GOVERNMENT ROADS AND GOVERNMENT WATER SUPPLY.

West Coast Times, Issue 1005, 11 December 1868, Page 2

GOVERNMENT ROADS AND GOVERNMENT WATER SUPPLY.

To the Editor of the Went Coast Times and

Observer^

Sir— Four out of five candidates for" seats^ in the County Council to represent Ilokitika have »iven expression to their views on questions supposed to be of importance to the people of WesUand. However, I think it is matter for regret that they seem to {attach more importance, oft the one hand to the discovery of" the faults and shortcomings of 1 the previous Government ; aud on the other, to the necessity of putting themselves right with regard to - past actions, rather than to giving an intelligent exposition of how they will legislate, in the future, for the people of Westland, aud what they really mean by their : popular cries of retrenchment and develop- : ment of resources. Most people, who take . the trouble to think at all about politics, have been, and are, painfully aware of what might be called " Westlaud night* mare," or the Canterbury incubus, under which we have been groaning, and which we are now endeavoring to shake off; and, as there is a fair prospect of getting pretty well clear of it altogether very soon, I think this fighting over the dead past is only designed to throw political dust in our eyes, and trying to blind us to what is, in reality, the only question of vital interest to vs — viz., the best method of assisting and fostering our only industry — Goldmining. The whole of the candi- [ dates recognise the importance of main roads ; but their ideas are so vague and misty on the matter that it would be hard to pin them down to any defined scheme, and, with one exception, they seem to think the question of water supply of very trifling importance ; in fact, quite to small a matter for Government to notice. Of course, I do not for a moment suppose that gentlemen who claim to be politicians, that they can be ignorant of the fact that the Governments of India, Victoria, and many European States, have not thought it out of their province to initiate and carry out immense water works for irrigation and gold-mining ; but more to the fact, that they may have studied John S. Mill too much, and colonial politics too little. At any rate, they don't seem to be sufficiently up in mining matters to know that the water power running to waste on the Coast, if properly managed, would very soon double the returns, and increase our returns indefinitely. There are a few facts connected with water supply that may or may not be generally known. In the first place, on this coast they would be reproductive, and . directly so ; whereas roads give no direct return, as witness the Christchurch road, costing £'6800 per annum to keep in repairs, revenue nil. Had the same amount of money been spent on a water supply at that time. ■ both principle and interest would have been paid now. "When will the Christchurclb^| road be able to pay even a tithe ™ of the interest and expenses falling due on it ? Some of our candidates think that main roads are our most pressing necessit}- ; but let him ask the diggers whtther they would not sooner have tho means of getting the gold than fine roads to travel on. Large works, such as required for this place, cannot be carried out by private enterprise, consequently it is the duty of the Government to step in and carry them through ; and when it can be shown that every head of water will sell at from £3 to H6 per head per week, and employ fr:>m live to twenty men. nothing should be left undone to enable the diggers to obtain the treasures that lie buried in our mountains and terraces. I could see some sense in making roads, before anythiug else, were we engaged in copper, coal, or iron mining ; then, roads should be our first consideration, to enable us to bring our goods to market; but, as we produce nothing but gold, the digger will tell you that the difficulty is nor to get it to market, but the absence of the proper appliances foy

obtaining it, and the beat, the cheapest and most effective is water, as applied in hydraulic mining. I trust, therefore, that the gentleman returned to represent us in the Council will see the necessity of first giving us the means of becoming possessed of handsome equipages, betSFe they build roa'As to run them on. In conclusion, I would say, let all the surplus revenue be spent on a water supply, and if you have not enough, borrow more, as it will pay itself in less than five years. 1 am, Sir, Yoursj &c:, . AQUARIUS.