Poverty Bay Herald AND EAST COAST NEWS LETTER. PUBLISHED EVERY EVENING.

Poverty Bay Herald, Volume X, Issue 2028, 18 September 1883, Page 2

Poverty Bay Herald AND EAST COAST NEWS LETTER. PUBLISHED EVERY EVENING.

GISBOUNL: TUESDAY, SEPTEMBER 18, 1883. COMMUNICATION WITH TOLOGA BAY.

The advisability of establishing telegraphic or telephonic communication between Gisborne and Tologa Bay has been urged upon the Government so far without avail. Many good and sound reasons have been given in support of the boon asked, some of the enterprising settlers of Tologa Bay going to the extent of guaranteeing the Government fi\'<: per cent, on the cost of erection, a rate at which we understand they are at any time willing to erect lines, and we would ask why not in this case '! It cannot be urged that tho line would be non-productive, as we feel assured that within twelve mouths it would be as remunerative as any Hue in the colony. The whole of the East Coast comprised within our County is fast becoming settled by men of capital and energy, and the time is nut far distant when the town of Tologa will be as marked for its rapid progress as our own town of Gisborne. Tologa Bay has at the present time a European population of upwards of 150 and about 1,000 natives, and is the nearest medium of communication with the outer world for ove ■ 2,000 other Europeans and natives resident along the East Coast line as far as the East Cape, all of whom would largely contribute to the revenue by use or the line if erected. The serious effect of want of speedy communication with the Coast district is felt hy busiuess men, tho present means of travelling over bad roads on the most trivial matter, being a great drawback to enterprise. The estimated cost of erecting a telephone line is about £2,000, being at the rate of £80 per mile. Tho total distance to Tologa by coast is 3b" miles, which could be shortened by 10 miles by running the line across the Kaiti, through the Pouawa, thence to the Coast at or near Whangara, and thence by tho P-ikarae to Tologa Bay. By this route no difficulty would be found in laying the posts, as it would be almost parallel with the Coast line, Mx. Bold, the Inspector of Telegraphs, is fully alive to the importance of the line, and has favorably reported npon it, both upon the petition sent through the County Council by Councillor Allanach, and upon the representations of the Tologa settlers, to whom a reply is published in our correspondence columns. Taking the reply at its usual value as an official intimation of the Government's present intention, we think the matter worthy of being taken up by our Councils and business men — more particularly the latter, who should place themselves in close communication with the Coast settlers, iv order to retain the business in Gi«borne houses, instead of allowing its being diverted to Auckland, as it is a well known fact that nearly all the supplies of the East Coaat are derived from that city.