THE Grey River Argus. TUESDAY, APRIL 27, 1869.

Grey River Argus, Volume VII, Issue 512, 27 April 1869, Page 2

THE Grey River Argus. TUESDAY, APRIL 27, 1869.

So long ago that we had almost forgotten the circumstance, we considered it a public duty to urge upon those who had charge of the mail steamers to use every exertion in facilitating the despatch of these vessels, so lhat, at the next meeting of the Assembly, the argument might not be used against the present postal arrangements that the steamers were unnecessarily delayed on the coast. The remarks then made were for the sole purpose of induciug our neighbors in Hokitika to co-opeiate with this port for the purpose named, but, as usual, our remarks have been misconstrued. It may suit the " West Coast Times" to misunderstand us, or to misrepresent our views in its columns ; but it cannot refute the facts we theu advanced. All that we then argued for was co-operation, in order to secure a continuance of the direct mail service • and in order to secure that amount of consideration which this port deserves, we found it necessary to state certain incontrovertible facts, and to diawcompaiisons, perhaps not at all favorable to the IJokitika bar. While we adhere to these statements in their entirety, and are prepared to prove them ff need be, notwithstanding the denials of our cou r temporary, we carefully refrain from any attempt at exaggeration of them for the ulterior benefit of this port at the cost of Hokitika. The " head and front of our offending" appears, to be that we stated the fact that the Qvey bar was very frequently workable wK'e the Hokitika one was closed, aud the

steamers were frequently detained there for days without being tendered, while the passeugers could have been lander! easily' at Greymouth. In reply to th's, the " West Coast Times" lias dragged in the name of Mr J. White, late agent for the Panama Company, a geutlemau directly interested in contradicting pur statements, who statps that they are " entirely without foundation j that he made, a practice, whenever any pf the late Panama Company's steamers could not be tendered here, to telegraph to the agent at Greymouth to know if she could be tendered there; that the answer in the affirmative has been ex. ceedingly rare ; and that it was acted upon whenever practicable." This is very plausible, and without entering into details of the cases to which we referred, we have the best possible grouuds for statiug that during last winter, while the Hokitika bar was silted up, the steamers were detained there so long as fine weather lasted, aud they were only sent up here to be tendered when rough weather set in. In addition to this the steamers were detained at Hokitika until tide-time, and it was seen that it was impossible for the tug to get out ; then a telegraphic message was sent here to know if they could be tendered, but as a rule it was too late on the tide before the vessels could reach the roadstead. But to leave the steamers, we have only to turn to the recoi'd of the locg series of detentions I which sailing vessels have suffered in the Hokitika roadstead to prove the superiority of the one port over the other, and that it is not a fact, as stated by our contemporary, that "the rule holds good, that when the one bar is unworkable, so also is the other." The natural formation of the two rivers prevents this, and the admissions of our centemporary prove that it is not so. During the last eighteen months the Hokitika bar has very frequently been unworkable, owing to its silting up and shifting propensities j but during that period the Grey bar has uniformly been in good condition, unworkable only in very rough weather ; and the channel has remained stationary, with never less than ten feet of water on it, and more frequently fifteen or sixteen feet. These explanations have been forced from us by the gross misrepresentation of facts which appeared in our contemporary's issue of Saturday. We are glad to find that, after all, the importance of tlvs port is admitted, and that all we asked in the article which gave rise to so much iudignation has been conceded. We simply asked that in cases where the mail steamers could not te tendered on arrival at Hokitika, they should be immediately dispatched for Greymouth, and we are happy to find, according to our contemporary, that iv future "when the mail steamer arrives, and we (Hokitika) caunot tender her, and Greymouth can, she will be promptly dispatched there." We trust this arrangement will be faithfully carried out, and if so, our neighbors may rely upon the hearty cooperation of the residents in Greymouth to give the vessels speedy dispa+ch.