The Westport Times AND CHARLESTON ARGUS. TUESDAY, JANUARY 14, 1868.

Westport Times, Volume 1, Issue 142, 14 January 1868, Page 2

The Westport Times AND CHARLESTON ARGUS. TUESDAY, JANUARY 14, 1868.

It is the fate of all new townships in a mining community to be overdone at the commencement, and as a matter of course a corresponding amount of depression takes place till things have reached their proper level, and then, and not till then, do they begin to mend. This has been the case with Westport, and hence the cry of universal depression which has prevailed, but we believe it has seen the worst of its days. Prom every quarter the signs of improvement are visible, and in a short time we expect to see "Westport established on a firmer basis than ever. Every day brings good news from the mining districts, and were the weather anything favorable a larger population would find employment in this district than on any other portion of the Coast. As soon as one of the reefs in the "Waimongoroa district commences crushing, other companies wall put themselves in operation, and the scene now so quiet will be as busy as Charleston with the sound of stampers and the other implements of quartz-crushing machinery. From Caledonia, the news is better than was ever anticipated, while its capabilities to support a large population will soon be fully tested, and the miners are very sanguine about it, as every hole that has been sunk as yet has bottommed on payable gold ; an the only drawback will be in the case of landslips. We believe, from all accounts, that this will prove the most remunerative goldfield of the West Coast, and in the place of hundreds, it will employ thousands of miners, as the leads have been traced for a longdistance. Mokihinui, in spite of the present dull appearance of the place, I

will yet turn out a payable diggings, and we hail with pleasure the opening up of the coalfields in this direction, and from the quality of that at present in town, we helieve it will prove a substantial source of revenue to this port. "With regard to Addison's Plat, we can only say, that if Ave had a few months' fine weather, it would be more flourishing than ever it was. The gold is there beyond a douht, but it is impossible to obtain ib without going to some expense for pumping machinery. The miners have at last seen the necessity of united action in the matter, and have cut a storm channel in. the hope of carrying off some of the surplus water caused by the heavy downfall of rain. They evidently have faith in its future, and there is scarcely a miner who does not believe in its capability of supporting a large population. Erom up the Buller River, we every now and then hear of miners doing well, but owing to the difficulty of penetration, it is almost a terra incognita to the great majority of the mining community. Therefore, taking all things into consideration, we have every reason to prophecy a great future for "Westport for some years to come. But there is one thing we must urge, and that is the necessity of making good roads, for at present the various routes to the diggings are all but impassable. At the ensuing elections the desirability of advocating the formation of roads should be urged upon all the candidates who may come forward to seek the suffrages at the elections.