His Honor the Superintendent of Nelson to the Hon. Colonial Secretary.

Nelson Evening Mail, Volume VIII, Issue 41, 15 February 1873, Page 1

His Honor the Superintendent of Nelson to the Hon. Colonial Secretary.

Sir— The present scarcity of conl in the colony and the probability that its price will for some time to come be higher than it has been fou several years past, make it of urgent importance that the present comparatively small supply obtainable from the Brunner Coalmine on the Grey River should, be increased with as little delay as possible. The railway from the mine to Greymouth, which the General Assembly has authorised, will, I conclude, not be in working order for eighteen months, or perhaps longer. In the meantime, owing to the obstruction to the navigation of tho river caused by the floods of last autumn, and to the more remunerative employment for barges attributable to the discovery of the Inangahua quartz-reefs, the existing means of transport from the mine to the port are greatly restricted, and it has become impossible to meet the demand. Under these circumstances the Provincial Government are desirous of immediately constructing a wooden tramway from Brunnerton to Cobden;, at a cost estimated by the Provincial Engineer at five thousand pounds, with a view co supply by horse traction a sufficient quantity of coal to meet the demand until the permanent railway can be completed. The Provincial Council has authorised the work by resolution, and has provided for its cost in their appropriation for the present year; but, as the appropriations considerably exceed the estimated revenue, aud as much even of that estimate is based upon the expectation of considerable receipts from the sale of land which may not bo realised, I have the honor to request that the Colonial Government will consider the propriety of advancing the requisite sum of five thousand pounds from the fuuds placed at their disposal for such purposes by "The Immigration and Public Works Act 1871." With respect to the security which the Act provides shall be given for advances so made, I would propose that this amount should be added to that already agreed to be secured upon the coal deposits of the Grey for the construction of the railway to Greymouth. Should the Government object to this form of security, I should be willing to grant security upon 5000 acres of the land recently surveyed in the Inangahua Valley and about to be offered for sale at an upset price of £l per acre, or upon a larger quantity of the same land if the Government should think that area insufficient. I may point out to you in support of this application that it is, apart from all other considerations, of great importance to the success of the Brunnerton and Greymouth railway that the trade of the mine should not be allowed to languish while that work is in course of construction, and tbat by means of the increased consumption of coal which would be promoted by the temporary work lam now desirous to execute, at least a payable amount of traffic would be secured-for the railway at its opening. The survey of the proposed line of tramway is probably by this time completed and the work itself would be commenced immediately upon my receiving a favorable reply from the Government, and I am advised would be in working order within six months at the outside, ancl possibly in a much shorter time. I have, &c, Oswald Curtis, Superintendent of Nelson. Wellington, July 17, 1872.