The Evening Herald. SATURDAY, SEPT. 4, 1869.

Wanganui Herald, Volume III, Issue 644, 4 September 1869, Page 2

The Evening Herald. SATURDAY, SEPT. 4, 1869.

Napier or Wanganui I —That is the question. It will be seen from an extract in another column that the gold mystery is unravelled, and that Napier is awake to all the advantages likely to accrue to her from the discovery of the precious metal, if she be active in turning the circumstances to account. No longer ago than'last night, the public prospecting committee met to decide upon future action, but its power is so limited, and hence the regults are ao hypothetical, that it would be better to say nothing of what it has don jat present. Action must be taken on a larger scale if we are to derive any advantage from the discovery of gold at Taupo. If Napier has the news, so should Wanganui, in order that she may be prepared for the future—for the race which will exist between the nearest port on the East Coast, and the nearest on the West Coast, to the auriferous locality. Napier is "up in arms" on this question, and is talking of forming a prospecting company, and we may rest assured that the moment the goldfield is known, a rush will set in from Napier. The road is known and there is a half-way house between Napier and Taupo, from which our own prospecting party had to draw provisions. Now^ there is no road, properly speaking, from Wanganui, which places us at a disadvantage that would be fatal to the precedence we should try to obtain over Napier. There is a track by the Rangitikei river, by which the river has to be crossed more than six times. The difficulty of this route, then, at once presents itself. It is possible to go up the Wanganui riyer to Ranana, and strike off into bush country, and ultimately, after surmounting native and natural obstacles, to reach the goal; and it is even possible to get to the place from the Wairarapa. Thpre is another route that demands more attention than any we have referred to. We are informed that there is a track whie^'^.^wnmences a little above Mr E^ou^'dy's public house, leading straight through to Taupo. By this way there is only one hill of any difficulty to cross, and the track leads through comparatively level country. There is a settler in the district who has gone by this way to Taupo, and found it by far the best track of any. The next consideration is to make this passable if a rush took place. We think that a deputation should be appointed to wait upon the Superintendent to ascertain what action the

Provincial Government would' take in bringing the port of,v?Wanganui into communication with Taupo. He will, no doubt, do everything possible for his own Province, but there should be some exertion on the part of those most directly 'interested. We are supposing that a "payable gold field be discovered; but we should be prepared for such a result, or action would be too late when Napier got the lead. A prospecting company might be formed; and still the East Coast would reap the benefit, if direct and easy communication be not established. We would just suggest that the owners of property in Wanganui should wake from that dreamy composure in which they have for so long a time indulged, and determine upon some plan that could immediately be put into operation. Whatever Captain McDonnell may have discovered, we believe he is sanguine that a payable and rich gold field exists; but he has to gain further information. He will shortly return to Taupo with Mr Brechin, who is an experienced prospector, when more demonstrative proof will probably be obtained. We repeat that the first and most important of all considerations is a road, and Wanganui should at once place itself in communication with the Provincial Government on the subject.