THE Grey River Argus. PUBLISHED DAILY. WEDNESDAY, MAY 8, 1872.

Grey River Argus, Volume XII, Issue 1178, 8 May 1872, Page 2

THE Grey River Argus. PUBLISHED DAILY. WEDNESDAY, MAY 8, 1872.

It is by no means surprising that, though somewhat late in the day, the Hokitika people have at length woke up to the fact of the reefß of the Inangahua being valuable, and :>f the advantages to be derived from communication with their town and Reefton being as far as possible facilitated. We, yesterday, extracted a report from our Hokitika contemporary, by which it appeared that a deputation had waited on the County Chairman on the subject, had been graciously received, and as graciously dismissed. For. once in his official life Mr Lahman has been en accord with a deputation that has waited on him, and, no doubt, unbent considerably on such an auspicious occasion. Nobody can grumble at the Hokitikians wanting a road to Reefton. Such a desire is but natural, sinae at the present time the roads stretching out in different directions from our southern neighbor are not highways of commerce in the true sense, for they are nearly worthless as far as actual traffic is concerned. At the same time, the desired road, even if constructed, would very little aid them, and it is really surprising that a number of business men should have been foolish enough to wait on the Chairman on such a subject. In 'their earlier days they possibly cried for the moon in just as reasonable a fashion. They are about to convene meetings, arid our contemporary, the West Coast Times, in its usual lucid style, very properly says :— " We think that, prior to that meeting being held, it will be well to place before the public a clearer view of the question for consideration than is afforded by what took place at the interview which the deputation had with Mr Lahman." As far as we can form an opinion, we certainly concur in the remark. Our contemporary, quoting Mr Cassius, says :— " There are, as Mr Cassius stated, two wys of reaohing Reefton from Hokitika, both commencing at the junction of the Arahura road with the Christchurch road. Taking the one which was first referred to by Mr Cassius, it proceeds in a zig-zag course, by Stafford and Goldsboroughj^andj verges at Blackwater to Marsden?" In other words, there are more ways of killing a dog besides hanging him. There can be no doubt that the Maraden route is the proper route, and we only hope that our Southern friends will succeed in getting the break in the road made. Our contemporary proceeds to state that a road from that part to the Omotumotu Creek, about ten miles in extent, would have been made by the General Government, "but for the fact that the Greymouth people were divided in opinion as to whether the road from their town to Maraden should go by way of Sawyers' Creek,- or by way of the Omotumotu Creek. Of this division of opinion the General Government seem to have availed themselves as a ground for abandoning the making of the road altogether. " Our contemporary is most seriously in error in this particular, and it is equally untrue that the General Government availed themselves of the opportunity to abandon the road. The truth is that the General Government never knew anything about the road, so could scarcely seek to evade its construction. We most reluctantly correct the West Coast Times in further matters of fact, and in order to do so have again to quote him. He says that after a circuitous route of more than thirty-seven miles in extent, the line as suggested would reach a point on the road to Reefton, three miles distant from Greymouth. A kind of geographical fog then comes over our friend, for he next states that " Prom that point a road is being made, under Garven's contract, to the Coal-mine ; thence the road will proceed through the Ahaura and the Mia Mia to Reefton. This latter portion of the road has been surveyed by the Nelson Government, but no tenders for its construction have yet been called for. The line of road is close to the Grey River, and, like the Christ- \ church road, will be liable to be washed away on the occurrence of any flood, and would involve a heavy cost for maintenance. The other way from Hokitika to Reefton is from the thirty-second mile post on the Ohristchurch road, by way of Bell Hill and Napoleon's. This road would be easy of construction, and would open up communication with a large number of mining districts. From the Christchurch road to Bell Hill, two-thirds of the way is open ground, and the other third is a sideling, along which an excellent road could be made without any difficulty whatever. From Bell Hill to Napoleon's the construction of a road would be equally easy, and < so, also, thence to Reefton." On the principle that it is necessary to go from noire to learn news, we presume the Times aft* rds us the information contained in the opening sentence. We there learn that the road from the Mia Mia to Reefton has been surveyed by the Government. Considering that a contract for its construction has been entered into, such news may be considered somewhat stale ; but the next startling novelty in connection with it is that "it is close to the Grey River," &c, &c, «. likely to be washed away," &c, &c. Considering it w twenty or thirty miles distant from the Grey River, that statement is not bad on the part of our contemporary. It may be a point, and might have told under different geographical conditions, but on the present occasion could not do other than fail to tell. As a matter of consequence, the argument based on these somewhat unfortunately inaccurate premises as to

the advantages of a road that is not liable to be washed away, and is not subjected to the hypothetical dangers of the route in question is verily built on sand, and is equally veritably washed away by solid fact. We would not have taken the trouble to expose, the utter ignorance of our contemporary were it not that statements like these made by him are apt to mislead persons in authority at a distance, where they may be accepted as correct. We will quote one more illustration. We are told by the same paper that "little or nothing has yet been done by the Nelson Government towards connecting the Ahaura with Reefton." It is a great pity that some one connected with the journal in question has not thought fit to travel the road, and thereby prevent the paper frem rendering itself ridiculous. It is bad enough for a London paper to make Hokitika a suburb of Melbourne, or the Grey a river in South Australia ; but there is at least the excuse of distance in such cases. There is no doubt every reason for Hokitika to be joined to Reefton ; but that can best be done by uniting with Greymouth in getting the Marsden road made, and not dreaming foolishly about thirty-second mile posts and roads that will cost about as many or more thousands of pounds. There can be no objection whatever to Hokitika joining in any advantages that may be derivable by a continuous road ; but no useful end can be attained by hopeless theories or objectless deputations. In the completion of the Marsden road, or in any other work that can aid in connecting Westland with -Reefton, Hokitika will meet with the most hearty co-operation on the part of Greymouth. With hopeless and illusory schemes Greymouth will have nothing to do.