EAST AND WEST COAST RAILWAY.

Inangahua Times, Volume II, 27 April 1881, Page 2

EAST AND WEST COAST RAILWAY.

■***' . Tbe following is Mr Brown's report of the journey:*— Christchurch, April 13th, 1881.* To the Cbairman'and Promoters of the West Coast Railway Company . Gentleman', — Acting on your instructions, I have the honour to inform you that I ac*. companied Mr C Y. O'Connor, the Government superintending Engineer for the South Island, over the proposed railway route via Cannibal Gorge, as reported on by Mr Thornton and myself, and have much pleasure in informing you that our report has been verified by the more acourato surveys made by the officers of the Publio Works Department under Mr O'Connor's personal supervision. As has been already reported, we examined three .passes through the dividing range, all leading into the Cannibal Gorge, one of which the Ada Pass, was fixed on by us as a practi* cable route, and as it bad not been mentioned by the Government Engineers, we devoted some extra 'attention to it. It was found from our fljing survey that the Lewis Saddle was a few hundred feet lower, but from the report of the engineer in charge of the explorations, the approaching works were described as heavy, and the gradients unfit for mineral traffic, but could not help'fixing on it as an alternative line, feeling, from an ordinary coup d'ceil of the country to be traversed, that it was practicable, and have now much pleasure in recommending it on Mr O'Connor's suggestion, as from information in his possession the line can be shortened by about ten mileß, and the gradients almost as good as -the Ada Pass route. It is merely a deviation, and the country to be developed just the same, with the exception of a few miles between the upper Waiau and Cannibal Gorge. As some misunderstanding has arisen in the publio mind relative to the action of the Public Works|Department]in connection with this route it will be necessary to place before you the facts of the case, in order that a grave charge wbich has 'been made against that department generally may be rebuted and to show that althoughfthe greatest care was taken to place every information before the public by the gentlemen at the head of the department, through the prejudice or otherwise of the officers in charge of the exploration surveys false data was given in connection with this route, as is now fully borne out. What had been looked for so long, a practicable route which should connect the vast resources of the West Coast with Nelson and Christchurch, was pointed out by the settlers in the vicinity to one of the junior members of the Public Works Department, aMr Fowler, who made a reconnaissance survey, and reported the matter to the late engineen in-chief, who fixed on it from its geographical position as the key to open the vast territory that had been so long locked up, aud an officer with competent assistants was appointed to explore the particular place, with the results already stated. In the interests of publio morality I hope the very strange posi** tion taken up by Mr Foy, the officer alluded to above, and who was in charge of these explorations for four years, will be duly ex» plained, in justice to himself as well as the profession he represents and the department for which he has worked. The peculiar position of Government officers who are not allowed to reply to any charges which may be made generally against them, demands that fullest inquiry be made on a question of this kind, when, through there blundering, one officer may lead a whole department into discredit, and deprive the doldny of the vast wealth waiting to be developed. I cannot add much more to the statistics already in your possession,'but I may mention that the more I have gone iuto the question

1 tho more I feel convinced that the mineral resources of the country are practicality inexhaustible. Large deposits of iron ore exist on the line of route, which was not mentioned in our last report } and large coal measures exist th-rty miles nearer Christchurch than Reefton, The hot springs near Cannibal Gorge must become a favorite resort the moment the line is open, as they are quite close to it, which is a great convenience to invalids, and I have reason to believe that a grand sanitarium for Australasian and Indian invalids will be established there, owing to the salubrious nature of the climate. Yours, &c, J. R. Bbowne, C.E.