THE £50,000 GRANT.

Westport Times, Volume VIII, Issue 1224, 30 October 1874, Page 4

THE £50,000 GRANT.

[WESTPOttr EVENING STAB.] The Greymouth Arjjus passes comment on the recent meeting held at West port. It says there was a similarity in one respect between the meetings at the two places—each expressed extreme dissatisfaction with the manner in which this money is proposed to be expended. But there were two points of dissimilarity—one being that the Westport people refuse to recognise the claim of the other part of the Nelson Gold fields to any slicrc of the £50,000, and the other is the exhibition of a most childish and absurd jealousy between the two ports of Westport and Greymouth. Herein the Argus leaps to conclusions. No refusal to recognise claims other than their own to any share of the £50,000 has ever been expressed by Westport people. They object merely to waiving their own claims. Jealousy of Greymouth is a matter of opinion rather than of fact. Passing by, as not needing reply, an array of hard words and ad captandum arguments, which possibly are necessities of journalism in Greymouth as elsewhere, it is worth noting that the Argus distinctly disavows any effort made at Greymouth or Reefton to secure "a large proportion of the £50,000 for expenditure on the road between Reefton and Greymouth," and avers that the completion of the road between Squaretown and Greymouth would not probable cost more than £12,000 to £11,000." Which qualification is judicious, for the cost " probably" will be nearer £30,000. However, leaving that for practical proof hereafter, in preference to present surmise, attention is called to the concluding utterance of the Argus : "If the insane jealousy exhibited by the people and press of Westport is put aside, the two districts have really a common ground of complaint. It was always understood by the General Government that the most important work in the Nelson Province was to connect Reefton with both Westport and Greymouth, and that programme would have been completed had the sum available been sufficient. But it was not, and the Provincial Government should have given effect to this arrangement, instead of fooling away the £50,000 in works which are neither urgently necessary nor likely to be of much utility when completed. All we want on this side the watershed is the completion of that portion of the main road between Squaretown and the Junction; Westport is welcome to the balance." If this may be accepted, as it should be, as showing the real extent of Greymouth claims, such expression may serve to guide any future action taken hero on behalf of Westport interests.