The Westport Times AND CHARLESTON ARGUS. FRIDAY, OCTOBER 16, 1868.

Westport Times, Volume III, Issue 378, 16 October 1868, Page 2

The Westport Times AND CHARLESTON ARGUS. FRIDAY, OCTOBER 16, 1868.

The ]ate, or the present, we might almost say, incursion of* the river on the township, is the most serious matter that the residents have had to deal with for some time. It is no uncotnmon occurrence for a fresh to rise in the Buller, and, though the maximum of freshes has been reached, and the " oldest inhabitants " have given their verdict to that effect, nothing more than a passing wonder need be elicited, if nothing special attended the visitation. Unfortunately, however, for the peace and well-being of the Westporttiau, some very particular and very unpleasant reminders have attached themselves to the last calamity. It is possible that washing away the wharves and the facetiously styled river bank protection might have been endured with some sort of philosophy, provided there was a paternal government at hand ready to make good the disaster. On the contrary, the paternal authority created an inadequate defence, which has swum out to sea, and then turns round and tells us that it can do no more for us, and it so becomes a problem rather hard for us to solve what is best to do. The West Coast has no authority of its own. We can scarcely say that it shines by borrowed light, but it is very certain that either it or the other side of the province does. Either the South-west goldfields supply oil to the Nelson lamb, by which' it burns so brightly on the Nelson side, furnishes combustion to which it owes its brilliancy. It is hardly necessary to say from which source the light is supplied, but at the same time it is rather unfair that one portion of the province should furnish the supplies and the other side obtain the benefitTo drop metaphor, it is clearly rather hard that the South West goldfields, should provide so large a proportion of

the Nelson revenue, and then be cut off, if not exactly with a shilling, with at least half the income derived from them. It will he said possibly by the Nelson people, that the full amount derived from the goldfields has been spent upon them, and to a great extent we admit it* but on the other hand, we would remind those relying on such assertion, that this was in the early days of the gold discoveries. As a matter of course, where everything has to be carved out of a new and untried country, large expenses are entailed before the government machinery is fairly in operation. Roads have to be made, streets have to be formed, tracks have to be cut, public buildings have to be erected, magistrates and other officers have to be appointed, and a host of expenses have to be encountered. It is just like a firm going into business, when a large draft is necessary on their capital, but which, after the first outlay, gives a proportionate return. The West Coast outlay has been large we admit, but theincome, strange to say, has met even the preliminary expenses of the venture, and every month has added to the certainty of the profits. A better piece of property than the South, West goldfields are to Nelson, could with difficulty be found, and as such, it is worth the while of the Nelson authorities, not to let it slip out of their bands. The expense has been gone to, the results are now being obtained, and if at such a juncture, the West Coast is neglected, it serves the people very well right who put up with the neglect. We refer to the stoppage of public works generally, but particularly to the present condition of the river bank. We may hug ourselves as much as we please with a belief that the worst is past, and that as the river has taken away a few huudred yards of solid ground, it will not repeat its pranks or do worse, but such fools' heaven is not to be enjoyed by sensible men. There is not the slightest doubt, if matters remain as they are, that the water will eat out the Buiier bank, and that as at Hokitika, a very large amount of property must of necessity be sacrificed, and the end of the destruction be unknown. Let any one now look at the river bank, examine closely the " bite" that has been taken out, the loose nature of the soil that it is composed of, and then reflect what damage the next fresh is likely to occasion. This is the season for freshes, through melted snow and heavy rains, and for the next three months we may look for river floods of greater or less magnitude. What damage, even ruin, they may cause, if things are left as at present, is a matter for grave consideration. Without exaggeration, as the river course is at present, the Empire Hotel and all nearer the river, or in that direction, is threatened, and a new course will afford its outlet to the sea. The Neb on Government say that they have no money, when it is very obvious that some thousands are required to save a large portion of Westport from destruction. There are these alternatives. Either the money must be found and the bank protected, or the impending destruction must take place, and a slice of the town be swept away. It is scarcely worth while to enquire which of the two we should prefer, but it will only be by active exertion that the necessary funds can be procured. The late works, for we unfortunately have to speak of them in the past tense, were begun, as we have heard it phrased at the loof instead of at the foundation; whether that be the case or not, is not for us to say, but at least they have met with an early end, and have been cut off, not in their prime, but before they had attained their majority. By some means or other the town must be preserved, whether the Nelson treasury possesses funds or not. It is for the Progress Committee to take the subject up, in all the earnestness that it demands.