THE. Grey River Argus. PUBLISHED DAILY. SATURDAY, MARCH 2, 1872.

Grey River Argus, Volume XII, Issue 1122, 2 March 1872, Page 2

THE. Grey River Argus. PUBLISHED DAILY. SATURDAY, MARCH 2, 1872.

The West Coa3t appears to have been particularly favored with visits from members of the General Government this summer. No sooner had we interviewed and disposed of a Premier, to the entire satisfaction of all concerned, than a Minister of Public Works and a Gold Fields Secretary look in upon us, and again the deputation arrangement has to be reported, and the residents have cause to be thankful that on each of these occasions nothing but good has been promised and no evil has been even hinted at as regards our material progress as a community. How far these promises, which are so fair to listen to, may be carried into effect, we are bound to judge by the positive assurances we have received and by the surrounding ciicumstances which come to our knowledge from other sources. From what has been said by the Premier and by the Minister of Public Woks, the audacious attempt of the Superintendent of Nelson t^» abstract £6000 from the South-west Gold Fields share of the Middle Island Railway Fund, in order tc expend it in the Upper Buller, for the imaginary purpose of connecting the Nelson agricultural districts with the Gold Fields, has been frustrated in a manner he never expected, and the residents in the Grey and Buller Districts receive the repeated assurances of all the members of the Government who have personally visited these districts that the whole of the available funds will be expended immediately in connecting the two ports with the Inangahua by means of main roads, that the works will be pushed on without delay, and that the two main roads will be opened for traffic before winter seta in. Had the LGOOO we have so frequently had occasion of late to refer to been deducted, the roads could not have been finished, as the sum at the disposal of the General Government is limited; and there is no doubt that but for the knowledge personally acquired during the present visits of the members of the Government, the recommendation of the Superintendent of Nelson would have been given effect to, and the next would have been that as the money remaining was insufficient to complete the roads on both sides of the Saddle, the one from Weslport to the reefs should be proceeded with, and the other to wait for the next meeting of the Assembly. Happily this has been avoided, and the eyes of several members of the Government have bpon opened to the " little tricks" of his "littlo Honor," and we may rest assured that when he again boasts in the House of his 500 miles of roads and tracks he had caused to be made on the South-Wesi Gold Fields, the lion, gentlemen who are now visiting these districts on a tour of inspection, will relate their experiences, and tell whether the representations of Mr Curtis, or those of the Press, which he so much maligned, were the most truthful. However, it is satisfactory to find that the road from the Little Grey Junction to Reefton is to be made forthwith, and that the recently-discovered short track will

be chosen. Instructions have been given to Mr Surveyor Dobson to press ou the work on this side of the Saddle, and we have no doubt that it will soon be completed, as we have the assuiance of the Minister of Public Works that the total cost of the roads on both sides of the Saddle will cost within the £24,000 which represents Nelson's share of the Railway Fund applicable to this purpose. The deputation touched upon a number of subjects of interest to the residents here, all of which we do not intend to refer to. But towards the close of the proceedings, he as well as told the gentlemen present that unless they were a very exacting race they ought to be very thankful that the Government was acting in such a liberal spirit towards their town, but he appeared to forget that it was only in one matter— the protective works — that the Government wasj acting in a liberal spirit towards the residents here. In common with our neighbors we feel grateful for the prompt manner in which the members of the General Government came to our rescue, and commenced works which we have reason to bclievo will ultimately save the town from future inundations, and there is every reason to be satisfied with the • arrangement which was yesterday come to between the Government and the Borough Council, whereby the former agreed to advance an additional £4000 on the security of the Borough rates and the Coal Reserve which was recently made over by the County Council, in order to carry the embankment as far down as 'Johnston street. But Mr Reeves appeared to forgot that beyond this there ; was very little cause for thankfulness. The main road from Hokitika, as he told us, is for the present, to terminate at Marsden, and this is what we get of the ,£45,000 spent on main roads in Westland. The main road up the Grey Valley is to be made, but this is only the Gold Fields bare share of the Railway Fund. We are also congratulated upon the prospect of having a railway made to the Brunner Coal Mine ; bnt even supposing it i 3 made we have nothing to be very thankful for. It will only be a fraction of the district's share of the loan, the interest and principal of which .we shall have to contribute as well as the more favored portions of the Colony through which railways are now in actual course of construction, and where there is nothing to warrant their formation. But hore where there is an enormous traffic actually waiting on the railway, where its construction will immensely benefit not only the district but the whole Colony, nothing is yet done but talk, and we are told to bo thankful. Well, we will be so if we see something done after the visit of the Minister of Public Works, but not until then. We recently received a bundle of Government papers with respect to railways and tramways to be constructed in both islands, but there was no mention of the Brnnner line, and after the manner in which the district has so long been neglected it is scarcely to be expected that tho residents should feel thankful until they sec the railway works actually commenced.