ROAD TO THE INANGAHUA.

Westport Times, Volume V, Issue 885, 9 November 1871, Page 3

ROAD TO THE INANGAHUA.

{To the Editor of the Westport Times and Charleston Argils*)

Sir, —The formation of a dray road to the Inangahua is of such vital importance to the commercial community and property holders of this town that nothing surprises me more than the apathy evinced in the matter by the inhabitants generally. It is true that a meeting was held recently, and resolutions adopted urging the superior advantages of the Buller route to that ■of the Grey, and which resolutions were forwarded to our representative in Wellington. But there the matter rests. The "Westport people seem to rely solely on those great natural advantages, and in their innocence think that the powers that be are bound to look at them in the same favourable light as they do themselves. Nothing may be further from the fact. Political influence in New Zealand goes a great way, and a vote or two to be gained will often have the effect of influencing a Ministry to decide on a certain course of action, while all evidence may go to show that such action is contrary to reason and justice. Giving our member credit for trying to the utmost of his power to do the best for his constituents, I think there can hardly be any doubt that the influence of the Grey is much greater than that of Westport. It is a larger place, and its trade is in excess of ours. Mr Barrison, I might say, is member for the town of Greymouth. It was by the votes of the town he was returned, a majority in the mining districts having polled against him. He, of course, will do his best for the Grey ; and it is only natural to suppose that he will be aided in his efforts for Greymouth by the two Westland members, Messrs White and Tribe, as half the gold revenues of that port go into the Westland exchequer. It might be expected that the Nelson members would do their utmost in aiding our representative. It will be a very faint support they will give him. They are too busily employed in looking after their own local affairs to pay any attention to this portion of the province. They look upou us as outsiders. Petty alterations in the Impounding Act, Scab Act, &c, claim their attention too much for them to look after our interests. So I think Mr O'Conor will be left to fight our battle alone; and it is only fair that he should be backed up by the expressed

public opinion of this goldfield. A Committee should at once bo formed ; not a mere sham one, but a regular lonafide working committee, so that the matter may be keptprominently before the public. This fancied security will not do. Some fine morning we shall bo waking up to find that a road has been decided upon by the way of the Grey Valley; and then there will be a great noise, but it will be of no avail. It is too late to lock the stable door when the steed is stolen. Nor can, I think, it be assumed that all the advantages are on the side of the Buller. There is a large population in the Grey Valley, and a considerable amount of agricultural settlement, and it is more than probable that this will have some effect on the Government in deciding which route is to be preferred. Of course, on the proposed Buller road there may bo yet a good deal of settlement, as the country is available for that purpose. But it is not likely that the Government will look much to that; nor can it be expected that they should. The fact of the existence of a population along the line of the Grey Valley route is a very weighty argument in its favour. There are also some who assert that this route possesses greater facilities for making a road, and that it could be constructed more chaeply than the Buller one In fact, they go so far as to say that it is impossible to make a good, road our way. I have only adduced the foregoing to show that all the argument is not on our side, and that the advocates of the Grey route can make out a tolerable prima facie case in its favour. Of course, there is an overwhelming mass of evidence on the side of Wostport. Our water carriage, the shortness of the road to be constructed, these, strenghtened by the fact that all the machinery has heen sent up from here, prove incontestibly that this is the best outlet for the Inangahua. It is earnestly to be hoped that no carelessness on oar part will prevent us enjoying those advantages which our position throws open to us. I am, &c, Bttllebite. Westport, Nov. 8.