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MOUNT GAMBISR TO PORTLAND
RAILWAY.
VICTORIAN RAILWAYS COMMITTEE AT
MOUNT QAM BIER.
A DAY OF EVIDENCE AND
OBSERVATION.
The Victorian Railway* Standing Committee,
who arrived here on Tuesday night, iat on
Wednesday, at 10 a.in., in the Institute Hall, to
hear evidence from Mount Gambier people
with regard to the line and the prospsots of
trade The Hon. G Graham, M.L A, pre*
sided. The looal interest in the eonitruotian of
the line was evidenced by the large attendance
of farmori and townsmen in the hall, there
being at times during the taking of the evidence
quite 100 in the room.
The Chairman remarked that during the last
session of Parliament the question of extending
railway communication to Dartmoor andtowards
the South Australian Border wis referred to the
Victorian Railways Standing Committee for re
port. When they decided to visit the Portland
and Dartmoor districts they had an invitation
from the Mount Gambier psople to viiit Mount
Gambier also, on the same question. He hoped
they would not look upon the Committee ai
intruders. (" Not quite ") The oustom of the
Committee in Victoria was to take sworn evi
dence, but outside their own state they could
not take the sworn evidence of anyone, flow
ever, they would be glad to hear what any
gentleman had to say on tbo question of this
proposed extension. They were not there to
give an opinion that day. but to hear what the
residents had to say, and add it to testimony
they received in Victoria, and all the evidence
they would weigh, tnd give a report to the Vio
torian House of Assembly (Dr. Embliog
1' Parliament")-the Victorian Assembly. The
doctor was a member of the Legislative Council,
and they al»avs looked down upon them
(Laughter.) They travelled through the district
via Dartmoor, on Tuesday, and examined a
good many witnesses at Dartmoor, From
there to Mount Gambier they passed through a
Jot of very inferior country, and bad
country to travel in. They oame to the con
clusion that if the railway line oame to the
Border, and stopped there it would be of very
little use to the people of Mount Gambier, or
?00 got the
South Australian Government to jom Vic-. [
torian line at the Border, as no one oonld oarc ,
goods over the land they travelled through an
Tuesday.
The witnesses made statements, and were then
.iked questions by members of the Committee.
Franois Davison described himself as a
solicitor, farmer, graiier, dairyman, and also |
member of a milling company. He had Lad 38
years experience in this distriot, and knew the
country that would be affected by the proposed i
railway to Portland, That area would bs about :
100 miles long from north to south, and 40 i
miles wide from east to west. It contained a
number of towns aud townships, from Fort Mao
Donnell to Wolseley and Border Town, and had i
a population of about 15,000. Some of the 1
land was first-daBB, growing 60 tons of man- '
golds to the acre, wheat, barley, oats, onions,
potatoes, pigs, and poultry ; and a large trade
was dons in lambs for freezing. This trade
would bo increased, he reckoned, very con
i eiderably by aoceBs to Portlaud by railway,
The damage whioh lambs sustained in travelling
to Adelaide was estimated at 2s, each. Adelaide
was 300 miles away, as againBt 60 to Portland.
In the block of territory he had referred to
there were in 1005 over a million sheep, 86,000
cattle, 14,000 horses, and 10,000 pigs, aud
there was produced 459,840 lbs, ol butter aud
483.560 lbs> of ohoeBa (tie handed la a return
prepared from Government statistics.) In 1903
36,082 tons of goods were sent to Adelaide from
Mount Gambier and the stations immediately
surrounding it, in 1904 25,965 tons, and in the
half year ending June 80, 1905. 19,062 tons.
That return did not include the quantity sent
from stations to the north-Kalangadoo, Penola,
Narracoorte, &c. He would put in a statement
aB to the quantity of goods sent to Adelaide and
received from there during the three years he
had mentioned, It was given in detail in the
Border Watch of January 24, 1906, and was
supplied by the station - master at Mount
Gambier, Mr. Bertram. Iu 1905 8,487 bales of
wool were Bent from the distriot to Melbourne
by steamer from Port MaoDonnell and Beach
port, 11,092 bales were sent from Kingston and
Beachport to Adelaide, and 1,061 bales were
sent to Victoria by. rail. The producing power
of the distriot was in prooeBS of develop
ment, and must necessarily increase ' con
siderably as the large estates were cut
up and the means of sending produce
to market improved and diminished in cost.
Nearly all the produce sent away must go to
Portlaud, as the cost would be much lets than
at present. Miliicent people now sent their
produce approximately 340 miles to Adelaide
instead of DO to Portland, Mount Gambier 310
miles as against 60, Penola 280 as oompared
with 90, and Narracoorte 250 as against 120.
He considered a line to Portland would pay at
least 10 per cent. A large quantity of hay
could be grown between here and the border,
and sent over the line. The Committee said
they came through some sand on Tuesday.
(Members of the Committee-" We certainly
did.") That very sand was capable of producing
at least one ton of oaten hay to the acre. At
least 20,000 tons could be produced, if a fair
meina of getting it to a market were available.
At least 1,000 tons of dairy produce would be
carried on the line a year, about *400 tons of
oatmeal he estimated would go for Western
Australia; aud about 60l) tons of barley, 700
tons of wattle bark, and about 220 tons of
apples would go by that railway That was
about the quantity produced at the Coouawarra
fruit co<ony. About 1,000 tons, at least, of
rabbiis would go by ic. The imports wou.d also
be considerable. There was little question the
district would get all its imports from Meloourne
or from Eugiaud. Ten thousand tons he con
sidered a veiy low estimate. He omitted to
sta.e that a large quanti y of potatoes and
onions for Sydney would be sent by that line,
perhaps a thousand tons. In addition to this
a very large trad-; would be done in the freezing
liue. Portland would get all the lambs produced
south of Wo:seley, and he thought the Wimmera
iauibs also, that would be sent down from
Wolse ey by rail, and thence to Portlaud. He
put the number of iambs down at 40,000. The
Adelaide merchants some time ago, in a request
to the Government to try and keep the trade of
this part from drifting away, estimate.! .he
number of lambs at 100,000. In a pamphlet
which they prepared and issued, a copy of
which he woulu give the Committee, they gave
many interesting facts and figures abou. the
possibilities of production in the South-EaBr,
and remarked-" The matter we have to con
sider is this-Will all this drift into the
hands of Victorian traders and merchants,
or shall we by prompt action secure
it for South Australia " A very large trade
wouid also be done in timber between here and
Portland. The Chairman-There is a large
quantity of timber there- growing timber-that
would be of no use for saw-milling, that would
bu suitable for firewool ? Mr. Davieon-Yes, a .
good trade might be done in firewood. The
aouth-Eaatern district was one of the finest he
| had ever seeu in Australia or any other patt of
ihe world, and should support a population of
300,000 ins ead of 15,000. In many places 40
acres would support a family. In reply to
members of the Committee he said that land
was situated at Yahl, O B. Fiat, and elsewhere,
and Bold as high aa £50 an acre. The
industries that would be oarried on would be
potato.gro«ing and dairying, growing root crops,
&c. Much of that high-class land in the
district was iu large estates, Adelaide received
her principal euoply of potatoei and onions from
this district. Some were sent to Sydney ; ho
did not know ahout Broken Hill. The Chair
man-We don't suppose the propI* rht»
district would oetiii ttieir potatoes on to Syduey
if they fouad a better market in Adelaide. Do
you think they Would incroase their output so
much as to increase their supply ? Mr
Davison-It depends on the seasons. If
Victoria and Tasmania had bad seasons they
would send their potatoes on to Victoria aal |
Sjdaey. He thought it w uld be cheaper in '
some cases to supply AdelaiJe via Portland
In reply to other members the witness said t
lambs would certainly go from Wolse ey <
to Portland; and he thought wool and 1
wheat also. A large quantity of potatoei i
were grown in the hills near Ade- i
laide and at Mount Barker, as well is at i
Mount Gambier and Glencoe Dr. Embling- I
16.723 tons of potatoes were carried last year <
by the South Australian railways, and 12,000 <
tona of that oame from Mount Gambier and c
Glencoe. Mr. Davison-Yes, but a great t
quantity would be carried by craft from Pott- f
land. Another witness would speak especially i
of potatoes, Only small steamers oou d get 1
into Beachport, and produce Bent from there *
would hiive to be transhipped. Port Mac
Donnell was an open harbor, and BIX c
weeks delay was sometimea experienced in £
getting goods landed there. Mr. Ward--. t
Supposing the Committee recommend this i
railway and it is builr, costing a large sum of c
money, what could wa expect from this B
dig-.rict in the way of pecuoiary help-money t
help ? Mr, Davison-You would get the greater t
part of the produce. Mr. Ward explained the J
ccw pclisy is the construction of railways in | £
Vjftfii'j. imdef WW i <
becefi'ed by a railway were require# to guar
antee a Bum of money to coyer any ION in the
working of the line, and thus justify the country
goipg to the expense of making the line. What
assistance, he asked, could they expeot from
Mount Gambier? Mr. Davison-Do the Vic
torlans expeot such assistance from people of
the other states? Mr. Ward farther amplified
his enquiry, and asked if the Mount
Gambier committee would, in the event of tha
line from Heywood to the Border being passad.
urge upon the Government of South Australia
to make a line from Mount Gambier to the
Border to meet it Mr. Davison-I think w§
should have enough influence here to compel the
Government to make that 12 miles of
line. Ihey would not be so selfish
and cruel as to refuse. Mr, Ward-Bat gome*
times Governments are selfish and cruel,
What prospects are there of money being
Jromised to gaarantee this line p Mr. Davison
never heard of this before, I cannot say an>
til I have an opportunity of conferring with
people about it. I cannot conceive of any
possibility of a loss in oonneotion with tha Une(
By the Chairman-There would be no difficulty
whatever in obtaining a guarantee for the 12
mile line from here to the Border ; none what*
aver, Mr. Ward-Supposing your Government
would not build the line would they give you a
concession to build a private line ? Mr,
Davison-He did not know. If they would, ha
believed a company, to make the line oould be
formed. There was a metalled road nearly to
the Border. The route of a railway line to tha
Boeder had not been surveyed yet, nor had an
estimate of the cost been obtained. He could
give no idea of the cost. It should be a oheap
line. He thought £3,000 a mile, broad gauge,
would be ample. The Chairman-The estimate
of the line from Heywood to Dartmoor Is
£3,284 a mile, including everything. Mr.
Davison said he would pndeavor to get a rough
estimate made up of the cost from here to the
Border. By Mr. Ward- He did not own
land nearer the terminus of the proposed
line than 7 miles, but he considered the
line would pretty nearly double the value of
his land. His purohased land there was about
4,500 aores, and the average value now was,
perhaps, 50s. an aore. He would be prepared
to pay a share to guarantee the line from loss if
they oould get all owners who were equally
benefited to do likewise. Mr. Ward-Sap.
posing -w«m
deposit to guarantee the line, would you pay that
deposit do wu beiore the construction of the line P
Mr. Davison-I never heard of such a thing. I
might have to consult my bank manager first.
The Chairman-Don't you think if the Mount
Gambier people are to benefit so largely by thia
line it would not be too muoh to ask them to
give something to guarantee the line P Mr.
Davison said it would not be fair to ask people
who had come here and developed the country
at great expense to guarantee that line. He did
not understand how the Victorians wanted to
saddle the people here with the oost o! a Vio.
torian line. He thought( it would benefit
Yiotoria, He would be willing to give a share
towards the guaranteeing of the line, provided
he were told beforehand how muoh it would ba.
The Chairman explained that they oould compel
the owners of land in Victoria that would be
benefited by the line to pay a certain amount in
the event of a loss, but they had no control over
people in South Australia
James Fiok, eheepfarmer, endorsed what Mr<
Davison had said with regard to the line. He
had resided in the district 46 years, and all that
time Portland had been looked upon BE the port
of the district When Federation was brought
about they hoped that it would be made so. At
present Mount Gambier was the only place that
was agitating for the line, as the Millieent
people had been trying to get the South Aus«
tralian Government to make an ooean port at
Beaohport, but the expense put it out of the
question; and Bhauld the railway to Portland
be made the whole of the produoe of the district,
instead of going to Adelaide, would go straight
to Portland. They wanted to get an ooean
port to enable produce to bo shipped direct to
the English markets In this they were strongly
opposed by the Adelaide merchants, who feared
they would Iobo the oustom of the district
through a line to Portland. The distriot had
great possibilities if the producers had better
communication with a good seaport. Lambs,
sheep, barley, butter, fruit, and so on, would go
by it. He pointed out how stook sent to
Adelaide were deteriorated on the journey.
The lamb-raising industry would be greatly ex
tended by U. In reply to questions, the witness
said he did not think hialand would be benefited
a great deal by the line, being too far away j
not sufficiently, at any rate, to induce him to
give any guarantee for the line. He did not
think it was necessary to give a guarantee,
especially as it was in another state. He
thought there was a prospect of the Govern*
ment making a line from Mount Gambier
to the Border - to connect with a line
from Heywood, more especially if the
Millieent people saw clearly there was no
prospect of Beachport being improved. It was
only the Adelaide merchants who objected to it.
If tha connecting line were not built he believed
the produce, or most of it, would be carted over
that 12 miles, at a charge of 6B. or 7s. a ton.
Most of them would cart their own produce.
The cause of the falling off in the yield of
potatoes last year and this was the bad seasons.
Not many potatoes would go on the line except
those for Sydney and Western Australia. If
the railway were made to the Border the local
governing bodies would finish the metalled road
to the terminuB. Mr. Ward-And if the
Government of Victoria were willing to give the
people of this distriot a concession. to build this
line from the Border to Heywood do you think
they would do it ? Of course they would get
all the revenue. Mr. Pick-That was a difficult
thing to say. He did not think any of the
Governments of the states would allow the
conatruction of private lines.
Joseph Botterill, manager of Moorak, wanted
to speak on the lines of industry he was
interested in The district about the Mount
was one of the finest lamb raising districts he
had ever been in, and he had had experience in
Viotoria, New South Wales, and Queensland.
The last twoyears Moorak had raised about 3,000
lambs a year for export, and each year had only
5 or 6 lambs rejected. The lambB were sent to
Adelaide at a cost of Is. 4d per head railway
freight. They depreciated in the oarcase on the
journey. He reckoned that the oost of carriage
from here to Portland would be 3d. or 4d.
each, but there would be no depreciation in
value over that short distance. Last year
20,000 aheep and lambs were sent from the
Mount Gambier railway station. For this lamb
season 22,000 lambs had been sent from Mount
Gambier. Nearly all of these had gone to the
fieezing works at Port Adelaide, and un
doubtedly all would have found their way to
Portland had there been a railway. Nearly
ha'f of the whole total were fat sheep that went
to the Adelaide market, and in a great number
of cases they cou d more profitably have been
sent to the Baliarat market if there were the
facilities Two years ago Moorak sent 200 fat
bullocks to Baliarat, and walked them from
Mount Gambier to Casterton. If there were a
railway from here in most instances they would
-be sent to Baliarat. The tendency among wool
growers was to sell in Melbourne whtoh waa the
best market in Australia, and a majority
of growers considered a better market
than London. But the growers here were
hampered by the difficulties and cost of transit
and the delays, which sometimes led to serious
loss. He would like to say something on the
dairying industry. Theie waa in this dis'rict
land that oould be compared with anything in
Victoria from a dairying point of view, and the
industry he.e waa praotically in its infancy.
One reason why it was not more up to date here
was the difficulty of getting the produce to
market. One dairyman told him bis oowa
returned him £11 a head per annum. In
answer to questions Mr. Botterill said the dairy
in-iuoirj- uutiuuiiicdiy iuorctiflo* Mr*
Ward-What is the principal dairy product
here? Mr. Botterill-Butter. Mr. W*rd It
would take a lot of butter to pay £8,000 a
year, the coat of that line. Mr. Botterill
You wou'd not expect butter to pay the whole
lot, would you? Mr. Ward-Well, its pro
portion. By Mr. Bailes-He believe! it
would pay then better to B9nd their lamba to
Portland at Is. 4d. a head than to Adelaide at
the same cost, because the depreciation in value
would not occur. It was about la a head on
lambs sjnt to Adelaide. The freezers paid the
freight, but, of course, <he seller had to pay
indirectly. By Dr. Embling-They received
from lis. to 12s. each, and if they sent them
to Portland they would get the difference in tha
depreciation, Col. P. J, Browne was the owner
of Moorak, and he could not say what he would
do in the matter of a guarantee for the line, but
he believed if other owners were willing to
give a share to guarantee the line he would
not be behind, He could ascertain hia views
Dr. Embling thought the freight to Portland
would be 7d. a lamb.
George A. Pritchard, grazier, Myora. en
dorsed what had been said by the preceding
gentlemen, and particularly the statement made
by Mr. Bottenll about lambs. In addition to
what they had laid he referred to the in.
conveniences of Port M&oDonnell as a port and
««d it was very desirable they had something
better, The nearest port for ocean veeiels ou
the coast was Portland. Last year he seat hia
«Cagt?u0a by tea3 acd to "iehtd U
had done so thia yw. He sent it to Port Mao,
P8BB?!! y?5T| gnej (I lm

awaiting a vessel, and be lost the rise in the
Melbourne market. He paid 4b. to 5b. a ton to
send it to Port MacDonnel), and the cost of
freight from there to Melbourne waa 30a. a ton.
Last year he gent it by his own teams to
Outerton. To send it to Castertou cost 12s. 8d.
. ton, and he thought the railway freight from
there to Melbourne was 82». 3d. a ton. He
recsived a rebate of 7s. a ton, and saved 5i. a
ton by sending it by water. The members of
tho Commission evinced great interest in tho
rebate mentioned by the witness and aske i him
U he conld give documentary proof of it. and he
said he could. Witness-The wool merchan-s
?ot the rebate, and allowed it to him in the
account sales. He dared say he could s nd the
Committee a copy of one of the accounts. By
Mr. Ward-He would take his share in tin
financial responsibility for the line, if others
would, as he was confident that it
would pay- By ,ha Chairman - As re
carded the capabilities of the land on the
Border ha said that about four vears ago be
farmed on the sandy land in the immediate
neighbourhood of the Border, and had from
1 000 acres 18,000 bushels of Algerian oats,
and about 800 tons of hay. He applied no
artificial manures, excepting in the case of 50
or 60 acres. He received 3s. a bushel, and
that paid. He believed 16 bushels would pay
fij«p at present prices, Is (Jd. to Is. 9d. per

bushel

. Arthur J. Wedd, grazier, Ardno, said he bad
bettn in the district 48 years, and believed that
If a railway were extended from Portland to
the Border the amount of produce raised wou'd
increase very much. He referred to the dis
advantages the distriot had been laboring under
is having to send produce 300 miles by rail to
market, with a break of gauge on the way. He
was sure a railway to Portland wou'd in <uce a
great many more to go into farming than did
now : and a lot of the Border couutry would be
brought into cultivation with the help of arti
ficial manures- His land was like Mr. Prit
ebard's, and he endorsed what he said It
would grow Algerian oats splendidly, and the
breaking up of tne land would^ improve it and
fit it for artificial grasses, and increase its stock
oarryiog capabilities The South Auitralian
Government were buying several large es'ateo,
and there was likely to be a large increase
fa the population of the district, and eonse

Chairman-How doyOQ

M about navingyour land loaded togu&Mntee
the line ? Mr. Wedd-There is a difference of

opinion at Ardno as regards the loading, but I j
rtiinfc every one is prepared to do something.
If the railway came within five or six miles or
mv Und, and others were agreeable to pay a
lD3ure, I would a'so be prepared. Mr. wara

Don't you know the policy of the Victorian
Government as to loading the land to guarantee
railways P Mr. Wedd-It was a new polioy He
Aid not think the line to the Border
Would pay without the Mount Gambier traffic,
but he felt certain it would pay with
it. The Premier (Mr. Bent) said dis
tinctly that he believed a line to Mount
Oambier would pay. Mr. Ward-Do you know
what colored speotaotes he had on? Mr.
Wedd-He might have had green. There was
ft road now to the Border from Mount
Oambier, and if the Committee had come by
that road they would hare had no sand to go
through Mr. Ward - He had twice put
potatoes in on his land, and they went five tons
to the aore, but owing to the low price, and the
difficulties of carriage to market he did not dig
them. Cartage from here to the Border station
would be 7s. to 8«. per ton, Dr. Embling
calculated that the cost of sending potatoes from
Mount- Oambier to Adelaide by way of Portland
Wonld amount to 25s. per ton, as comparod
with 19s. 7d., by rail at present, and asked if
growers would be willing to pay the difference.
Mr. Wedd said a great many wou'd be pent to
Western Australia and Sydney bv that line.
The sort of land that was suitable for potatoes
was also suitable for dairying, and dairying gave
l steadier return certainlv. If a man could
make £11 a year from eaoh cow hs would not be
likely to grow potatoeBi

David B. MaoLellan, storekeeper and wool
buyer, Mount Oambier, gave evidence regarding
the import trade During the last few years
trade had been opened up between Mount
Oambier and Melbourne. Up to the present
they had been getting the goods by boat to
Fort MacDonnell, and then by carting to the
Mount. The general cost was about 30s a ton.
Ha conld also bear out what a previous witn ss
had said about the freight on wool from Port
MaoDonnell to Melbourne, 30s. a :on. He
thought practically every bale of -^pol went
from the South-East to Melbourne, .. i 30s. a
ton waa a high rate, added to whiol as the
uncertainty ol the port. If the PortLul rail
way were ex'ended to Mount Oambier the wool
would go direct to Melbourne by way of Port
land^ as there were better shipping faeili'ies
there. The inward trade was increasing, and
be thought that last year it amounted approxi
mately to 2,000 tons. In reply to members of
the Committee he said the shipping freight from
Port MaoDonnell to Melbourne was 16s. a ton
dead weight and 12s. 0d. a ton measurement,
and to that had to be added lighterage 4s. 6 J.
and road charges 7s. 3d. a ton. Wharfage and
?o on had also to be considered, which made
the full ebarge 28s. 9d. a ton. From Mel
bourne to Portland the freight was 12s 6d.
. ton, but there was no lighterage,
and the wharfage was only Is. a ton.
Dr. Embling-The freight on sugar would be
17s. 6d. a ton to the Border by railway. I hare

it up. Mr. MaoLellan-Tha*. would be
very high for 50-milee. It muit be a special
rate, and if so why was a special rate imposed ?
The cost of cartage from the Border here on a
good road would be about 4s. 61. a ton. He

aid not know where it was proposed to end th a
line on the Border, but if there was no road to
it it would be made. With the road as it was

at preient the cost of cartage would be 8s. a
ton. Dr. Embling made the total cost in that
case from Melbourne 38s. a ton, as against
28s. 9d. via Port MaoDonnell. Mr. MacLellm
was surprised if the railway charge would be
17s. 6d. a ton for 44 miles. Dr. Embling
Well, 5s off, and the charge would be 83s.
from Me bonrne. Mr. MacLelian said they
would have the advantage of certainty by the
Port'and route. The prioe of sugar in Adelaide
was £1 higher than In Melbourne. That waa
the reason they went to Melbourne for sugar,
but other goods they bought in the cheapest
market, whether Melbourne or Adelaide. He
bought the bulk of his stuff in Melbourne,
because he got it cheaper.

Mr. Botterill asked to be allowed to make an
explanation. One of the members of the Com
mission (Mr. Ward), in questioning preceding
witnesses, seemed to assume that he gave £11
profit per cow for dairying as an average for the
distriot. It was nothing of the sort It was
a statement made to him by the owner of a
particular dairy. Mr. Ward Baid he did not
assume it as the average, but wanted to know on
what sort of laud such a profit could be made.
Mr. Botterill-No, it was the average per cow
for the district you tried to make me Bay.
Every cow will not produce that. People will
go in for mixed farming, cows and potatoes.

George H. Kilsby, grazier, endorsed the

statements/of Mr. Pritchard about the capa
bilities of the sandy country the Committee
came through oi^ the day before. They must
have come by a large block of his land. He put
in 300 acres of potatoes there five years ago,
and the return averaged three tons per acre.
The price that year averaged £4 to £5 per ton,

Bo that he did very well from such land. The

$