THE RAILWAY COMMISSION.

Inangahua Times, Volume VII, Issue 1207, 13 December 1882, Page 2

THE RAILWAY COMMISSION.

♦ • The members of the Royal Commission, the Hon Dr Pollen, and Messrs Thompson and Fulton, arrived in Nelson yesterday afternoon, and at once proceeded to take evidence. Accommoadation was previded the Commissioners at the City Council Chamber, which was thrown open to the public. Many members of the Railway Committee were in attendance to watch the proceedings, and Mr Fell called and examined the witnesses.

Robert Disher, junior, was the first witness called and he stated : I was on the Tarndale run for 13 years, and was managing for Edwards and Kerr 6 years, I was there in 1867, known as " bad winter." There was a heavy snowstorm over the whole Island. There was only drifts at Tarndale. Since then T cannot remember any heavy fall of snow, Since that year there has never been enough to obstruct traffic. I was able to go about my work all through every winter, and to muster sheep every month. In 1870 I was managing for Edwards and Kerr. We mustered every month that winter, for fat sheep for a dealer from the Buller. Our mustering was never interrupted by the weather. It was a fair average winter. There is snow every winter, but it is generally followed immediately by rain, which clears the snow away. A heavy fall of 16 or 18 inches will sometimes lie 4or 5 days. The last heavy fall that I know of was 6 years ago, a foot deep at the beginning of August. The

country is splendid for grass. English grass grows well at the Eainbow, about 8 miles. The Tarndale grass was noted for its fattening qualities. The whole of the Tarndale run is good country. I believe English grass would grow at Tarndale. The Acheron aud Clarance Valleys are all good grass country. I grew ten acres of oats at the Eainbow every year. The crops were as good as any in the Waimeas. I believe they would grow as well at Tarndale. We had a vegetable garden grew carrots, sweeds and fruit trees. The climate and soil are well adapted for growing corn and vegetables. I should think the bottoms of the Valleys would suit small agriculturists very well, and they might have thriving gardens and farms round them. I believe the [soil at Tarndale well suited for hops. I should say there were lots of patches of ground suitable for this crop. I do not think the climate would be at all unfavorable. The summer is hotter there than here. The month of March is about the same. The cold weather commences in April. The climate is very healthy. IMr Pillungton can speak

to that Mr Newton, who was consumptive and very delicate, came, up, and it did him a deal of good. Ido not consider that the winters would be any obstruction to traffic. By the Commissioners : The traffic I refer to is on horseback, and stock — driving, of there are no cart roads ; but I belive traffic might be carried on by the wheeled vehicles. There is abundance of blue glass at Trandale. We never bred sheep when I was there, but always brought them. I never heard of anyone losing his fingers and toes all the time I was there. There might occasionally have been snowdrifts feet deep in the gullies. There were about 70,000 acres of this run, and we had 20,000 sheep on it I think it would carry 5,000 more. I dont't know the difference of altitude between Tarndale and the Rainbow. There were about 400 acres of flat at the Rainbow. The roads keeps alongside the river from Tarndale to the Hanmer Plains. I have never seen drifts ; frost occurs in April and ends October. I never tried to grow crops at Tarndale, but I believe they have been grown there since I left, and I hear they had a splendid crop of oats this last year. By Mr Fell : When I spoke of gullies I meant the hollows between spurs, which, I presume could be bridged for a railway.

Adolph Wiesenhavern was the next witness called, and he stated : I was the occupant of the Tophouse run from 1859 to 1882. I know the Wairau Valley and Gorge well, and I have been at Tarndale several times. I should say the Big Bush was worse for travelling than the Gorge, owing to the winds experienced. Snow would not be so long at the Top House as at Big Bush. I kept a diary, and a note of the travellers. During the early days the road shut vp — that is the accommodation house used to be shut up, but still travellers did travel. The road was zig-zag across the river, and was an almost impracticable bridle track. Afterwards the road never stopped by a snow shower or high river, but a horse traveller never except for comforter At Top House the country clears of snow more quickly than at the Big Bush. I have never lost sheep by snow to my knowledge. The severest snow fall at the Top House is 2ft l£in, but even this disappeared very quickly. There would be snow in drifts for weeks. I know the Rainbow. I have eaten splendid strawberries there. Fruit grows particularly well at the Top House, and eventually the Big Bush will, in my belief, be a huge apple garden. Since the road has been made traffic at Tarndale is absolutely uninterrupted. The Big Bush adjoins the Top House reserve. In 1867 I should say there was eight feet of drift snow in the gully opposite my private house at the Top House. I only cultivated for the house. I had two orchards, one having trees about ten years old, and in that one the fruit was excellent. I also cultivated oats and so on for the accommodation house and station. The gully I have spoken of as containing the drift has almost perpendicular sides, and is open to wind. I only saw snow lie for weeks there in 1868.

Wm. White stated : lam the chairman of the Waimea Road Board, and reside at Brjghtwater. I held the Tarndale reserves, and 10,000 acres of leaseholds between about 1860 and 1867. I kept the old accommodation house there. My country extended towaids Lake Tennyson, and included the highest land in the district At that time Saxton Bros held the rest of Tarndale. I know the whole of that country between the Wairau, Acheron Waiau, and Clarence well. I had cattle on my land and Saxton's had cattle and sheep. My house was about three miles from Saxton's station. It was close to the fish lake, we had a vegetable garden, and grew cabbages, carrots, parsnips, and ordinary vegetables grown at Tarndale would compare favorably with what I grow at Brightwater. We tried English grass and it grew splendidly. I never tried oats, but Saxtons grew oats at the Rainbow, and I have seen them between five and six feet high, and a good thick crop. There were no roads in those days, and we could not havegot any produce to market My stock throve splendidly, and I should like my stock at Brightwater to thrive equally. I know the Tarns ; they are mostly shallow water. I have only seen the deepest one frozen over once, and that was in 1863 or 1864. lam a native of Hampshire, and there is not, in my opinion, so great an average snowfall at Tarndale as in Hampshire, but at times the winds are very cutting. The frosts, however, are not so persistent In the winter the hollows in the highest land are seldom free of snow. I should call fifteen to twenty inches a deep fall of snow. I consider the country could be settled, and the ground being very fertile, even a long way up the hills, with roads, produce could be sent to market The country is mostly undulating. The Alma Valley, the Sedgemere Flats, and the Upper Alma valleys are all fit for settlement, the land being of splendid quality. I know Edendale, and the land near Lake Tennyson appeared to me to be first-class. I have seen the indigenous grasses in the detatched pieces of rock so thick you could have made thousands of tons of hay, although the land was supposed to be fully stocked. There are thousands of acres of good land, and it is my honest conviction that were the country opened by railway it would carry a large population. Similar country extends nearly to the Hanmer Plains. The fall of snow in that country is not sufficient to obstruct traffic on a railway. In America and England they have more snow to contend with. I never saw the snow on the middle '.-ail of a tlrw "ailed fence.

I should say that oats would grow as well at Tarndale as at Rainbow. The land at Tarndale would not be available for farms on such favorable conditions as the Waimea Plains. The land at Tarndale would not be worth more than half what the land on the Waimeas would. wHiat would prevent people purchasing at present would be the inaccessibility of the country.

Mr Thomas : There is a coach road to Tarndale, from the South.

Mr White: I did not know that There are not sufficient public works going on to think it is necessary to havo a railway to cause the locality to bo populated. The flats at Tarndale would contain many thousands of acres. I should say the Alma Valley was at an altitude of nearly 4000 feet If you have not taken the trouble to examine the small valleys opening out from the principal ones, you would be surprised to find the quantity of good land they contain. You are liable to early and late frosts in that district I don't think you would get any later than October. In my opinion it is too far to carry produce from Tarndale, except by rail. It won't pay to cart grain over 20 miles.

Nathaniel Fowler stated : I am a farmer, living at Stoke,lknowtheTamJ dale country well. I was there in 1863 with my brother, upon a station, at the branch of the Waiau — on the Standard. I know the whole country, and as a stock iaising country, it is of the same description as the Amuriland I have travelled through at all times and the bad winter was the only time I had any difficulty, and then I went thfOttgh a week ov two after the snowfall The track was just cut round the rocks, and the difficulty was to get the horse round aver the frozen springs. Except in a few gullies where they are narrow, and the snow drifts, there is no difficulty in travelling over the whole country any time of the year. Supposing the country were traversed with a good coach road or railway, 1 don't think there would be any difficulty in travelling any time I believe thereis plenty of land fit for small farms, and which would grow corn. I believe it would be settled if a railwaywere made. To go by coach to the city of Christchrirch you would haveto go 153 miles. All the land is at present in the hands of a few people, and I don't think any is open for settlement I think anyone want* ing to understand the country ought to go up the valleys. Tou simply see a small opening, while, if you enter, you will find the valleys a-half or threequarters of a mile wide. You can * find out what land there is, unless you go into these valleys. In my opinion-— Mr White is not exaggerating, when he says a large portion of the 87,000 acres of land is available for settlement, but railway communication is necessary. I believe you could grow any kind of grain there. I have seen potatoes growing at Mr Garter's, and he always grows oats. The climatethere is the same as at Tarndale. It is not a bit of good working land there, because you can't get rid of produce. There are large stretches of good land in the Yarral, in the Five Mile Greek, with about 80,00 acres of down land, in the Long Valley, the Guide Valley, the one to Saxton's Pass, and up the Valley, to the Moles* worth, the Wairau Valley, and others: that I can't remember the names of at the minute. The hindrance to settlement in this district is want of market — there is none within 100 miles. If a payable goldfield were found afc the Rainbow, the whole country would soon be settled.

The Commissioners then deferred taking farther evidence till this day, when they will sit at 10 o'clock.