THE Grey River Argus. PUBLISHED DAILY. TUESDAY, FEBRUARY 11, 1873.

Grey River Argus, Volume XII, Issue 1420, 18 February 1873, Page 2

THE Grey River Argus. PUBLISHED DAILY. TUESDAY, FEBRUARY 11, 1873.

Locally the railway question, and generally the coal question, are at present of paramount importance, and, at the risk of repeating references to these subjects, we record what, according to latest information, is being done in connection with both. Yesterday, and in connection with the subject of the Grey Valley Railway, we published two telegrams, one of which — a reply from the Hon. John Hall to a query from the Mayor of Greymouth — vas certainly calculated to make all but extremely incredulous persons sanguine that the commencement of the construction of the work would soon be an accomplished fact. This feeling should be strengthened by the contents of a third telegram which was received yesterday by the Mayor from the Premier of the Colony, Mr Waterhouse. It was to this effect : — " Mr Hall has sent ma your telegram forwarded to him at Christchurch. Government are taking steps for immediate prosecution of railway. Mr Brogden's tender is expected in a few days. In accordance with agreement, should it not be reasonable, the work will be thrown open to public competition." These repeated assurances cannot be otherwise than satisfactory, as, indeed, have been all the proceeding of the General Government in a matter which, for the Bake of every interest, had better have been exclusively in their hands. On the principle that it is unwise to utter sounds of rejoicing before one is " out of the wood," it is, however, well to remember that there is yet an unfortunately necessary preliminary to be arranged. According to Mr Hall's telegram, the agreement between the General

Government and the Superintendent of Nelson was only "about to be forwarded" to the latter " for signature," and according to a late telegram, the aforesaid latter was about to depart from Nelson for the West Coast. To say the least, wiih a knowledge of all that has gone before, this is an exceedingly inconvenient circumstance, and the only hope must be that ib may not prove to be one of those many slips which proverbially happen between cup and lip. The Superintendent would at the present moment contribute considerably more to the interests of his Province by continuing for a little time longer in his favorite seclusion than by all that he can achieve by another of his Quixotic missions to the Coast. Should he have resolved to remain in Nelson until" this document come forward for his signature he would deserve the credit of having combinod discretion with duty. Should it prove that he has departed on this last one of his wonderful travek, people might be tempted to quote tho amusingly forcible language of the Wellington Independent, when, in referring to the same subject, it says : — " O for a good old irresponsible tyrant for a few months, who would kick into the outer darkness he so well deserves to be in, the Superintendent of Nelson !" Though in a local point of view subordinate to the subject of the railway, the question of supplying the colonial market with coal continues to excite attention in nearly every community. In almost every paper included in our files are contained paragraphs describing the dearth of coal, and reporting steps taken with the purpose of obtaining sufficient supplies. From Christen urch there has been a numerourly and infiuentiallysigned memorial forwarded to the General Government, asking for aid in developing the mines at the Malvern Hills. In Wellington, the project of instituting a Grey Coal-field Mining Company is not allowed to sleep. Further meetings of the projectors have been held, and shares in the Company, it is stated, are being rapidly taken up. In Nelson the matter is made the subject of remark in the several papers— as usual, not without some eccentricity of opinion. For the second time the Examiner makes some comparisons which the facts do not warrant, as to the Grey and Ngakawha coal, and as to the facilities for its conveyance to market ; while the Colonist says :— "The question of coal supply is assuming a serious aspect, the 'strike' at Newcastle not having yet been disposed of, as some ot the malcontents are interfering with and obstructing those who are engaged in loading the vessels which are waiting for cargoes, and . a most unsatisfactory prospect for tho coming winter will be presented unless the state of affairs is soon amended and the miners return to work. Latest advices say that Lambton's were auctioned at Sydney at 30s per ton, and at Wellington, in this Colony, coals are at present selling at L 3 10s per ton. As the matter above referred to materially affects the New Zealand taarket, the sooner the complication is removed the better. Our supply from the Grey being confined to the cargoes brought by the local steamers (which meet with considerable detention), and although with this source of supply open to us, we are not likely to run short, prices are not encouraging for the approaching winter. The works for the Brunner mine railway will, no doubt, be speedily commenced, as late telegrams announce that the proposals for its construction are settled between the Provincial and General Governments, and the plant for the line is believed to be on its way from England. As soon as the vast coal deposits on the Grey and Buller rivers are properly developed and expeditiously and cheaply worked, New Zealand's dependence on New South Wales for a supply will for ever be done away with," Naturally the eager interest taken in this commercial question will be considerably allayed by the knowledge of the fact that some of the Newcastle coal companies had resumed work, but that the interest so far has notbeensmall issufficiently indicated by numerous announcements in contemporaries. As briefly put in one paragraph, " Victorian men and Victorian ships are out in search of coal on al] the likely spots on the Australian continent and in Tasmania." At the date of this the coal supply in Melbourne amounted to 4000 tons, exclusive of the stocks of the Melbourne Gas Companies, who had from three to six weeks' supply. The prices for steamers were from 60s to 65s per ton, and for ordinary use from 72s 6d to 75s per ton. A number of engineers were using wood, and would do so until the price is reduced to 30s. From seventy to eighty vessels were lying idle at Newcastle. Writing of this state of things, the Argils in a recent number said : — "We learn that in consequence of the scarcity of coal at this port, Mr William Howard Smith has determined to despatch tho s.s. Dandenong to Hobart Town on Monday for a cargo of Seymour coal. This coal is spoken highly of, and there are other deposits in Tasmania that would be worked if a sufficient inducement were held out. If the Dandenong has to make | many voyages to Hobart Town, owinj* to the impossibility of procuring coal at Newcastle, her owners might consider it as well to keep her in the trade altogether. We may be sure that others will follow Mr Smith's example, and perhaps, when the miners graciously give their consent to a resumption of work, they will find the trade diminished and unable to give employment to the same number of hands as formerly. But Tasmania is not the only place with collieries that can come to our assistance. New Zealand has also large coal measures, and with water carriage, a little extra distance is of hardly any importance." Altogether a very lively anxiety has, throughout the Colonies as at H,ome, been aroused as to the conditiou of the coal market, and if advantage be not taken of the present opportunity to direct prominent attention to the vastness and quality of the coalfields on the West Coast, neither our Governments nor our business men will de3erve much credit for foresight or for proper appreciation of the valvie of the one feature which, above all others, entitles New Zealand to be distinguished as the Britain of the South.