THE Grey River Argus. PUBLISHED DAILY. FRIDAY, JULY 18, 1573.

Grey River Argus, Volume XIII, Issue 1545, 18 July 1873, Page 2

THE Grey River Argus. PUBLISHED DAILY. FRIDA Y, JULY 18, 1573.

It was quite <o be expected that a movement would be. made in Otago in the ' direction' of objecting to the arrangements of the Postmaster-General .according to which : Hokitika was < appointed the first port of call for the Melbourne steamers carrying the. Suez mails. That Province has, from the early days of the Colony, been foremost or alone in the matter of mail steamer subsidies,' arid its/commercial eminence almost entitles it to special consideration. It WBS no. surprise, therefore, to find that in the Provincial Council a motion had been tabled , to the effect that the contract with Messrs M'Meckan, ! ißlackwood, and Co. was unsatisfactory in an Otago point of view, and that a line of mail steamers by way of the Bluff was to- be preferred., There are sound reasons, however — and reasons which are by no means of a local character —for hoping that the, Government will not depart from its present plan, and that they will pursue it until it is proved to be a source of exceptional inconvenience and disadvantage to that or any other important division of the Colony. If they do so pursue it, there is every probability of a practical experience of the plan chosen proving it to be the best for the general interests of the : Colony that, the Government could have possibly selected. By making. Hokitika the first place of call, the connection between Victoria' and: the ~ Colony must always be closer, with regard totime, than by the selection of any other port, and the general 'distribution of the mails north and south will be. effected with greater expedition than by any other arrangement which has hitherto been . adopted. In consideration of these two facts, in addition to the: importance of-lpcal interests,itwould seem to be ; perfectly compatible with i the, duties ppsf s the County Council ,that they should: pass a: resolution on the subject, and more particularly may this be done' since the Otago Council have 4akenthe ! initiative, 1 and since there is not r bh the West Coast such a body as a Chamber of Commerce, to whose reconv: mendatioos in such matters attention is generally and yeiy properly paid. Should this be done, it wili undoubtedly be sustained by the action of the public in other part* ;pf :, the Cplpny outside of Qtagpi ancl it is to be expected that at least a I fair trial to the. experiment will be given before it is completely condemned. ....-, . ■ :., ' .•" In connection with this subject, there is one consideration which, no matter which route may be chosen, is not uuin- ' teresting to Greymonth, and that is the choice of a port likely to, be made :by the > steamship company for coaling .purposes. The two places which have; hitherto been patronised as coaling ports are Wellington and Port- Chalmers, and, so long as our supplies are received from Newcastle; there may be good grounds for a continuance of the present' practice. In view of the supply of coal which is available within the Colony, and especially of the' proximity of Nelson to Greymouth, where, the principal supply is at present obtained, it becomes, , however, a fair question whether the former port might not. . be judiciously selected as " the, port at which the steamers should ship their supplies/ i! Of course, the com-: pany know their own business best, anfl no newspaper suggestions are likely tointerfere with the; knowledge ! gained by: practical experience! still;- there seems to be some propriety, in a suggestion made by the Nelson Mail, and more cogent reasons, than; i*hat which our contemporary, .quotes r might be given, for the selection of that port as a coal ; depot. According 'to the ideas of. the Matt, ; "iNow; is ; the; time for an effort! to make Nelson the. coaling station of the' Melbourne: boats., The Ngakawhao coal, than which none more suitable for steam purposesexists, can be landed mbreeasily and more cheaply in Nelson ; than: in any •■ other of the New Zealand ports, but steamers, are almost as much creatures of habit as are , men, and once let these Melbourne boats, after the establishment of: a regular subsidised service, get into the way ; of', going on to. Wellington to obtain their supply of fue), and it will be found that the head-quarters of the Albion Coal Company will be permanently fixed on the northern side of the Straits instead of in Blind Bay, which is far better fitted by its geographical position to become the chief coaling station for the mail steamers both on;tteir outward and inward voyages. Nature has favored us in this respect, and the General Government, has been compelled to acknowledge that this is the most convenient spot in )j the' Colony for the distribution , of ;,the mails. . Alittle push, on the part of bur mercantile men

will make it the coaling port forM'Meckan and Co.'s steamers, and although this in itself may not be a matter of such great •importance, it would be a great step in 'the.Jdirection of securing the principal portion of the trade of the Albion Company." As we have said, there are more substantial reasons for what is urged in these sentences than the mere consideration of the prosperity of Nekon or the promotion of any one particular company. A coal supply from Greymouth is at present readily available, and by the establishment of a regular line of colliers between this port and Nelson, a supply might be obtained more easily than in any other situation in the Colony. The suggestion is, therefore, at least worthy of consideration both by coal-raising and by coal-shipping companies, but especially by the Nelson Government, witn whom will remain for a time the development of the one mine which has as yet been worked.