G.— ENGINEERING. 1^5 



things might be to the CominonwealtH in certain contingencies needs 

 no words from me to bring home to those who are fighting so strenuously 

 for the white Austrahan policy. 



Royal Commissioners' Suggested Railways. 



The Commission recommended the following lines: — 



1. The construction of the main North-South line from Katherine 

 River to Oodnadatta via Renner and Alice Springs, mileage about 

 1,020 miles, the gauge to be 3 ft. 6 in., and work to be commenced 

 from each end. 



2. The construction of a branch line from the main line, near or 

 at Katherine Eiver, to seiwe the Victoria Eiver pastoral area, should 

 it be found impossible to give such a westerly swing to the main line 

 from Katherine to Willeroo as would serve the same purpose. 



3. The construction of a railway from a proposed new harbour in 

 Pellew Island in the Gulf of Carpentaria to the Barkly Tablelands, the 

 line following the McArthur Valley to Anthony's Lagoon. 



The Commissioners further expressed the view that it would be 

 essential for the Queensland Government to extend their railway systems 

 to Camooweal, and for the Commonwealth to connect both the main 

 North- South line and the Barkly Tablelands line by branch lines with 

 Camooweal, so as to give direct railway connection between the Terri- 

 tory and the Eastern States of Queensland and New South Wales. 



The Commissioners estimated the cost of the main transcontinental 

 line at 5,000,0001. for a 3 ft. 6 in. gauge, and 7,500,0001. for a 4 ft. 

 8^ in. gauge. 



Tlie lantern plates show (1) routes of proposed lines ; (2) isohyets for 

 the Territory ; (3) relation of proposed lines to existing Australian 

 railway systems; (4) alternative railway routes suggested by Mr. 

 Coombes in a minority report. 



In 1915 the House of Representatives referred to the Parliamentary 

 Standing Committee on Public Works a proposal to extend the Darwin 

 Railway a further distance of about 64 miles in a south-easterly direc- 

 tion from Katherine River Station to Bitter Springs; this would be a 

 further link in the transcontinental line, and would open up to profitable 

 exploitation the newly discovered tin mines at Marranboy. The cost 

 of construction was estimated at 320,000L for a 3 ft. 6 in. line, single 

 track, 60-lb. rails, using, however, sleepers long enough for a 4 ft. 8^ in. 

 line, should it be decided later on to change the whole line over to this 

 gauge; the ruling gradient was to be 1 in 100, and the sharpest curve 

 40 chains; the time of construction was estimated as one and a-half 

 years. 



Mr. Hobler, Commonwealth Engineer for Ways and Works, stated 

 that the cost of the Pine Creek and Katherine River extension would be 

 6,000L per mile, and he estimated the extension to Bitter Springs (now 

 called Mataranka) would cost 4,938L per mile. He further said it was 

 intended to make a permanent survey of a proposed further extension 

 to the Daly Waters telegi'aph station, 95 miles south from Mataranka 

 and 360 miles from Darwin. There can be no doubt that whatever 

 route is finally adopted for the central portion of the transcontinental 



M 2 



