THE GREY VALLEY.

Grey River Argus, Volume XII, Issue 1160, 17 April 1872, Page 2

THE GREY VALLEY.

Local Improvements. (from our own correspondent.) The most noticeable sign, of the new life and bustle caused by the great traffic through the Grey district in consequence of the rush to the Ihangahuayis : the, impetus given to building and improvements "of every description. To begin at v 'the further end, Mfesrs Casoli and Dolp have erected a* comfortable and commodious roadside accommodation house, and receiving " store, at the entrance to the pakihi just before the Saddle Bush is reached, and a little, farther, on than the Mia Mia. A't'the 'Mia 'Mia/ Messrs Devefy, Cdokraffd \ Ow"ens;"naveDmlf a comfortable housed 'atflthe site of the old Mia Mia shanty. They have also erected roomy-receiving stores <and stables, jaecessary for the carrying on of their extensive business as carrying and forwarding agents. Lower, down at Square Town, as the place is called where the new road over the Saddle from Reef ton* 'wiir'^join the plains, a new township is being built. Messrs Henry Magill, Michael D'Arcy, Kittelty and Chesterman, and other firms are erecting suitably premises ih'.^which to carry on their several' businesses. 1 N/earer the Junction Messrs Ferguson ' and M'Hardy purpose greatly enlarging .their house at the Mawnere-Iti Station. /This being thereat depot- for ,the^immense quantities of merchandise" continually being forwarded to the Inangahua, the requirements of the largely- increased business rendered accommodation both in -the house and out premises necessary.' At the Ikamatua, just above the Junction, the Messrs -O'Malley-have- altered^and improved thejr iahre'ady extensive premises. At ihe township at the Junction Of the Little arid Main Grey Rifjefs, Messrs James M'lnroe and George. Barman haye '■ each erected hotels, which for ...the. extent andcharacter of the accommodation cannot be surpassed on the West Cqasfc. . M'lnroe's i^ a; large ( -.two-storied house, and has' an imposing appearance as it is approached from .the , Tqta"ra;/3ide' 'of "the' Grey'' River. The lowerrVpari of l the^building. ;- cQntains.,_besidesuthe , ,bar, -a well-stocked , retail store,, as, ..well as a roomy receiving 'store, arid attached to the house is a well-kept kitchen garden.; 'Bannori's Hotel is of / one st&rey," builtlin the old-fashioned substantial style of the orthodox couritry • inn, but : with Vall ; 'the! modern improvements and conveniences. On the premises ;are, a saddler's, wheelwright's and blacksmith's shops, and to both hotels belongs extensive ranges of -stablingt"~"At— the^-Ferry^on- - the- Main' Grey Messrs /yiplich.and.' Sacconi have rebuilt the' old hotel' and placed a safe; ferryboat on the river. , Considerabtejim-i provements have jbeen^ made . invthej dwelling-houses in the farming districtTof: Totara Flat..,. :: Mr .Michael Savage has erected a now . six-roomed. jhouse at his ; home farnS. Mr James i Mar^hftllpf Bfalf-i Ounce is' building. a new, hotel opposite Lardi's, arid .the .Messrs St'Kiniay haye) erected a neat cottage on ;their jjand, just; .offthe- main-road..- Messra-Doolen -ami; Deare have jjist finished; $he building of a : hand some J* *d .welling - house, on _ iheiri farm, besides erecting. commodious <,bairi arid dairy buildings. r Besides the! fen-! larged accommodation required by' the increasing traffic f it Ahaura, the starting of Reid's saw. in\ll, and the consequent: great reduction in. the price of lumber,! has been the', means of .starting building operations in and ■ about the 1 town.' Mr William ' Day has-^biiilt a new ottago near tho bridge orossing Orwell Creek.

I Mr Jacob Barnes is erecting an extensive ' brewery and cordial manufactory at Gasworks Flat. Messrs Hamilton and Gilmer are extending their already commodious stabling accommodation by the addition of ten stalls, with a double storey front to ,Pifttt» quarters, loose boxes, and hayloft. Tfie Union, {latCJthe /Royal } Hpteljoaf the corner of Clifton road and Camp street, dias»been almost entirely^arebuiltwalßit-djff-decorated. Mr,,jj;. ;]), Pinkerton has erected a fine 'raugeTof stables on the old site in Camp street. The Raildßg"i|i^ft long by 33ft wide^withj 12ft walls, and a single span of '^obf Adhere will be an ornamental facade* entrance, with, a commodious courtyard from Camp street. There" is -a ' passage '•'sixteen' f/fet . wide through the stalls] in'the^Wdy ■•-of the f : building. ! -','-• Galleries «also Tun round the' interior 'of' the building and over the stalls and loose-boxes are extensive forage, lofts. „ The . whole ,has^ been built with strict regard, to drainage and ventilation, and form a creditable additib'n ,to ; the. street architecture of ithe .town. The education establishment-inlconnection .with the Roman Catholic , Churchr is^ajn proaching completion.',! The', contract time has expired, Kut the delay has.been caused owing to t the' difficulty of getting timber at the saw-mill. The low price "charged for lumber— : l2s per 100 ft, at, the. mill— has been the means of deluging Mr Rej.d with orders from parties upland down the river. The contract for alterations in $ie present Police Camp, .', with additional -. mess -and sleeping looms, r. has -, bseujtet, and the work must; ;be proceeded! witfeat once. The several road contracts are ?being pushed on vigorously. Messrs White and Garth's contract for cutting ; downMhe hill at the entrance to the town from the boat landing, and at the one nearPothan's Hotel are nearly finished; The gradients are qnite easy now, and drays' and waggons, fully loaded, can be taken over them, with the ordinary horse power;.-]lt is expected that -in consequence) of tha removal of these hills the Ahaura will shortly become the terminus? ofitheiupriver boat traffic. -Merchandise can be more cheaply forwarded into the ulterior and to Reeftoii by land carriage' fromftnis pdint,' in consequence of the v difficult navigation of the Grey River fcbin its confluence with the .Ahaura upwards. It conld be easily^sho^n^ that the New Ahaura, from. th|^i|iLt[ral advantages of its position, ii^eMnM*to become the .leading town of the West CoastiL^lfUs the only town on the South-West (fold Fields, with ; the exception of Charleston, out of reach of danger from floods ; it is in. the. centre of a -rich mineral and agricultaraPdistrict, and within 'ten niiles : of all the leading mining towns except Reefton.: - The construction; of >a railway would bring Ahaura ; within one hour's journey, or thereabouts, of the seaport, and when (that is done;: Greymouth itself will have to look to its laurels. All; this may appear, visionary to ; those . old fogies who imagine the .centre pf the earth's gravity exists in the latitude and longitude of the .city of Nelson .j.but tinder a progressive' Government'- 'this district would forge ahead so rapidly, having such great advantages, that the aforesaid old duffers would be compelled to admit, as the sameclas3 hashad to admit elsewhere, that "these d-^-^;innoyaKotfsV|ir, although they have no respect "for the established: order of things, are ? very energetic, very energetic, sir." ,. ...... :r /aw - vi v A few weeks agoa number : of the carriers and others who use the Saddle road, subscribed about L 25,! to be expended in bettering the condition. The money was well laid out by Messrs Cwioliattd Lynch, the contractors, but it didnotgo far enough to do much "good. Mr Mirfin, the overseer of works then, put men on, ; and they have made' considerable improvement on the worst parts of the track, but unless men are kept constantly at .work on it, until the new road by O'Malley and Jenkins's route is completed, already spent will be so much thrown away. There are on an average fifty loaded horses' pa&iflg along the track everyday. In one -lay last week ininetjj with full loads, went pver.it, and ihe importance of this enormous traffic requires that 'some attention .shpuld be paid to .the. road, go that a means of communication witV the Inangahua : may be kept 'opeii' until r tSe new road is made. There appears to be something foggy about. the contract for making the seveti or eight miles of road^ from the Old Man'.s,. to Reefton,, ? jtfr^ Reeves said when. [fie. } visited Reefton that' the' district' Engineer promised* to have it made by the middle of May, so that there is .pnly.ajaonth left, to.com-'pleteitr^-it h&£npt been begun yet. ,:\TKe depth of winder, with bad -. weather : . and short days, will be on us presently, and road-makihg;^!]!' then be doubly tedious add expensive. It is.prop^o^ed.duripgjjie "next sessipn of . Provincial Council ' td ' bring' *We*" .cake... of Messrs , O'Malley and Jenkin3 , before the House. There is no dovibt these explorers aW entitled to some recognition of their services in discovering the new- and short road between the Grey and the Inangahua rivers, v /.It is f . true \ that ' 'the- existence of a short -route over the dividing; range was; known *yeairs- ago, but O'Malley and Jenkins first to make known the' practicability ; of; utilising "itfpr f jile purposes -of "g^Her^ iralS^UlliKis was done at great hardshipand, expense to themselves, and seeing %&t welt^discovery has saved.' the country six or seven thousand pounds in roadmaking i^alone, they are equitably tdeservingi of some- remuneration. Neither should the inhabitants of Greymouth and the Grey Valley forget that the opening of ? this new route places them at a great advantage, compared with the residents 6f all other, parts of the Coast, with respect to the trade,aud ; traflic "of jthe Inangahua and^ Murray ; Creekjiatidit is to be hoped the c)aibi of Messrs O'Malley and Jenk^s >for compensation will be , recbgnisißd and "sup- ; ported./ .;,' ,\ ;. r^,j> v.j, :Vv-v.«, f , • A request will be forwarded to Nelsoli this week from the residents- of Ahaura, asking that the land in the township'taiiy be sold;- It is tiin'e this was d6ne, fdr the present uncertainty is materjally affecting the, "progress o£ the 1 place. V No occupier of a sectibn cares about building oh or improvingit,*-becauaehis~littlirtßrit^ffiay be upsgt,,at. any. mojment,, $&> the roost frivolous" pretext,^lo'tong -«vi' the land is jundorithe* operation; of. the Gold Fields Regulations. Under any other Government but that of Nelsoh the land in this town wonld have been sold four years • : ago;- .■■=••;•: ■•>'•'• r - r ■ „ ;-^'Jxr-y ; ', r ; . The clearing of ' the telegraph line from the Arnold to Ahaura will open up the country along the : cpurjsej' and we may expect to hear of sonio gold bearing patches of ground being discovered. The

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country between No Town and Nelson Creek, in the direction the line will take, has never been prospected with any system, although good prospects have now anb^ again been found. It has heretofore been almost inaccessable, because the kind is very swampy between the river and the ranges, and it was very difficult to get provisions or tools into it. Between Nelson Creek and Ahaura several thousand acres of good lightly timbered agricultural land will be thrown open, and no doubt it will all be taken up, being so close to good markets for produce. The money from the sale of this laud alone would go far towards making the road from Ahaura to the Arnold, and for very shame sake the Nelson authorities cannot delay the commencement of this road much longer.