THE MAIN ROAD.

Grey River Argus, Volume XI, Issue 967, 1 September 1871, Page 2

THE MAIN ROAD.

riighfc-oii£o*f the noisiest meetings * ever held in Greymouth was held at the Town Hall to take into consideration the advisability of recommending the Govern- , n^u$ rt io .canstr^ from Marsden to Greymouth instead of r "~"~ making it by way df Omotumotu. Creek, j , - / His Worship the Mayor having taken . thap(Ghair r -read - the^ advertisement rodn*"**~« vening'the meeting, and.caUtscLJipon the County Chairman, who was present, to address the meeting, and explain the difference in the contemplated routes: ; * Some in;terruption>waß caused by Mr Johnston, i. who wished to know why wthe;^ County Chairman had, written a letter to / ; Mayor, asking which route was preferable, instead of acting on Dr. Knight's report *>•' '^ 5? -The County Chairman said hn only reason for writing the letter was an en-' -A'U. deavor on his part to get the opinion of his' constituents, who were most interested, en the beat route for the main trunk line, The road via the Omotumotu Creek would -„.■; cost about. L 13,500, and extend over a- tl distance of twelve and a half miles, while the route via Tainui street Would be about ; '■ L3OOO cheaper. There were, he might: say, .two routes starting from Tairirii •» •'' street, one of which ran parallel with the ; '' "tramway as. far as the Saltwater, and * thenJbranched off" to Mars<Jeny while' the v . „' btqerj struck ont from Sawyer's Creek to! & '.'', the Limestone, and joined Mr Kdnnecly's, trahiway. What he wished to know wasj which was, the most desirable. As for him- . . self t -he ha'djalways been in favor of .the „; line" via the Omotumotu Creek as beinff _J, the most advantageous to the interests of the town of Greymouth. They were well aware that Mr Guinness, one of the representatives for Greymouth; *-ia the County Council, hadr' BripceeS^ 1 after a deal of opposition, m'^iUixi^m dray road passed in the County Council „. from the x Arnold to the On>6tnmofti, ..' } which, he believed, would be carrieii* out. . At_all events, if that was' not !'d6tfe,^a*. T horie-track would be made. 'ThW'wpaM " ' be comparatively useless if the road iroui the Omoturaotu Greek to Greymouth was •v*< k ... nbt *n)ade. The road by the way of Onot^ *- tumotu Creek was, no doubt, the moat expensive one, but stifl he .tHopght, if • ' ', constructed, it would best serve the ini 31 : terests of the district. ' ; - ' > =T?^ :? rj Mr Johnston still persisted in asking : '' the [reason why Mr Lahman 'wrote f tnfe - ! { > letter -to the; Mayor! He thonghi that ' ? the County Chairman was not justified In " <! differing from Dr Knight. Various speakers here endeavored to ~ address the meetingj ■ amdiig* whom ? was Mr Coe, who did so in language mor9 forcible than' polite. Order being gpme« r T what.restored — .-ha-ly:--?. 'Mr Lahjman explained that he had nothing tio do with Dr- Knight or his : : report: He would riot act in the ; matter ' oh his own account, but preferred leaving it to his constituents. He had, been; asked to have the Toad changed, and 'that ' '" was the reason why Jie submitted the . matter to ' the ' meetirisr. No letter hacl /,' '. . . been received' froiri Wellington by him ' •'.;' relative to any sent by Mr Kilgour. After some further discussion, ' Mr Guinness wished to know if Uhe route was changed if it wottl^Bwfl(e| any difference as to the construcfion'oTa road by the General Govern inent. ! The County Chairman thought it was very probable. The General Government had stopped the making of the road from Stafford Town to the Kanieri, in conse- • quence of representations made to them. V • Mr HAMtLibN wished' to know, in tne event of a road being constructed alongside the tramway, whether compensation ' ;- would have to be given to the tramway proprietors? , ■ The Coonty Chairman would not li6e ir to answer the question whether he sujh ■„. posed they would have some claim. It ' was a matter that would require settlement in a court of law. They certainly .. would have an equitable claim. Mr Guinness asked if Dr. Knight, had . ■not based his report upon the representations of the late County Engineer; Mr «Jj. Y.^O'Connor? ""'-":, 7 . The County Chairman replied that Dr. , ; Knight was governed by Mr O'Connpr'3 •report, and also by the fact that Marsden ' was connected with; tramways to Grey- „ month by one route. „;■ / : ■ Mr Guinness understood that if an • ; alteration ytis made in the route, the most difficult piece of work in the County, viz.^ from Omotumotu .Creek ,W : Clreyr.->.£...; -, mouth, would not be undertaken by the County Council.'.

The County Chairman explained that * ; - the road from Greymouth to Omotumotu Creek would cost L 2500 or^ L3OOO, and. ? the County Council were not in; funds to' ■■> undertake the work. He: looked upbn'the ' * inhabitants of the main street as the prin- : - ; ; ,dpai persons in Greymouth, and corisi? ■ " dereel that if the road was brought in by ;r! J any other way except the Omotumotu Creek it would be detrimental to their interests. Propef ty would aepreciat^'attd^' * the Gyvemmont^ Township' wonl^alsb '■ ::1 suifer. - ; . \ „ . , r Mr Moore asked the County Chairman ' which road would, moat r affect mining in.-- v ? terests. wa3 the" mining community, and notf Ihe property holders, that had to be considered. The County Chairman considered that a «T the mining interest would best be served by the road via the Omotumotu Creek. It would bring Greymouth in close com-'* munication with the New River, tracks could be made to diggings already in existence, and new ground might be opened up, which was' one of the objects of the proposed road. Mr Hamilton then moved— "That in • • the opinion of this meeting it will be most conducive to the interests of the district " for the General Government to construct the proposed main'rdadby way of Oinotti- * < >' motu Creek, from Marsden to > Grey- - mouth, as, recommended in Dr Knight a report, and gazetted by the' 'Govern- • ment, and that the County Chairman ■.'-.• be requeatejd to recommend ifche same;" . He thought, in the first place, tEat if it was. carried, they would get two miles of road made over^ther worst plart of ihe country/ In the seebnd placed if they ** altered the route from Dr Knight's recommendation, they might lose it alt<v ; . gether; thing 'wasy ; they wtjuld ' '' y be thrown into connection with Hokitika. , If tlie roSd ran alongside the tramway," . those tramways would have td' be pjir- ' chapel, or the owners, compensated. l?he, > , tramways supplied the wants of the Beach district,, and therefore the road was not so . ■■ « much required, while if carried, via Omo • • tumqtu; Creek it -would open np new country, and promote settlement' ; !^1 r ' < • . Mr Johnton seconded the motion. - : ■ : Mr Kiloour wished it to be understood that, without supporting either route,

should the-tramway interest -be -in jured by the opening up of the Omotnmotu road, the tramway .proprietors would expect compensation, and to which they would be entitled. Mr Guinness urged \ipoh the 'meeting to support the motion, and renewed at some length the arguments that had been adduced in its favor. Mr Woolcock having also supported the motion, it was carried, and the meeting separated.