4

of time, say ten years, which would allow
the change in the direction of the traffic, to
be effected so gradually as greatly to lessen
the injury to private interests, which must
result from the removal of the shipping
from Lyttelton to Gollan’s Bay, whilst it is
more than possible that the traffic with the
Bays of the Peninsula would, during the
interval, have increased so much as to compensate to a great degree for the loss of the
European trade.

Assuming the cost of opening the navigation, completing the Sumner road, and
establishing a locomotive line between
Gollan’s Bay and Christchurch to be Two
hundred thousand pounds,* the annual
average expenditure during the ten years
required for the establishment of a complete
and thoroughly efficient communication
between the Port and the Plains would not
exceed twenty thousand pounds (£20,000.)

17. In the present state of the settlement
    however it appears to me that it would be
    undesirable to commence any of the above
    mentioned works until a fresh immigration
    from England has introduced a sufficient
    number of workmen to allow of their being
    carried on without absorbing the supply of
    labour required by the settlers themselves;
    and this amounts to a virtual postponement
    of the commencement of any extensive
    works for a period of eighteen months or two
    years from the present time.

In the mean while, I think the traffic may
be sufficiently provided for by forming a
Bullock road over the Port hills to Heath-
cote ferry, not a trotting road with a gradient of 1 in 16, but simply a wide track
with gradients of from 1 in 5 to 1 in 7, up
which a team of bullocks would draw with
comparative ease a dray loaded with from
a ton to a ton and a half of goods.

18. A careful examination of the present
    Bridle Path, leads me to the opinion that it
    is impossible to improve it so as to admit
    of the passage of drays, but that the alterations requisite to effect this, would be very
    costly, and would involve a serious interference with private property.

19. For these reasons I think it would
    be better to take an entirely new and much
    better route which can be made practicable
    at a less cost and which interferes but little
    with private property.

20. The line I would beg to recommend
    would follow the present road through the
    College land over the spur to the west of
    the cemetery as far as the accommodation
    road between the College land and Mr.
    Alport’s section; then turning westward it
    would sweep round as far as the face of the
    spur running through the section of the
    Rev. B. W. Dudley; up which it would be

• Sumner Bar £5,000; Sumner road, £30,000;
  Railway, £165,000. Total, £200,000.

carried by a succession of zig-zags until
reaching the foot of the cliffs, where it would
make a long sweep to the eastward, until it
joined the horse path to Mount Pleasant,
which it would follow to the summit of the
range.

The descent of the Plains would be along
the line of the present sledge track from
Mount Pleasant Bush to Heathcote Ferry.

21. The only difficulty on this line occurs
    at the head of the gully crossed near the
    summit of the range.

At this point a good deal of cutting and
embanking would be required to obtain a
safe gradient and sufficient level ground,
for the turning places. The rest of the
work on the Lyttelton side, would be ordinary levelling and side cutting, with in some
places a good deal of blasting, but presenting no difficulty of execution.

The line from the summit of the range to
Heathcote ferry, requires only surface work,
except at the bluff which terminates the
spur close to the river Heathcote, where a
side cutting of several chains in length
would be required to lead from the end of
the intended bridge to the face of the spur.

22. In the construction of this road the
    following points are essential;

1st. The gradient should nowhere exceed 1
in 5.
2nd. The turning places should be on the
level or nearly so.
3rd. The width of the road should nowhere
be less than 13 feet.
4th. In all cases where the road is in steep
side cutting, parapet walls should be provided.
5th. The whole of the ascent from Lyttel-
ton should be thoroughly metalled. The
descent from Mount Pleasant requires no
metalling, except for a short distance at
the foot of the incline.

23. The only private property to be passed
    through at Lyttelton would be the
    College land, and some unimproved land
    belonging to the Rev. B. W. Dudley; the
    interference in the former case being confined to the use of a private accommodation
    road set out for the use of the tenants on
    the estate.

24. It is impossible to make any satisfactory estimate of the probable cost of this
    road without staking it out on the ground,
    taking the necessary levels, and preparing
    detailed working drawings; but as the work
    (with the exception of the metalling) does
    not extend over a distance of more than a
    mile and a half, I think it may be assumed
    that the sum of Eight Thousand Pounds,
    (£8000) would be sufficient to defray the
    whole of the expenses attendant on the
    undertaking, including the building of a swing
    bridge over the river Heathcote.

By allowing a year for the completion of
the work, so that the contractors might ex-