THE Grey River Argus. PUBLISHED DAILY THURSDAY, JUNE 25, 1874.

Grey River Argus, Volume XV, Issue 1837, 25 June 1874, Page 2

THE Grey River Argus. PUBLISHED DAILY THURSDAY, JUNE 25, 1874.

Beyond all doubt the question in which the inhabitants of Greymouth are most particularly interested is that of the improvement of the port ; and no effort should be wanting to accomplish this desirable and essential object. It is unnecessary for us to repeat the arguments that have so frequently been used to prove the necessity of making the Grey river accessible to shipping of larger tonnage than can at present use the port — suffice it to say that it is a recognised fact that the magnificent and extensive coal deposits of the district cannot be profitably developed until the harbor is improved. The capital invested already in the two companies now working will remain almost . unprofitable ;: and the expensive railway works will be of little good unless facilities are provided for shipping away coal in'large qiui v> * : t. ; p.&. Before we proceed to discuss the ..ouhst +. n ; £j«#hiio oy wnom, ft' is as Weir that we should explain how the General Government stands in relation to this matter. When the Assembly was called upon to appropriate money out of the Public Works and Immigration Loan, it was decided that "coal railways" — that is to say, lines of railway constructed specially for the conveyance of coal — should be regarded as Colonial undertakings, the cost of which was not to be charged against the Province in which they might bt> constructed, as is the case with respect to other railways, but to be borne by the Colony as a whole. The Brunner Railway is one of those works, and all the money already expended upon protective works at Greymouth has been taken out of the vote for the construction of the railway. It is only in connection with the railway that the General Government has done any river protective work at all. No money has been voted or requested for the improvement either of the navigation of the port or for the protection of the town, and any works which the Goverement may engage in must be limited by ttie exigencies of the railway. Wo know that the wharfage works are under contract for extension to Boundary street, and it is possible that this may be considered the limit of those works which can properly be charged upon the railway vote. . When we come to the subject of improving the harbor an entirely new question is raised, and one that will not only have to be treated differently to that of the railway, but will require special action on the part cf the Government and the General Assembly. As to the necessity of improving the harbor there can be no difference of opinion, but there may be a difference of opinion as to whether the cost of the necessary works should be considered a Colonial charge. There are other places besides Grey month that require harbor improvements, and possibly each case could be made as strong as our own as claiming a Colonial character ; but it is certain that the Government could not undertake them all. The extensive works now proceeding at Lyttelton, Timaru, and Oamaru are all being constructed out of special loans charged upon the land revenues of the Province in which they are constructed or otherwise locally secured. The same with regard to the dock works at Auckland and the reclamation of land from Wellington Harbor. From these remarks it will be gathered that unless the Government will undertake on behalf of the Colony to construct the works necessary for making Greymouth a good and permanent port special legislation will be requisite to carry out the object that (so vitally affects this community.

Now let us see what direction this special legislation might take so as to secure Parliamentary support. Supposing the fact of the possibility of improving the port at a reasonable cost — say, £100,000— to be established by the best engineering evidence, what security could we give to the Government to recoup the expenditure 1 li we take £100,000 as the maximum cost of the harbor works, this would entail an annual charge, when the whole was expended .of say j£6ooo, but it is not likely that the whole sum would become chargeable f >r three or four years. The producing capacity of the two coalmines now in work can, when the railway

ia completed, be brought up to ac the least 500 tons per day, which, calculating 300 working days a year, would makjj.'.iip an annual productioriof 150,000 tons, to say nothing of the coal that could be pro duced from other mines on the north side of the river. Now the impost of a shilling a ton upon all coal exported would, on thia calculation, realise a revenue of .£7500 a year, and leave the ordinary wharfage and tonnage dues intact. It may be objected, " why should coal be specially taxed ?" to which may be replied, that without the improvement of the harbor the coal companies could not successfully carry out their operations. It is no use their pushing on the production of coal unless they can ship it, and they cannot ship it in the quantity they could supply if the facilities are not provided. Some people may say that 3000 tons of coal a week could not find a market, and would be disposed to "rest and be thankful" with the existing sleepy state of things here. But we have a most striking example of what a judicious expenditure mpon harbor improvements can affect the. trade in Newcastle, N.S.W. Ten or twelve years ago that pott was inaccessible to large ships, and the harbor was in everyway an inferior one. Some idea of what has been the result of the harbor improvements may be gathered from the fact that on one day lately there were no less than eightytwo vessels, whose aggregate tonnage was 46,324 tons. Now, what has resulted at Newcastle, may, in minor proportion, result here. Our coal ia unsurpassed in quality, and practically exhaustless in quantity, and we have only to make it accessible to shipping to command an unlimited market. In addition to the security aftorded by the charge on coal, and the wharfage and tonnage dues, special security might with great propriety be taken over waste lands of the Crown in Nelson and Westland. In fact, a case could be made out that would no doubt commend itself to the favorable consideration of both the Government and the General Assembly, and it is to be hoped that every possible effort will be exercised in that direction.

At the Hospital Committee meeting on Wednesday evening, the hon. treasurer acknowledged receipt of the sum of 16s from Messrs G. W. Moss and Co., being rent of a block of coal which had been lying in their office for aome time back, from the Brunner Coal Company, and which had since been disposed of by the late lessees of the mine. At the adjourned meetiug of the Waste Lands Board, held on Tuesday, at Hokitika, the following runs were put up for sale, with right of pasturage for five years :— No 18, Karangara, 14,000 acres, Lll6 13a 4d ; No. 27, Cook's River, 20,000 acres, LlOO. There was no bidding for either of these runs, and the Board stated ihey would not be advertised again, and that anyone could have them put upfor sale at any sitting of the Board. No. 2(i, 3000 acres. Manukaiau, was bought at the upset price, L 25, by Michael Power, per P. A. Learmonth. In reference to the applications of J. Collyer, Burrows, and others® fcr land in the special settlement, Okarito, they were further adjourned. W. H. James purchased 10 acres suburban land block 11. License to occupy certain laud at Greymouth was granted to Kilgour and Perotti ; also lefund of L 4 on section 1399. A. Hildebrand and R. Strangman obtained office copies of licenses to occupy William Wilson, by his agent, F, A. Learmonth. 'Qt'le application to purchase an agricultural A Parliamentary -paper" stateslhat L 40 ,000 for the year ending the 31st March will be required to defray "the further costs of the prosecution ' The Queen v. Castro.' " We find the following amongst the notices of motion on the Order Paper of the Provincial Council : —Mr Tabart to move — "That some of the items charged in the Contingencies Votes 1874, as laid on the table, require explanation, and therefore request more explicit information be given this Council on item 7, clerical aid, J. H. Greville, L 22 10s ; item 9, solicitor's costs, South, L 32 10* lOd ; item 18, subsidy Waipara, L5O ; item 30, A. F. Etheridge, assisting Treasurer, L 7 13s ; item 43, M. Price, sundry allowances, L 29 15s 9d; item 47, A. V. Etheridge, assisting Treasurer. L 7 Is ; item 48, J. H. Greville, assisting Treasurer, LlB 15s ; item 60, J. H. Greville, assisting Secretary's office, LlO 18s 4d ; item 64, sundry police extras, L 9 3s 4d. The above information to be laid on the table on Thursday, the 25th inst." The following items are from the latest Inangaltua Herald :— "We are glad to learn that the Energetic company's boiler was safely landed at the machine site on Monday evening. — Driving is being ctoninued in the United Band of Hope on the reef recently struck at tne low level. There is a fine body of stone, measuring eight feet, and the reef is well defined. The reef is being followed south. — At the half.yeaily meeting of the Break-o'Day shareholders the directors were authorised to join Maloney and party in the erection of a machine, conditionally on their half of the expenditure not exceeding Ll5OO. We (Lyell Argus) are not aware what steps, if any, have since been taken, but the matter is, at any rate, in contemplation." St. Stephen's Roman Catholic Cathedral, Brisbane, Queensland, was opened on May 17. Seven bishops were present, and the ceremony was witnessed by a very large assemblage of Catholics. The pontifical high mass, after the ceremony, was attended by nearly 3000 persons. The proceeds of the collection amounted to L2OOO. Of the sum subscribed to the Sick and Wounded Fuiid during the Franco-German War, LSO,OOO remains unexpended, being invested in the name of the trustees, and laid by against the outbreak of a fresh war. Mr W. H. Hall, one of the secretaries, suggests that the balance might appropriately be diverted to the relief of the Bufferers by the Bengal famine. We notice that in the Canterbury Provincial Council, the Hen. Mr Buckley has tabled a motion to the effect that a sum of L 450 be placed upon the supplementary estimates for the appointment of a Permanent Secretary for Education. Our Marsden correspondent writes the following notes :— The New River Kace Company are now working between the old Limestone township and the gorge at Mca Flat. The difficulties attending the construction of this race are somewhat considerable just here, owing to the limestone rock which protrudes, and the numerous little embrasures in the surface which have to be avoided. There are now only a few chains to be completed to the spot where the fluming has to be commenced across the gorge. This will be a heavy piece of work, and will consequently be very expensive. It has not yet been determined whether the old survey will be followed on the tramway side of tho gorge, or a new one made, for as the line is now laid off it traverses a very broken country, besides being a very circuitous route. It is contemplated, if practicable, to tunnel through the range from Moa Flat to the Marsden side, which will shorten the distance, aud sara a considerable loss of fall, which is of the greatest consideration. The population at the Limestone has greatly decreased during tho last eighteen .months, owing entiroly to <

there being no properly constructed track by which provisions coul cl be taken. This particular part is alone adapted for puddling machino3, and the cost of packing provendetf for horses has been so very great, that it is utterly impossible to work them to advantage under piesent circumstances. At one time there were four machines at work, and there is no doubt that.if horses could be kept for a reasonable cost, that the whole of the clay in this part will be put through the puddling machines. If a population is to be maintained here, it is indispensible for a track to be made. There has been no change amongst the miners on the Saddle lately. Their labors are entirely controlled by the weather, and the more rain there is the better it suits them. The ground lies . so high that after a few days dry weather there is hardly a drop of water to be found so that advantage has to be taken of the water as it falls. Were it not for the long droughts that take place, everything would be more satisfactory, far it is unpleasant to be forced to be idle against one's will for the want of water. The Tuapeka Thirties says :— " The existence of payable ground in the deep ground at thp Blue Spur is now proved beyond a doubt. The fact of dirt averaging loz sdwts to the the ton having been found extending over an area of ground that will take years to work out, owing to the ground being leased in large block claims, would in many places create a little excitement, in fact such a discovery at a distance would inevitably cause a rush." In the Resident Magistrate's Court, Hokitika, on Tuesday, William Alexander was charged with having stolen L 53, the property of Mrs Moyes, of Okarito. Mr Commissioner James said that he would ask for a remand, but to justify it might state a few facts that led to the prisoner's arrest. Prisoner had been in the habit of visiting Mrs Moyes's house, indeed he might say of sleeping there, and when the money was missed he was suspected. On going on board the Waipara to come up to Hokitika the Sergeant in charge searched him, but found merely a Government cheque for L 4, which he said was all the money he was possessed of. On reaching Hokitika, Detective Browne, by his (Mr James's) directions, searched!, the prisoner again, and found on him three L 5 notes and L 26 in other money. One of the L 5 notes was marked peculiarly with red ink, and it was probable that it could be identified. It had been sent down to Okarito for identification if possible, but in the meantime, as the mail could not return till Friday or Saturday next he asked for a remand for a week. Mr Purkiss, who appeared for the accused did not object to the remand, but asked that the previous bail should be extended, prisoner in L5O and two sureties in L 25 each. The police offered no objection and the bail was agreed to. The experiment of opening the Christchurch Museum on Sunday for three hours, in conformity with the resolution arrived at by the Board of Governors, was tried on the 14th instant, for the first time, and judging from the unprecedently large attendance of visitors must be regarded as a success. About 3000 visitors, belonging to all classes of the community, attended, and, notwithstanding the great crowd and crush, it is satisfactory to be able to record that the utmost order and decorum prevailed— there not being the slightest style of rowdyism. About three o'clock the building was so crowded that many were unable to obtain admission, and had to return, whilst inside the crush was so great that it was almost impossible to move about. Numerous visitors were present from Lyttelton and neighboring districts, and all seemed pleased at having an opportunity — to many of them the first — of examining the various articles collected. Otago Daily Times says :_'< The real risk is in the system of land purchasing *™™ - under Governmont rlirep.H"-. xc is pretty well known that in order to save competition in dealing with the Maoris, the Government have authorised their agents to buy for those of the land speculators who opposition they regard as likely to be formidable. The modus operandi is a purchase of the whole block by Government, and a subsequent transfer from them of certain portions agreed upon beforehand. .Incredible as this may seem, there is good ground for believing it true. The effect is doubly injurious. It arouses the suspicion and hostility of the tribes, and may incite them against us when they find their market closed, and it throws large blooks into, the hands of speculators, to the injury of the Colony. Small bonajide buyers stand no chance. The last Native Lands Act closes the door against them, and against all but those who deal in large sums for purely speculative purposes, and who can therefore afford the delay inseparable from the present system. .Nor are there wanting rumors of favoritism, and of charges against those connected with the Land Purchase Department, as engaged in acquiring good blocks for their friends and through them for themselves."