E.—Ba.

1878. NEW ZEALAND. ROUTE OF RAILWAY LINES IN NORTHERN DISTRICTS OF SOUTH ISLAND (REPORT ON, BY MR. FOY).

Presented to loth Houses of the General Assembly ly Command of His Excellency.

Mr. T. M. Pot to the Disteiot Enghneek, Holdtika. SIH _ Public Works Office, Nelson, 26th July, 1878. I have now the honor to forward you a report upon the surveys and examinations made in connection with the public works railway scheme in the northern districts of the South Island, accompanied by a sketch map, upon which is shown a!l the routes that have been examined, also the " dray " roads that have been constructed, and affording communication at the present time between the centres of population in that part of the country. _ _ The sketch map is upon a scale of four miles to an inch, which 1 think you will lind to be ot sutticient size so as to show distinctly the general course of the several lines ; and, although the map must not be considered as being sufficiently accurate to enable the distances to be measured with a degree of minute reliability, nevertheless it is correct enough to allow of comparative lengths of lines in their entirety being made. ' . The information supplied and shown upon the sketch map comprises the following, namely :— Bridle roads, represented by a black, dotted line ; dray roads, represented by a black, firm line ; railway routes explored, by a red, elongated, dotted line ; portions of railway routes surveyed, by a red, firm Before we enter on the subject of railways, perhaps a few words relative to the dray roads through the district as a means of accommodation for traffic may not be out of place. I have endeavoured to show the whole of these roads upon the sketch map, by which it will be seen that there is (taken altogether) a considerable mileage of this description of road accommodation already constructed; and, if the gaps that at present exist were filled up, namely, from Tophouso, via Tarndale, to the Clarence Elver Accommodation House, a distance of about fifty-six miles through one district, and from the Government Beserve via the Awatere Biver and over Ward's or Saxton's Pass to the same place a distance of about seventy miles through another district, a horse and dray would then be able to travel the whole way from Nelson to Invercargill. However, as this matter cau scarcely be admitted to come within the province of Government consideration in connection with our railway scheme, this subject may not, necessarily, be further considered. However, I feel particularly anxious to draw your attention to the fact of their being carefully shown on the sketch map, should reference to them be necessary for other purposes. • . I have appended clippings from the various reports forwarded from time to time to the late En«ineer-in-Chief, and, having paged them as well, I think you will have no difficulty in finding the parts referred to in the body of this report, should you feel disposed to read them. I have numbered the lines upon the sketch map in the order of their precedence of examination. West Coast Line. This line has not been included in the numbering, as it was neither examined nor surveyed by my. self and for other reasons that will now be mentioned. ' The survey was made for a line of railway by Mr. Bochfort in the year 1873-74. It commences at Foxhill the present terminus of the Nelson and Poxhill Bailway ; thence over the Spooner Bange of high hills'into the valley of the Motueka, to its junction with the Motupiko ; and, alter following the upward course of the latter river for some distance, it crosses the Hope Saddle into the valley of the Hope Biver, which it follows to its junction with the Buller; thence along theßuller as far as the Inangahua Biver ; and, after traversing the valley of the Inangahua to its source, it passes over another saddle and enters the valley of the Little Grey, which it follows to its junction with the Big Grey ; thence down the valley of this river to Brunnerton, the present terminus of the Greymouth and grunnerton Bailway. I—E. Ba.