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Grey River Argus, Volume XII, Issue 1145, 30 March 1872, Page 2

It is very far from our wish to incite anythiug other than a spirit of pure commercial rivalry between the ports of .Westport and Greymouth for the supply

of the Inangahua District. The competition is a fair arid honorable one, and one from which the district itself will largely benefit, while it will naturally be an immense benefit to both of the competing ports. It has been pretty well demonstrated of late that in order to keep the large population now in the Inangahua district supplied with provisions, all the competing energy of the two ports is requisite. Still, a considerable amount of misapprehension regarding the quantity of goods sent up to the Inangahua Reef 3 from Greymouth and Westport comparatively seems to exist in both towns, but mostly so in the latter, if we are to judge from the tone of the press there. In order to disabuse the minds of those among us who are always seeing trade leaving the town, we mean simply to shew what is doing here, as compiled from the up-river boatmen's returns furnished to us by themselves. Yesterday week, the 23rd instant, 32 tons left Greymouth for Reefton, and up to yesterday morning other 70 tons have left. This is altogether independent of our ordinary ; up-river trade, of which the demand has j been between 40 and 50 tons, independent of extra sources of which we have Ino knowledge, .and which would most [ assuredly swell this amount to a much larger extent. Through the columns 01 the Westport Times we also hear of mammoth cargo-boats being built there, and when uninitiated readers Bee^ the statements made they are apt to infer that not only is Greymouth far behind their rivals for this trade in this particular, but that the Buller River is incomparably superior to the Grey as a carrying medium. This, in both instances, we are ready to dispute. Our cargo-boats carrying from five to six and a half tons (and under extraordinary circumstances even more) can .leave Greymouth in the morning and discharge all their cargo at the Junction the following day, almost always without unloading. Sometimes, as during the recent drought, the state of the river does compel them to discharge a portion of their cargo at Antonio's Flat. Even thatjean be delivered at the Junction the same day, while the cargoboat returns to Greymouth that night to load for the following morning's trip. Some cargo-boats from here are at present making four trips per week. Three boats up to Thursday night (then again loading) had made three trips each, and we will not b^ surprised if they do not add two . more to their returns for the week. On the Buller, however, as soon as a six or eight- ton boat goes up to the landing, half her cargo has to be discharged and taken up tbe Inangahua on a second trip ; and yet their larger boats, mammoth as they are called, do not make more than one trip per week. In fact, the grumblers of this town, who never see good in the present, need not despair, as for one ton of goods supplied to Reefton from Westport, we believe Greymouth supplies four. This fact speaks for itself, and should strongly encourage the exertions of those who advocated the making of the road from the Junction, and also from the Arnold River to the Ahaura. When with a bad road we can supply such a very large proportion of the stores needed, what will we be able to do upon a good road. Wo are informed to-day by one of the leading morohautfl jn town that there is not boat accommodation to convey half the gopds ordered from here for the Reefton requirements, and it is therefore the more necessary that the roads should be pushed on with the utmost activity ore the whiter months set in, so that the inconveniences experienced last winter may be avoided.