THE Grey River Argus. PUBLISHED DAILY. WEDNESDAY, JULY 3, 1872.

Grey River Argus, Volume XII, Issue 1226, 3 July 1872, Page 2

THE Grey River Argus. PUBLISHED DAILY. WEDNESDAY, JULY 3, 1872.

As a sequel to some remarks which were yesterday made in these columns, on the subject of what is commonly spoken of as the Amuri road, and on the subject of the construction of the Grey mouth and Brunnerton railway, we had intended to-day to have referred to a proposition which has been recently made regarding the formation of a through line of rail from the west to the east coast of the Middle Island by the only ascertained available route, the Ahaora Saddle. It was our intention to have argued, if argument is in the remotest degree necesBary, that, instead of the Nelson Government adopting at this late date the expedient of constructing a competitive line of tramway to the Coal Mine, they should rather lend their assistance to promote the local and general wish that the line of railway proposed by the General Government should as soon as possible be carried out. And, as additional reasons to those which already exist in favor of this undertaking, we proposed referring to a project which has recently been started — that of constructing, not only a road, but a railway, towards or from the Amuri district and the Northern territory of the Canterbury Province. As will be seen by our telegrams, we have been anticipated in this intention by the same, subject being mooted elsewhere. Our telegram emanates from Wellington, but we presume that it refers to the propositions of an Amuri or Canterbury settler, Mr Tinline, who, foreseeing the importance of the Inangahua district as a market for the abundant supplies available on the East Coast, has been diligent in agitating the project of connecting the eastern and western seaboards by a line of rail. We have not noticed whether that gentleman has put his ideas in print and before the public, but we are aware that in Nelson he represented to members for the district the feasibility and advantages of the scheme, and the propriety of the General Government recognisuig its importance, and including it in the general scheme of railway construction throughout the Colony. To those acquainted with the country through which it is proposed this line should pas?, to tlurae familiar with the extent of the trade which is even at present carried on by sea carriage betw.en the east and west coasts of the island, and to those who are aware of the value of the Inangahua district as a goldfield, the project is one which must present itself as an. enterprise which would, even now, be profitable, and which

will, in a very short time, force itself upon the attention of the Legislature as a work of primary importance. Considerable doubt has been felt, even in Greymouth, as to the propriety of the choice of the south side of the Grey for the formation of the Brunnerton line, and one ground for this feeling has been the apparent improbability of the line becoming, except at a very distant date, a section of any general railway scheme. The Inangahua discoveries go a long way towards romoving these doubts, and wo may safely anticipate that the scheme which is now mooted will not only be favorably considered on its own merits, but that its initiation and agitation will have some substantial effect in prompting the Government to proceed speedily and reliantly with the Greymouth and Brunnerton portion of the line. Apropos of that particular piece of railway, it will be seen from our telegrams that the representative of the district has had an interview with the Ministry on, the subject of its construction, and that the Ministry give promise of action as soon as the survey plans are completed. It was the common understanding that these plans were by this time perfect, and this understanding was corroborated by telegrams which were received in Nelson by Mr Guinness from the Minister of Public Works in the Middlo Island. It was, indeed, understood, if not actually stated, that the plans were ready for submission to Mr Brogden, and that the acceptance or non-acceptance of his tender was all that intervened between the immediate undertaking of the Work. It would now appear that the survey plans are not yet perfected, but there is little, doubt that what they lack of perfection will soon be supplied, if its supply be dependent upon the energy and activity of our District Engineer.