680 acres; Geo. Boberts, by A. Boberts, 2,400 acres; C. J. Harper, 3,400 acres ; Green and Scrint, 865 acres ; Bichard Strachey, by his agent, C. J. Harper, 1,000 acres; C. G. Howden, by his attorney, J. E. Ponds, 5,500 acres; M. Studholme, 5,000 acres; John Ballantyne, 2,000 acres; A. B. Napier, by his agent, C. J. Harper, 1,000 acres; E. C. Mouldey, 881 acres; James Dellow, 15 acres; James Corbett, 330 acres; Jas. J. Boyd, 1,280 acres; J. Whitelaw, 912 acres; D. Scott, per J. Whitelaw, 250 acres; J. H. Twentyman, 1,846 acres; G. Harry Gordon, for Colonial Bank of New Zealand, 500 acres; Leonard Harper, trustee Cracroft Estate, 3,500 acres : total, 65,389 acres.

k, APPENDIX F. Minute referred to in Mr. Friedlander's Evidence. 10th January, 1883. After the adjournment it was moved by Mr. Walker, seconded by Mr. Jackson, and carried, ' That the report of the Mount Somers Bailway Committee, as read, be adopted." Resolved, " That the Chairman communicate with the Minister for Public Works, asking him when he will be in Ashburton, and if possible three days notice be given ; and that notice be given by special messenger, if necessary, to each County" Councillor." Resolved, "That a copy of report be sent to the Minister for Public Works and to the petitioners."

26