102 
The Journal of the Royal 
reason why the Government should not, with the money 
at its disposal, make the means of transport to the 
fields easier than they are at present, and thus facilitate 
the development of these industries on which so much 
depends. To ar^ue that because the colony is unable 
to spend millions on a main-line to the frontier, parti- 
cular districts which might be developed with protit 
must wait for an indefinite period, is no argument at all. 
It is evident that money spent, whether on roads or 
railways, in connection with the diamond fields should 
be spent with a view of future development, and in 
undertaking the survey of the line of country between 
Tumatumari and the mouth of the Semang, the Govern- 
ment is doing the proper thing, as it is the only way of 
determining whether the first branch line suggested by 
Mr. Hill is practicable or not, and also the cost at which 
a railway could be constructed. With this knowledge 
at its disposal the Government will be able to decide 
whether a light railway is possible, and, if not, surely a 
road would be the next best thing as it would serve as 
a forerunner to the branch line if carefully traced and 
constructed. A road from Bartica, running far enough 
to tap the clear waters of the Mazaruni, could never be 
(except perhaps for the first few miles) of any perma- 
nent value even if that Town were made the '^jumping 
off" ground to the interior and Mr. Hill's line adopted. 
It is palpable, therefore, that those who advocate the 
Bartica Mazaruni road are actually urging the Govern- 
ment to adopt the very system which they so strongly 
condemn. 
The surreys should, in my opinion, be continued, 
firstly from Tumatumari southwards to the Potaro 
