THE Grey River Argus PUBLISHED DAILY. THURSDAY, JANUARY 16, 1873.

Grey River Argus, Volume XII, Issue 1392, 16 January 1873, Page 2

THE Grey River Argus PUBLISHED DAILY. THURSDAY, JANUARY 16, 1873.

The frequent recurrence of interruptions to- talograpljio oonatnuxxioiktton lx>tw«»« the West Coast and other parts of th e Colony, suggests that some special effort should be made to prevent what is so great a source of inconvenience to the commercial community and to others. Any extraordinary atmospheric disturbance, such as we have experienced within the last few days, is usually accompanied by a break in the communication between Hokitika and Christchurch, and, without extraordinary precautions being taken, this is probably not to be wondered at. Out of the long line of telegraph wire suspended throu jhout the Colonies, there is, perhaps, no section so liable to accident as that which crosses the Southern Alps, both on account of its extreme altitude exposing it to high winds and sudden changes of temperature, and of its inaccessibility to the "lineman " on the occasions of floods. That consideration should of itself, however, dispose the Telegraphic Department to make their preparations for disaster, or their preparations for ready repairs as complete as- possible. To what extent such precautionary measures are taken we are not aware, but there remains the fact that the interruptions are frequent, and on a few occasions, prolonged, and the simplest suggestion that can occur to the uninitiated is that a greater number of linemen should be employed, so that as little time as possible may be occupied in repairs. It may be also that there are faults in the construction of the line which are remediable, and if they are so at anything short of an extravagant cost, the inter-

ests of the Coast and the Colony generally require that the remedy should be at once applied. One other proposal suggested, by the circumstances, and which, though not made for the first time, may now be made opportunely, is the construction of an alternative line — the construction of a Hue which, while serving district purposes, might be used in cases of extremity as the main line of the Colony, and might at all seasons be utilised for a portion of the general work of the Department. Such a line would be an extension of the existing Reefton line as far as the Lyel), and thence to Nelson, or, rather, to Foxhill or Richmand, as the nearest points of connection on the Blind Bay side of the ranges. At the time telegraphic communication was established between Greymouth and Wes'.port, it was proposed, for reasons similar to those which now exist, that an alternative lir.e for the use of the Colony should be made by an extension from Westport to Neleon, but the objections to the project which might ■then have been urged have since considerably diminished, and mainly through the construction of the line to Reefton The general, advantages to bo gained are these :— ln the event of a breakage between Hokitika and Christchurch" the West Coast stations would have another line of connection ; and again, in the i event of a breakage on the East Coast say at theKaikouras, where casualties were once pretty frequent— all the Southern provinces would have the alternative line to fall back upon for communication with Nelson and the whole North Island. It is not necessary, however, to elaborate

upon the advantages both to the public and to the Department which the existence of two lines, always or alternatively available, would involve. They must present themselves to anybody who will take the trouble to look, even with his " mind's eye," at the map of the Colony. The rare question to consider, beyond the certainty of advantages, is whether they are sufficiently great to warrant the expense. The Department might not, from a.purely financial view of the matter, consider that they would be so, but if the Department sustained as practically and fully as the public does, the disadvantages of interruption to telegraphic correspondence, a remedy for the present state of things would not be long postponed, even if the cost should be largely disproportionate to the probable profits.