THE Grey River Argus. PUBLISHED DAILY SATURDAY, OCTOBER 17, 1874.

Grey River Argus, Volume XV, Issue 1934, 17 October 1874, Page 2

THE Grey River Argus. PUBLISHED DAILY SATURDAY, OCTOBER 17, 1874.

Although the Greymouth Deputation which visited Wellington for the purpose of pressing upon the Government the urgent necessity of constructing permanent harbor works at this port might consider the assurances they received of the intentions of the Government satisfactory as far as they went, we do not think that they had much to be thankful for, nor have fche actions of the Government in the past in regard to the railway and river works betrayed that amount of energy and heartiness which, considering the importance of the industry they were designed to promote, might reasonably have been expected. All that the Government promised the Deputation was that the £10,000 voted during the last session would be expended upon a continuation of the stone embankment, and that their future actions would be guided by the experience of the effects which the work so far would have upon the entrance of the river. But nothing was elicited to show that the Government contemplated any such a scheme as that recommended by Mr Moriarty, or any other of the magnitude of that gentleman's design, further than that might be gathered from a remark by the Premier to the effect that it was not likely that the Government would allow the railway to become useless. This vague statement may be taken for what it is worth, but we fancy that had the Government any definite intention of constructing a breakwater something would have been done long ere this to extinguish the title of the occupants of that portion of the Native reserve from which the material for any extensive works must be obtained. Even if the rock were not immediately required, arrangements i could easily be made with the existing leaseholders to quit possession as soon as called upon to do so, they paying rent to Government meantime instead of to the Native Trust. It is in the nature of things that the longer this matter is delayed, the higher will be the compensation which the Government will have to ; pay. It was disappointing also that although probably £10,000 is as much as could profitably be expended during the nine months before the next session of Parliament, the Government did not ask for such' a sum as might be fairly supposed to cover the entire cost of future necessary works, spreading the expenditure, if need be, over a series of years. We believe that a proposal of this kind would have been carried by the House, for upon the question of developing the coal-fields of the Colony there is no difference of opinion, and all parties would view favorably any proposal to effect this object. The sum of £10,000, and a vague promise of more should it be required, do indeed seem paltry compared with the liberality of the Government in other matters. The preservation oi the forests and planting of others may be a useful measure, but it seems inconsistent that £30,000 a-year should be voted for ten years for an object which is certainly not immediately necessary, while one of the most important resources of the Colony should be treated with comparative apathy. Mr Yogel, referring to the employment of Mr Moriarty to report upon the port and the works required to make it accessible ' to large vessels, made use of the expression that " distant fields look green " — alluding to Mr Moriarty not being a New Zealand engineer; but the remark would apply far belter to his ambitious South Sea scheme, for the furtherance of which the Colony was asked to guarantee interest upon a million of money — making itself liable for some .£50,000 a-year. Another strange example of the Premier's disposition to do outside things and neglect those of immediate concern has been afforded by his having — after the session, and without any Parliamentary authority granted a loan of £5000 to an English Company, which has recently formed a

settlement in the Province of Wellington. When Parliament was asked to sanction the Public Works Scheme, it was regarded that one of the most important things to be undertaken was the construction of works to render available the vast coalfields of the Colony, and yet, since that time but little energy has been displayed in this direction. Look at the Brunner railway for instance, has there been any evidence of a desire to push on this line, which was the first of its kind authorised 1 Parliament has done its duty by voting the money, but the Government have certainly not done theirs. Had the Government gone into the matter with spirit, they would have attempted to lessen the delay occasioned by their own faults of design by offering a liberal bonus to the contractor for the completion of the line within a specified period. Take the case of the expenditure of the LI O,OOO voted last session, what has been done 1 Nothing; and yet surely it does not need two months to prepare plans and specifications for the simple work to which it is to be applied — our Town Surveyor would have provided them in a week, It cannot be too strongly impressed upon the Government that upon the improvement of the Grey bar, depends the development of the magnificent coal seams of this district, and the recent bad weather has proved most unmistakeably that without something in the nature of a breakwater to protect the entrance against a heavy S. W. sea there can be no dependence upon the port by large vessels. To our minds all political questions, sink into comparative insignificance to the iuhabifcants ot this district as compared with the question of improving the port, and there should be no relaxation of effort to obtain this desideratum. The present peddling policy of the Government in this matter is not satisfactory ; we ought to see something more calculated to assure us that the Government is in earnest. It is disgusting to see the vast quantities of coal which arrive week after week into this Colony from New South Wales, when we know that, with proper facilities, which could be provided at a reasonable cost, the Grey coal-fields could not only supply the wants of New Zealand but those of other places.