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Grey River Argus, Volume XII, Issue 1244, 25 July 1872, Page 2

The destruction of a portion of Greymouth at one fell swoop, by the great flood of February last, was recognised locally and throughout the Colony as a great disaster, and wonderful was the sympathy with the Bufferers. It happens that a sister town has suffered infinitely more ; month after month, for year after year, the news has come that Westport is being washed away; yet the interest taken in the inhabitants is in inverse r.itio to the extent of their losses. In Grey month the very suddenness of the calamity may be said, paradoxical as it may sound, to have Ik en a gain to the losers. . In Westport the losses sustained have been ten-fold greater, but there has been ao constant a repetition of such

scenes as we witnessed^ and wpudered at here on the Oth'of'Fetiruaty'th^t thijy are almost accepted 'even *by to*e local population as a permanent institution— as %9hi;oniccharacteiMti|b,of the pj^ace., TThiss s 'disposition to be dilatory in rectifying matters, by organising measures for removal to a permanent town site, partook more of the character of an . enforced misfortune than a fault. For two sessions the.Provincial Council of Nelsoffj was immovable. They could see nothing .special^n^^e^.TO see nqthing in the appeals of the people but claims for compensation — and would not see anything but a parallel between a farmer losing a small slice of river-bank from his broad acres and the Pacific Ocean swallowing up a whole township, great part of which had been purchased at a high premium or was held under a heavy rental. Last session a change came o'er the spirit of the Council, and ready assent was given to the propositions of a committee who took some trouble in endeavoring to meet' the exigencies of the situation. In accordance with that committee's recommendations, a commissioner was lately authorised to proceed to Westport, and to allocate, according to what was conceived to be the fairest system attainable, the unoccupied portions of the township among those who were already owners or occupiers of business sites. How far the discharge of his duty, or the plan on which it was based, may have satisfied the inhabitants We are unable to say. Some degree' of dissatisfaction was inevitable, but it is to be hoped that that will be reduced to the utmost by the Government putting a still more liberal construction upon the recommendations of the committee than they seem to have done—by, in the first place, forming as promptly as possible the streets in the new town site, and granting the right of occupation to those compelled or willing to ! remove, without asking for consideration of any kind in the shape of rental for, at least, the first twelve months. From the accounts received yesterday it will alfco, apparently; be absolutely necessary for the Governments, General and Provincial, to remove their buildings to i the new township without further dillydallying and delay. According to the reports of yesterday, what was once the, principal street of the torn is now, alone; its whole length, the ocean beach, only a small block of buildings on the landward! side of the street remaining as a relic of the once respectable array of structures. Among the buildings demolished there are— Empire Hotel No. 2, occupied by Messrs Tonks and Hughes, Clarkns Hotel, the drapery establishments ot' Messrs Whyte and Pirie, and of Messrs Graves and Fleming, the boot shops" of Mr Mailler and Mr Simpson, Mr Horn's tobacconist's store, and others of inferior value. The extent of the encroach- 1 ment of the sea will be best estimated by those acquainted with the locality when" it is stated that the waves washed right into the bar of Gilmer's Hotel and surrounded the Custom House. On the: river side of the town, Roche's Hotel, Kennedy street, had also to be removed ; and with no apparent abatement in the prevailing weather, it is to be feared that the worst is not yet come. In this continuance of the calamitous course of events with which the business people of Westport have had to contend, we are certain they will not, fail to have (the the sympathy of the inhabitants of Grey-j mouth. It is only to be hopod that it is the last of a " wretched past" in the, history of the settlement of the locality, and that it will be the means of at once' deciding the Government and the popula-j tion as to the site of the town for the future.