The Westport Times. TUESDAY, MAY 13, 1873.

Westport Times, Volume VII, Issue 1071, 13 May 1873, Page 2

The Westport Times. TUESDAY, MAY 13, 1873.

Whose AVaxker? Eor once all customary daily query and response touching the state of the weather pass unheeded, and the one, the only question of interest agitating the public mind in Westpo'rt is the identity of this unknown, this mysterious individual. By what particular power or fortuitous chain of circumstauces, or for what special reason, a member of the mythical family of Walker, on the first day of April, of all days in the year, should become possessed of the right to prospect for coal over ten square miles of country to the exclusion of all other individuals, passes understanding, and the perplexity increases and questioners become more dumbfoundered than before as theycon- ' template the undeniable fact that the area over which the right has been granted ia the very pick and centre of the Mount Boehfort coalfield, hereto fore jealously guarded and conserved as a public property not to be lightly dealt with. When the fact became generally known, a few days since, ' that the Nelson Waste Lands Board, sitting in secret conclave, had seen fit to exercise its vested powers by granting to one individual a right that, if .granted at all,should have been shared among many, public indignation was instantly aroused and opinions expressed the reverse of complimentary 'lowardshis Honor the (Superintendent, -and his two other confreres who together rcpresenfc'the might and dignity "of "the Board." It Was argued,and with'reason in such argument, that the interests of the public had been sacrificed 'or mado subservient to personal 'interests, and that the 'formally expressed of the Wes'tpcrrt people, that 'no 'more fights should be granted affecting possession of thocoa'l reserves •until the coal 'railway question had settled, had been wantonly disregarded. In fact, still more outspoken Comments were made and opinions uttered by no means with Tiated breath,that tbo sudden disclosure pointed suspiciously to rank jobbery on the part of pub ic 'officials, aud that the " blind firm" at the back of the inysterioHs Walker would eventually provo to be men abasing the privileges ol their position to secure individual gain. It is unsatisfactory 1o have 10 place on record the fact that such opinions are currenc and gain credence, but the blame must rest alone upon the system of departmental regulation that permits the exercise of extensive powers iu secrecy* «ven in dealing with matters of the gravest public importance. If

a similar plan were adopted to that I long since found necessary and expedient in the Otago Province,'of giving instant publicity to every transaction of the Waste Lands Board, . the present awkward position 'Of 'affairs might have been avoided, and the necessity might not have arisen for the members of the Board to explain away or justify what, in the public eye, now looks like a very fishy transaction. The next advices from Nelson 'may, and for the credit of Provincial institutions we sincerely trust will, clear away all doubt and misconception, and place the action of the Board above suspicion; meanwhile it is but just that the circumstances tending to arouse and aggravate public mistrust here should bo briefly stated. For many months the most absorbing subject of public interest has been the revival of the "Westport and Mount Hoch'fort Hailway scheme, which after a wavering and intermittent fashion hat) been discussed, and nothing more, for some years past. The General Government, under the Hail way Act 1872, voted a sufficient sum of money for the purpose, but delayed action. The coalfield was not then held in very high repute, the locality was little known to capitalists outside the Province, and still less to 'the chief of permanent departments, nor was the political influence of the district of sufficient tveight to expedite matters. Official'reports on the coalfield were not painted in too glowing colors, and for a long and weary waiting there seemed little chance of official indifference being roused to action. At last 'the sterling merit of the field asserted itself, .private enterprise stepped to the fore and commenced the Work, and the Buller Coalfields became a topic for general comment. A ready means of communication between the coalmines and the Buller port became again an object of interest, and since the beginning of the present year all legitimate efforts have been employed to hasten the commencement of railway works. The Buller Coal and Hailway Committee, appointed at a public meeting in Westport, found that before the General Government would decide on action it was deemed necessary to have the present position of the Buller Coal Heserves cleaily defined, so that all difficulties might bo cleared away in making arrangements for the future tenure of the various coalmines, which must necessarily be opened up and worked to yield sufficient traffic to make the railway a paying investment. On the 26th March last the Honorable the Minister of Public Works, in reply to a question anent the Waimangaroa mine, telegraphed to Westport, "I have been waiting reply from the Superintendent Ul LV, ,vcv. A Colonial Secretary, 13th March, asking for information as to present position of coal reserves on the West Coast, and till we get this information our hands are tied as regards laying out proposed railway to Mount Hochfoit district." On the 27th March another telegram was received from the Minister of Public Works stating that Dr Hector would arrive in Westport and inspect the "Waimangaroa coal seams, and fully report tbereon, and that he had authority to spend what was necessary for proper exploration. On the 2Sth March the Committee forwarded a telegram to his Honor Oswald Curtis advising him that the deputation appointed to pro-< cced to Wellington to wait on the Government concerning the coal question—and which deputation his Honor had consented to accompany—had decided to postpone departure until after l)r Hector's visit and report on the coalfields, and requesting that his Honor would not sanction the granting of auy more coal rights in the district, pending the decision of the General Government on the Hailway Question. On the Ist of April, as already shown, a prospecting license was granted to an Auckland speculator, for a large area, including the Very place whereon at the preseut moment men employed by Br Hector on behalf of the General Government are putting in a prospecting drive, at a cost of £75. Added to this, the fact has also come to light that other claims for prospecting licenses over small areas, made bv local men, have met with no response, and the claim of the Rgakawhafe or Albion Company—through whose enterprise the coalfield has been brought into repute—for an extended area under lease, sufficient to encourage the formation of a railway without appealing to Government for assistance, has been objected to by the Waste Lands Board, if not altogether refused. Little wonder then with these palpable facts before them that the public think and say many bitter things, and feel aggrieved. The subject demands and will obtain full enquiry hi the Council Chamber, and if by such enquiry, all doubts and present misgivings are dispelled, Provincial institutions will gain immensely in popular favor, and the mysterious Walker and his friends achieve no mean repute.