be sent by water, and for the conveyance of coal, should the working of our coal-field be undertaken, it would be useless. On the other hand, a line of railway presents the greatest facilities for the transaction of business. With three trains each way daily, the journey being performed in 20 minutes, parties would go to the Port to transact business in person which might require three days to complete by correspondence, and goods of every description could be conveyed with economy, certainty, and despatch, and the increased facility of shipping agricultural produce would promote cultivation for the Australian market and create a further demand for rural land; the land revenues of the Province, as well as the Customs, would consequently be augmented and due encouragement afforded for the working of the coal-field.

20. In England passenger trains are run at a cost of three shillings per mile, assuming the expense here to be double what it is in England, the cost of running a train to Port would not exceed forty shillings. But the engine would be capable of taking 1 carriage containing 18 passengers and 5 or 6 waggons of merchandize containing 18 tons, or in six journeys 108 passengers, and 108 tons of goods daily, at a cost of twelve pounds. This considerably exceeds the present wants of the settlement. The goods landed and shipped at Christchurch Quay from 1st April, 1853 to 1st April, 1854, did not exceed 2200 tons, or about 7 tons per diem. Even this amount of goods at 10s. per ton, and an allowance of 34 passengers going each way in the course of the day at two shillings and sixpence per head, would defray the expenses of working the railway, but before the opening of the line the amount of wool would be trebled, and the agricultural produce increased in even a greater ratio. Thus with this increase of traffic, together with that which would certainly follow the opening of the railway, an actual revenue would be derived which would continue to augment with the progress of the Colony.

21. What this progress may be within even the next two years, it is impossible for us to calculate. The fact that a railway is in progress might induce capital to flow in from Australia for the purchase of our Waste Lands; large funds might thus be placed at our disposal more than sufficient to liquidate the cost of the railway, and we might be enabled, by a continued stream of emigration, to procure labour for the tillage of much larger tracts of land.

22. We have thus endeavoured to point out the respective advantages of the two modes of communication, and leave the selection between them to the Provincial Government: should they be of the opinion that a railway would be too costly an undertaking to warrant their attempting it, or that it would be more than so young a settlement should venture upon, we recommend the completion of the cart-road by a Tunnel through Evan’s Pass, together with the improvements of the Bar pointed out in the commencement of our report. These works we consider will be quite within the power of the Province, with the aid of an increased supply of labour. But should the plan of a railway be adopted there can be no doubt it would be most advisable to endeavour to find some English Contractor who would undertake the whole work.

We have the honor to be, Sir,

Your obedient servants,

(signed)

W. B. Bray, Chairman.

H. I. Cridland,

E. Dobson,

R. I. S. Harman,

Edward Jollie.

To His Honor the Superintendent.