THE Grey River Argus. WEDNESDAY, OCTOBER 8, 1873.

Grey River Argus, Volume XIII, Issue 1615, 8 October 1873, Page 2

THE Grey River Argus. WEDNESDAY, OCTOBER 8, 1873.

Nothing could more fully, demonstrate how little has yet been done to render available forj settlement ,: the sou them portion of the 1 Province of Westland than: the. fact that /for, a! fortnight we have been absolutely without .any means of corn-, munication with a part of a district which, by sea, can be reached in twelve hours', sail from Hokitika,' and, that at a time when, in the interests of the com* munity, bf property,' arid' of individual lite there is urgent need" for such facility bf communication. From the period at which Mr Moorhouse was Superintendent bf the Prpvirice.; as a portion of the then Province of Canterbury, unto the present, there have been 1 , proposals and promises of tracks parallel to the beach, at right angles to the beach, and to various points of the. .compass, but these have been— ptfrhaps, unavoidably— only so much piecrust, and a country which a few years ago swarmed with men who could not have got there or gone away except at considerable cost' still .'remains iii a comparative or absolute state. ;i of nature.. It is now more than a fortnight since tb£- steamer .; Titani. sailed for' the Haast, and i more : than a . week since the Waipara . followed her for the' sarhe; destination. In theiresult of their expedition the whole population of the, Coast is interested, and naturally,, there are individual interests of sufficient importance.;. to ; justify, effort- being -made toward^ obtaining the earliest information from the district visited, but there has been an absence of any communication whatever, arid . there are now as great anxiety and misgivings r as , if the same yessels had sailed for thY South Pole. For this anxiety there^ does ..not seem to be any sbunS cause. The n fact bf two yessels ;having ) prpceededi at i different times in the same direction, along a known coast, is some- assurance of the safety of pne or other of them,. and the peculiarly exposed position^of their port of destination, especially during such weather as has recently ■ prevailed; may ; be accepted > as sufficient explanation of their prolonged absence; i The strong probability is that they have both been bar-bound, . although J with. a. smoothing, sea,. and .spring tides,they should inqt be much. longer prisoners. ; The circuriistarice whichj on the part of the Province, and of administrators arid councillors incipient^ -deserves:, notice, howeyorj; is the fact that during all this interval there has : b.een ; np communication, and, .apparently -.no. possibility of comrnu^ hicatiori,' tvy land. Even the little -that is required to fender available what lias long been Westland's chief highway, the' sea^beach, has not' been done, and' neither .can provisions be forwarded on fourjlegs of fat. oxen, nor can. news be received .by . anyone w r ho can afford to be carried by a horse of ' who may be compelled 'himself ! to 'carry a "swag." ' The bluffs'; 'blockade the .way,nandi notwithstanding ■ ; the J S()inewhat: mythical story of aMr Murphy,, it is said that,. the parties, bf men who, left Okarito, to make their way by the beach to the scene of the rush ihave been compelled to' return, being •baffled in ! their attempt. -The present ' state of thing's riiay not continue imany i (hours,;; either or both of the. steamers knay make their. appearance at any moment ;. and in, any case , it is how resolved :to despatch this rhornirig, at the expense ;or with the aid of the prpyernment, the steamef ; Lioness to; the southern ports. But in the interests of prospecting, alone, sto say nothing of subsequent settlement, !or. the immediate necessities; ;of such a jrush as the present, it is well that this' should be remembered, and, jremembefing'it, ; th'e existing authorities ! jor the future Councillora for the Province [will 'Surely give prbtriirient corisidefationjjtb'the necessity for, atleastj making the ijentire. sea-board of Westland accessible; jand; ; as available, ; as.ppssible. If that,is;ioniy^dpne, though {he present rush may : prove a " duffer," it will at least have the merit of utility in one particular— it' will have pointed a moral wh,ich deserves to be well read arid marked by the proposers ! of P.ublic Works and the disposers of the Wefttland Loan.