29

Considering the character of the ground,
Bays and Swamp, over which the greater
portion of this Railway has been con-
structed, that a novel substitute for a
continuous sea-wall was adopted across
the Bays at a fraction of the cost, and
that the action of the Sea across the
several Bays could not be determined
except in gales of wind from various points
of the compass at high-water, some of
which gales occur once in a year or two
only, and the damage caused by the sus-
pension of the works; I submit that the
extras do not exceed what might have
been considered probable under the cir-
cumstances, and had I been required to
estimate for a sum which should not,
under any circumstances, be exceeded by
the cost of the works, I certainly should
have added a very large per-centage to
the figures given, in any such estimate.

The difference between the cost of the
works as executed to the completion of
the Railway, and my estimate for a
minimum of works shows a less per-
centage of difference than is shewn by the
Tenders of Contractors for the same
scheduled works, as tendered for, item
by item, without provision for possible
extras.

The estimate given by me for the Cost
of the Permanent Way and Rolling Stock
in England, will also be found to approxi-
mate closely to the amount paid for these.

The expenditure under the heading of
Freight and Landing Charges has not
passed through this Department except
in the case of one item of £164 5s. 3d.,
for this work as executed by Messrs.
M’Kenzie and Co., at the Mokomoko,
during the progress of their Pier Con-
tract.

On 31st December,
1864, the payments on
account of the contracts,
scheduled A, amounted to £89,717 18 11
The Retention money
amounted to - - - £5,122 1 5
The sum due on Certi-
ficates amounted to - - £4,839 5 5

The total of which
amounts to - - - £99,679 5 9
This sum deducted from
the estimated cost of the
works on completion B - 123,500 0 0

Leaves the sum of - - £23,820 14 3
As the amount to be paid for works
due and remaining to be done.

The works on Contract No. 2 are now
so near their entire completion, that for
the purposes of this Report they may be
treated as finished, and the work re-
maining to be executed on the Bluff
Harbour and Invercargill Railway, inde-
pendent of this Contract, if proceeded
with to completion, from the date of the
estimate, would cost about £13,000.

These works consist, on Contract No. 1,
of excavation and ballasting; on Contract
No. 3, of ballasting permanent way and
embankment protection; on Contract
No. 5, of permanent way and ballasting;
on Contract No. 1, the progress pay-
ments amount to £44,479 8s. 6d.; of the
retention money £1753 14s. 2d. re-
mains in the hands of the Government;
and the cost of completion, if proceeded
with, from the date of the Estimate,
will be about £5000.

On Contract 2, the work may be con-
sidered as complete. The progress pay-
ments amount to £20,250 18s. 4d.; the
retention money in the hands of the
Government, amounts to £2719 16s. 5d.,
and the amount due on the final measure-
ment, will be about £14,000. The Con-
tractors’ maintenance expires on 20th
March.

On Contract 3, the progress payments
amount to £13,863 18s. 9d.; of the re-
tention money £436 6s. 8d. remains in
the hands of the Provincial Govern-
ment; and the cost of completion, if
proceeded with, from date of Estimate, will
be about £2500.

Contract No. 4 is complete, and pay-
ments to the amount of £405 12s. 5d.
have been debited to this Railway, and
£33 remains to be paid.

On Contract No. 5, the progress pay-
ments amount to £2574 0s. 11d.; of the