THE GREYMOUTH DEPUTATION.

New Zealand Times, Volume XXIX, Issue 4199, 4 September 1874, Page 3

THE GREYMOUTH DEPUTATION.

The proceedings preliminary to the appointment of the deputation who are ,now in Wellington, for the purpose of representing to the Government the necessity of undertaking further harbor works at Greymouth, are .thua reported in-the local Argus of the 25th ult. : ' As might have been expected, the publication of Mr. Moriarty’s report yesterday on the best means of improving the navigation of the Grey river, created very much discussion, and not a little difference of opinion. In the morning a hurried meeting of the members of the Borough Council was hold, in order to take further proceedings regarding the report. It waa very reasonably suggested by two of the Councillors that such a meeting should not be held without the presence of representatives* from the two Coal Companies that contributed towards the expenses of obtaining Mr. Moriarty’s report. An adjournment was agreed upon, in order that these bodies should.be united to send their representatives, and, accordingly, in the evening the conference between the member's of the Borough Council, and the representative members of the Brunner and Greymouth Coal Companies took place in the Town Hall. It was in reality a simple conference, at which statements were made_ affeating-tho.publio-in---lerestsTWhlclr should only have been made in a public meeting. The representatives of the Council present were the Mayor, Councillors Coates, Dupre, Glenn, Moore, Maclean, Hamilton, and Kerr. The only representative of the Brunner Coal Company was Mr. M. Kennedy, and the representatives of the Greymouth Coal Company were Messrs. Moss, Barkley, Morice, Wickes, and Johnston. The Mayor proposed that the combined Coal Companies and the Corporation ought to send a deputation to Wellington, to urge the adoption of this or some other similar plan upon the Government for harbor works here. He had received a letter on the subject from Mr. Moriarty, which he read.

The discussion that followed was long, but it was certainly not satisfactory, for the reason already stated. Mr, Kerr was the principal speaker in moving the first resolution, and he congratulated the; Council and. others present upon the reports and plans of Mr. Moriarty having been received with so much satisfaction. It was worth trying to get 16ft. of water on the bar at neap tides, and that would carry a large quantity of coal from Greyiuouth. After a long speech, he moved the sending of a deputation to Wellington, to interview the General Government and ask them to adopt some measures for the carrying out of works for the improvement of the harbor and bar of Greyraouth and tho navigation of the river. They should submit Mr. Moriarty’s plan for consideration, but leave it to the General Government engineers to decide. This was seconded by Mr. IT. Hamilton and agreed to, after a long discussion had taken place as to whether the deputation should recommend the establishment of a Harbor Board, similar to that created at every other port in the Colony at which large harbor works are being carried on, or that a royalty should be fixed upon the coal exported to pay for the interest and sinking fund of the debt. Incidentally, one shilling a ton as royalty was mentioned to be collected on the coal, which we look upon as a great mistake. It is tod much. Every possible effort should be made both by the General . Government and the Borough Council to cheapen the price of coal, so as to increase its demand, and it is to bo hoped that the deputation about' to proceed to Wellington will_ keep this fact in remembrance and not be too liberal in their proposition as to the charging of royalties on the coal to be brought to port by the two companies. The result of the conference was that it was resolved to send a deputation to Wellington to confer with the Government as to the plans and report, aud to devise some means of carrying them out. If what was stated last night' is substantially correct, there is every hope of the work being carried out for two-thirds of Mr. Moriarty’s estimate, Mr. Johnston, the Town Surveyor, informed the meeting that Mr. Moriarty had calculated tho cost of stone at 4s. 6d. and ss. per tdn, while the actual cost of obtaining stone on previous works was 4s. 6cl. per cubic yard. Mr. Moriarty stated in his letter that he calculates'by tons in New South Wales; probably he understood the prices furnished to him in Greymouth at per ton, which'accounts for the difference therefore of the cost per ton, and the cost per yard would reduce first two items by about £37,200. His estimate of carrying out Mr. Moriarty'a plan is £60,000. We §give the facta as they were stated last night, in order that the public may draw their own conclusions. There is a very serious difference of opinion or some serious mistake in figures between the two engineers, which only amounts in the total to some £37,000, but who is responsible for the error we are not in a position to say. At tho close of the meeting it was resolved that a deputation proceed to Wellington to interview the Government on the matter, to be elected by tho two Goal Companies and the Borough Council, with the Town Surveyor, as ho had drawn out all tho plana upon which the report was based. Private meetings of these bodies were then held, when the following were elected as the members of tho deputation : —For the Borough Council —the Mayor and Town Surveyor ; for the Brunner Coal Company—Air. M. Kennedy; ..for the Greymouth Coal Company—Messrs. Wickes, Barkley, and Moss.