VICTORIA. LOW LANDS COMMISSION. PROGRESS REPORT. l:'RESENTED TO BOTH HOUSES OF l:'ARLIAMENT BY HIS EXCELLENCY'S COMMAND, ill! ~uf{Jorit!! : J()BN FERRES, GOVERNMENT I'RINTER1 MELBOURN.E. No. 62, APPROXIMATE COST OF REPORT. £ s. d. Preparation-Not given. Prluting (810 copies) 90 5 0 ~ .... '' 'i·: 1:T ictotia, by the Grace of God, of the United Kingdom of G1·eat Britain and Ireland QUEEN, Defender of the Faith: ~(I our trusty and ivell-belo7!ed The Right Worshipful THE MAYOR OF MELBOURNE, The Worshipful THE MAYOR OF EMERALD HILL, The Worshipful THE MAYOR OF SANDRIDGE, The PRESIDENT OF THE ~ CHAMBER OF ColliMERCE, The CHAIRMAN OF THE SHIPOWNERs' Asso­ ~ CIATION, JAMES LORDIER, Esquire, JOHN HUTCHINSON BLACKWOOD, ~ Esquire, SAMUEL A11mss, Esquire, ;JAilms P ATTERSON, Esquire, ~ THOMAS McPHERSON, Esquire, WrLLU.M HENRY CuTTs, <:> :;;: Esquire, 1~l.D., DAYID CLARK, Esquire, Wn,LIAM McCHEA, Esquire, ~ M.B., SMWEL RAMSDEN, Esquire, JoHN MciLWRAITH, Esquire, "'<"> JosEPH HENRY KAY, Captain R ..N., F.R.S., WrLLIAffi WILKINSON <:>... ..,.. vV ARDELL, Esquire, THOMAS HrGINBOTHAM, Esquire, C.E., GEORGE ~ GoRDON, Esquire, C.E., and CLEliiENT HoDGKINSON, Esquire : ~ ~ GREETL.'W: ;;;· .... mb.etea~ the Governor of OU1' Colony of Victoria, with tfte advice of the Executive Council ~ "' thereof, has deemed it expedient tltat a Commission should forthwith issue to enquire into the best ~ means of making available the low lands adjacent to the western and southern sides of the City <.;:)"" ~· of Melbourne, and situated on both banks of the River Y arra ; to suggest what portions of the ...""~ above lands ought, in the opinion of the Commission, to be specifically reserved by the Crown ~ for the purpose of constructing canals, docks, wharves, roads, tramways, and other works of .':tJ !;:i public utility, and further in carrying out the enquiry t,o keep in view not only the best and most ~ ::;: economical application of the said lands for commercial and public purposes, but likewise the :;; expediency of appropriating them in such a way as may be least calculated to injure the health bj <:> of the inhabitants of the City and its suburbs: Noblltnob.l !le that We, reposing .~peeial trust c ;.,.. and confidence in your knowledge and ability, ha1!e thougltt fit to constitute and appoint, and by these presents do constitute and appoint you the said ::YfAYOR OF MELBOURNE, THE MAYOR ~ OF Ell!IERALD HILL, THE MAYOR OF SANDRIDGE, THE PuESIDEN'r OF THE CHA)}ffiER oF ~ "' CoMMERCE, THE CHAIRMAM OF THE SHIPOWNERs' AssociATION, JAll!IES LoRnmR, JoHN ..,....... HuTCHINSON BLACKWOOD, SAMUEL AMEss, JAllmS PATTERSON, THOMAS McPHERSON, WrLLIAll ~"" HENRY CuTTs, DAVID CLARK, WILLIAM McCREA, SAMUEL RAMSDEN, JoHN MciLWRAITH, s. JosEPH HENRY KAY, WILLI..UI WILKINSON vV ARDELL, THOMAS !IIGINBOTUAM, GEORGE ~· GORDON, and CLEMENT HODGKINSON, to be our Commissioners for the purposes aforesaid: i-i'"" ""' !attl:l TJTe do by these presents give and grant unto you full power and authority to call before "'1;:1 yoM or any three or more of you such person or persons as you shalt Judge likely to afford ymt ;;:,.""' any information upon the subject of this and to of and concerning >l... o~r, C(gmmissi~n, enqui~e ~ the premises by all other lawful ways and means whatsoever: ~n)J We will and command ~ and by these presents ordain that this our Commi.~sion sltall c:dntinue in full force and virtue, 4. and that you our said Commissioners or any tliree or more of you shall and may from time to ~ <.;:) time, and at any place or places, proceed in the execution thereof and of every matter and ..,~ ~"" thing therein contained, although the same be not continued from time to time by adJournment: 0 1;:1 !attl:l We do hereby appoint our trusty and well-beloved The Right Worshipful Tm; MAYOR OF MELBOURNE to be Chairman of you our said Commissioners: !anl:i la:~t!!l, We direct ;;:,."" ""'c that you do, with as little delay as possible, report to us ftnder your hands and seals your ~ "'R opinions resulting from the said enquiry. ;::J >l... :En te~tintOtt)l hlbeteo£ We ltave caused these our letters to be made patent and the seal ~·"" of our said Colony to be hereunto affixed, ;;:,..... ;;:,. ltmittttfMj our trusty and well-beloved cou.~in the Bight Honor- ~ :;;:~ t:q !} able JoHN HENRY THOMAS VrscouNi' CANTERBURY, of "'>l... the City of Canterbury in the County of Kent, and BARON § R .. BOTTESFORD, of Bottesford in the County of Leicester, in >l... ~ tile Peerage of the United Kingdom of Great Britain \:tl """'<e and Ireland, Knight Commander of the flfost llonorable ~ "'1;:1 Order of the Bath, Governor and Commander-in- Chief ~• ;:::- in and ove1· the Colony Victoria, ~c., ~c., <)·c., at flfel­ "'? boztrne, this tweljth day of August, One thousand eight hundred and se1!enty-two, and in the tllirty-sixtlt year of our Reign, By His Excellency's Command, CANTERBURY. J. G. FRANCIS. 'the Ub rary, Parliament of ViOIOtltl No. 2988. Chief Secretary's Office, SIR, Melbourne, 19th August 1872. By direction of the Chief Secretary I have the honor to transmit herewith an instrument under the l1and of His Excellency the Governor, appointing you and the other gentlemen named therein a Royal Commission to enquire into and report upon certain matters connected with the low lands on the south and west of the city. I also desir·e to bring under your notice the attached copy of a minute by the Governor in Council, made on the 5th instant, enlarging the scope of the duties of the Commission beyond the original limits of enquiry assigned to it, and request that it may receive due consideration. I have the honor to be, Sir, Your most obedient servant, W. H. ODGERS. The Right Worshipful the Mayor of Melbourne. B 9252. Oriler in Council, made 5th August 1872, enlarging the scope of the above-recited Commission. 1st. To indicate, after consulting existing engineering plans, sections, and reports, and after considering evidence of engineers, merchants, shipowners, marine sUI'veyors, and nautical men, what lands ought, in the opinion of the Commission, to be now definitely withheld from sale or occupation for the purpose ·of constructing on such lands a ship-canal, docks, wharves, or other works for the improvement of the Port of :Melbourne, also works for rapidly carrying off :flood-water from the Yarra. 2nd. To suggest some definite scheme, based on reliable engineering data, for the reclamation of the swamps and oi,her low-lying badly-drained land west and south of the City of Melbourne, and for the improvement of the approaches to Melbourne, by the removal of the present repulsive aspect of such land. 3rd. To devise measures for fixing the sand drifts in the Sandridge Bend, and along the beach south of Emerald Hill, and for creating a sward of grass on the land covered by such sand drifts. 4th. To define boundaries of a portion of land to be occupied for the purpose of can·ying on noxious trades, subject to the stringent provisions suggested by the late Commission on noxious trades. PROGRESS REPORT. To His Ea:cellenc,y Sm GEORGE FERGUSON BowEN, Knight Grand Cross cif the Most Distinp;uished Order· cif Saint Michael and Saint George, Administrator· cif the Government cif the Colon,y cif Victoria, &c., o/c., &c. MAY IT PLEASE YouR ExcELLENCY, In pursuance of the Commission issued by His Excellency the Right Honorable Joh.n Henry Thomas Viscount Canterbury, Governor of the Colony of Victoria, &c., and dated the 12th day of August 1872, appointi us Commissioners for the purpose of enquiring into the best means of making avai le the low lands adjacent to the western and southern sides of the City of Melbourne ; to suggest what portion of the above lands ought, in our opinion, to be specifically reserved by the Crown for the purpose of constructing canals, docks, wharves, roads, tramways, and other works of public utility; and further, in carrying out the enquiry, to keep in view not only the best and most economical application of the said lands for commercial and public purposes, but likewise the expediency of appropriating them in such a way as may be least calculated to injure the health of the inhabitants of the city and its suburbs ; and also to consider the additional subjects referred to us by a minute of the Governor in Council, made on the 5th day of August 1872, enlarging the scope of the duties imposed upon us beyond the original limits of the above cited Commission : we have the honor to report- That having obtained, by the courtesy of the Right vVorshipfnl the T'l.fayor and the Council of the City of Melbourne, the use of a room in the Town Hall wherein to hold our meetings, we held the first meeting on the 29th August 1872, and thirty-two meetings have since been held. We have received evidence from several persons, professional and otherwise, relating to the subject-matter of this enquiry, also statistical :returns from the departments of Lands, Public "Works, and Trade and· Customs ; the evidence and reports of previous Commissions, Boards of Enquiry, and Select Committees have ca1·efully consulted, especially the exhaustive evidence and documents attached to the report of the Royal Commission on Harbor Improvements and a and Harbor Trust, of 1860. To enable us to suggest what portion of the said low lands our opinion, to be reserved for the many purposes indicated in the Commission, as well as to suggest some practical scheme for reducing the liability of these lands to floods, it was found to be an absolute necessity to procure accurate surveys of the Yarra and Saltwater rivers, to have the levels of the lands accurately taken, and the reliable data of former floods collected, so that calculations might be made of the of water of the highest floods requiring to be conveyed by the river or other channel to the sea.