THE Grey River Argus. SATURDAY, MAY 19, 1866.

Grey River Argus, Issue 55, 19 May 1866, Page 2

THE Grey River Argus. SATURDAY, MAY 19, 1866.

We cannot well conceive a measure more calculated to develop the rich mineral resources pf the couutiy between /the Grey and Nelson than the proposed railway, resolutions in favor .of which have iately been passed by the Provincial Council of Nelson. Nearly the whole territory in the south-west and western divisions of the Nelson Province is, excepting in our own immediate district, an almost unknown and unvisited solitude. But enough is known of thegeojsgy of the country to warrant the conviction that those dark ranges of frowning mpuntains which appear to forbid the advance of man, contain incalculable mineral wealth. The opinion of the most eminent geologists who have studied the formation of this portion of the Cplopy, points to the mountainous regions of Western Nelson as the source from which great mineral wealth may be expected to be obtained, We are already made aware of ,the existence of some of the most valuable of minerals and metals. In this dreary looking country gold, coal, iron, and copper are known to exist in quantity. The heaviest specimens of the precious metal ever found in" NeAv Zealand were discovered in--^ie Buller aud it . its tributaries. Coal pf a very superior quality is found in abundance in several places, the seams being as rich as any in the world. Copper, iron, and other metals have been occasionally detected under circumstances warranting the belief that defined lodes exist. But the whole of this vast mineral wealth is almost sealed up by the absence of means of communication. Gold, it is true, is obtained in more or less quantity by the adventurous miners who have penetrated the fastnesses of the country, but it is procured with so much difficulty and at so much cost as to be generally speaking unprofitable. The magnificent seams of coal are com-pai-atively neglected, and must remain so until until the country is opened up by roads. Now it has been proved pver and over that of all roads a railroad is the best and most economical, particularly in such a country as that of which we are now writing.. Modern engineering science has surmounted what were once considered insuperable obstacles to railway communication. The locomotive is now made to traverse the sides of the highest hills, with as much ease and safety as on the level plain, and railways are constructed at a much less cost than the macadamised road. The idea of making a railway through the seuth-westem territery pf Nelson is a perfectly feasible' one, and there is no reason tp doubt that the line could be constructed without much •diniculty. What the effect would be on the whple pf this portion of the colony, if railway communication with Nelson were established, it - is not difficult to forsee. It, would be the means of developing a district which abounds in mineral wealth exceeding that of any other part of the colony ; it would cheapen the cost of supplies, and thus remove the greatest discourage, ments the miners have to meet in prospecting the country. It' woiild convey our coal, our copper, and other minerals to ports of shipment Qr places of manufacture, and the whole region would become a scene of thriving industry. This picture is not an overdrawn one> it is only what has followed the establishment of railways in other countries, and is the natural ceiisequence. pf improved means of communicatipn. We trust the Nelsen Gpvernment will riot allow the reselutions of the Council to fall to the ground, although, as we have before said, we doubt if the capital necessary for the construction of the proposed line can be raised by the mode mentioned. Still, the Government should at once place itself in a position to ascertain if Australian or other capitalists will undertake the construction of the line on the terms proposed ; or, if npt, on what other conditions they would do sp. It is very- desirable that there sheuld be as little delay as possible in the miatter, for public attention has been aroused to the subject, and it will no doubt have received consideration in Australia.