MR. OURTIS'S VIEW 'OF THE REEFTON ROADS.

Grey River Argus, Volume XII, Issue 1282, 7 September 1872, Page 2

MR. OURTIS'S VIEW 'OF THE REEFTON ROADS.

, Mr Curtis, in ,his speech, .against the Ministry, and in support of Mr Stafford's resolutions, gave the jfollqwiag as his views i .on.iib^.^rey^alle^ road .:rr_. ; ;r... In this particular instance— the expen'ait'tire' on flie H SoutTi-Wesl; Gold' Fields— therewasa Bum; of iL24iooO,! diverted by the Act of this Housalast year . from that portion of the Middle Island Railway •fund wbich.iaccmes to the 'Province of 'Nelsdhv'for the "purpose of' niaking roads !( ttieSou;tht-Vyesl;"(^ld'Fields I f6rm part o£tn r a^#r6viri<Jii; t! w'itK ce'rtaiii cbfidi'tions thatit should be .executed within a certain.partof -the country, ilvvvas asked .'byJthe^onoiable^emberidrniy dpihion as to what was'the^Besf'Way'in'which^hat money could be~expended, and at the same timß'tneT KbnofSbK 1 member for Grey Valley, was )take.n<jinto .consultation, and we^all : agre i ey. i guat the first and most import'ant'thipg to Jlo was to .effeqt a.comimiinicaMon^eween%Tie, r newiy.^isc6yered reefs in Inangahua "and ihe ports of Westport or Greytrioath. The Provincial :. Go vernmen'tr had, previously had an estimatetrnstde, shOvsihg that/ a sum of L 16,000 , wOjUldtbercq^ui^ed^to effect. this purpose, 'wh J icTß^£6if^;pr^n|^a^/eyents, would be a " sufficient expenditure. I recotn--1 meridea^tfiaf :! tTie ; 'wdrks } Bljould be: '^dbne ■ itnraediately^^and"' I r also 'recommended that, as there would be a sum 'of about LBOOO left, L6OOO ;of it should be expended in ,<tne/*.^g]^r part of the Buller River,-:J.n r ojglp^g up a considerable quantity^'of^Jaw for settlement, and also in opening- up; a.large amount of auriferous country. That part o! the request the honorable member did not agree to. I understood personally he was g^ng to do so, but he asked me to submit thg,pr9posal ; in 'writing, and I did so, but it wasnot carried but, and the whole of the money was spent upon ' the ; one work connecting these reefs with the t^rp P^rts. "ifow, jp maintap that' was an j^dnecessary and precipitate expenditure, as" it .would have. been quite, sufficient; for present, requirements to make a full and ■ complete communication between 1 these reefs, and one port until we know more ab.but them than we do now. The people inianicl in that part of the country would think themselves exceedingly fortunate. J| tqry conneptiQU w}th; one port .withqqt expecting to be connected with two a.t same time, however much it migl^t happen to please two honorable members. \n fJu^ House, : ,The whole of tfre moiiey i^ Qqq, sequently being spent; and the wdriss are progressing, although not with so much rapidity* as 1 should ! like^ I have endeavored in. every way to expedite them, and I belteve ifc ; was ujpori my representation '■' that a considerable amount* of formality ; jwasr done away with. The Provincial Engineer, whom the honorable member'; employed, and employs, was permitted to draw specifications without submitting them to the Engineer's offic> ift •WeilihgfohV That was done on my. special recommendation, and great delay"" was fKus' prevented "irhicji '-would'^ have other.wis.o- 'qqburr^d if the' s,^eplqoar t;6ris l^ad been s.e^t to Wellingtoh'^r'jj'iia approval of 'fihp' engineer, before adye^" tisements 1 could ! be inserted' oalling'fop tenders. In that respect also J must say the honorable member and his •subordinates have shovyn every disposition to accede to my suggestions in many particulars, and to. do, everything that would facilitate the carrying out of the work. Nevertheless, by attempting to carry out so many works at the same time in one district; the 1 price of labor has become considerably enhanced, and the 'lamnv out of L 24,000,. in .that place in a feA months h.as Xc& to a great "waMe of money through that increasSd,priceof kbor. In the • way I proposed' 1 ib -expend this L 24,000, L 16,000 of it wpuld have been laid out m forining a comommQfttiqn with, J3.M EM- leMi9sioe.oommunioa.tion with the other port, : atUl. available, however imperfeotly;'by 'ffi&W of water oarriage and waggons, for it is not necessary to fall back upon packing/ aa : is the ; case in many other parts^df^e 'dountryi '• r *'