The Lyttelton Times. FRIDAY, OCTOBER 27, 1865.

Lyttelton Times, Volume XXIV, Issue 1521, 27 October 1865, Page 2

The Lyttelton Times. FRIDAY, OCTOBER 27, 1865.

The road from Christchurch to Hokitika, however good it may turn out to be eventually, is clearly not going to play any part in carrying diggers to the West Coast Diggings. The rush from Otago has exhausted itself, and that from Melbourne and the other colonies is taking the direct route, and setting in so rapidly that the rush bids fair to ue finished before the rend. Unless the Government are prepared to take the extreme course of subsidizing steamers to give the diggers a cheap passage to Lyttelton, and the coaches to do the same thence to Hokitika, intending diggers from Melbourne will not be induced to take Eastern Canterbury on their way to the West Coast, and Lyttelton and Christchurch must put up with the loss of that part of the traffic. We had better record the fact at once, and make the best of it, that Canterbury proper is not going to be the high road to the Canterbury Goldfields; and that the road which we are now making, at great cost, will not be wanted to give access to that part of our province. Still less, of course, will it be available for the transit of goods during the period when trade is most profitable, that is, when the population over there has been recently and largely increased. But, if the road is not good for these purposes, it may still be worth something ; and perhaps we may find out what that something is by considering the local circumstances and wants of the district which is expected to use the road, rather than of that which desires to make a special profit out of its use. We have all been thinking a little too much, perhaps, of the latter, and too little of the former; and it will be as well to take the advice of our correspondent from that quarter, and accustom ourselves to look on West Coast affairs for a time from a West Coast standing point.

The Westland country, as it is now legally termed, promises, after a time, to be a valuable agricultural district, and we may lay our account for a tendency in this direction, restrained partly by the attractions of abundant gold, and still more by the exuberant forest growth which has to be cleared from the soil. In spite, of these hindrances, the place will be occupied by degrees with a permanent population at last. When this becomes the case, there will be a natural desire to form a new province there. The rights of a cumbrous and responsible form of government will not be granted to, and will hardly be sought for by a mere mining population; but when those same men settle down upon freehold land and get their property invested about them, they will claim to govern themselves, unless the Canterbury G-overnment does the duty well enough for them. The advent of this separationist class might be postponed indefinitely by refusing to sell land or to facilitate settlement; but this would be a narrow-minded aud short-sighted policy, equally hurtful to both sides of the province. It would be far preferable, whatever may be the political consequences, to create a permanently settled population on the land as speedily as possible by disposing of the land available for agriculture. The proposed system of selling the land, which must of necessity be laid out in comparatively small blocks, by auction, as town lands now are, seems for many purposes superior to the fixed price system, as adapted to the West Coast. And it will have this advantage, that more money will be realized from it. Whatever the amount may be, almost the whole of it ought to be spent in opening up the country itself, rendering more land available for sale, and connecting one isolated settlement there with another by some decent means of transit. We recommend this course as the most desirable, not only for the interests of the West Coast, but of the East Coast also, each in its own degree.

There would be a better prospect of both parties agreeing to a common course of action if our Government and Council had a greater personal acquaintance with the country for which they will shortly have to legislate. A traveller, proceeding from Christchurch to Hokitika, crosses over the snowy range from one world into another. It is impossible for anyone here to imagine tne wants and capabilities of that country for himself, or to pick such knowledge up from mere

description. The Superintendent and some members of the Executive have been over there ; but the visit was the mere name of the thing. Why could not his Honor have gone to the end of his undertaking, seen all the facts with his own eyes, heard the complaints of the people from their own mouths, and at the same time paid a fitting compliment to a large portion of the public of his province ? He would have been able* to meet the Council much more comfortably with a plan for settling the goldfields than he is now. The Council will certainly contain two goldfield members, whose names are already spoken of. But they will hardly counterbalance the want of knowledge prevalent among almost all the rest. W.e can but lament the want of intelligent sympathy which will naturally be felt, and only venture to impress upon all concerned the desirability of endeavouring to see the facts of the case from both sides.

One principal object which both should have in view is, as we have said, the speedy settlement of the country. This will be done, not by curtailing the rights of the gold miners, but by offering to those men themselves facilities for obtaining freeholds. All the money which can be raised in this way will be wanted for roading the country ; and these roads, while they open fresh land for sale, will give facilities for the profitable occupation of that which is sold, will open fresh goldfields to mining enterprise; will reduce the cost of living all over the country; and will besides, by stretching inland, render the real connection between East and West Canterbury a very simple matter. In other words, one special object which we have here will be attained by pushing on road-making from and through the other side, benefitting the residents there, while opening the road from end to end. The road is not going to be of much use for conveying the first rush to the diggings; but it will be useful enough to us before long, in bringing many back again in better condition than they went. Canterbury proper cannot help benefitting at least as much from these goldfields as she did from tnoite of Thf? of a road is the only thing that can delay or limit the extent of the benefit. Not only as to roads, but as to other matters, the policy of the Canterbury Government ought to be exceedingly liberal. Every effort should be made to improve the shipping ports; and as has been suggested, a commission might be appointed at once to examine into the subject. The restrictions on the importation of cattle ought to be removed. The towns and their approaches, with the means of communication between the principal centres, ought to receive ample attention. And, in short, there should be no ground of suspicion left that Eastern Canterbury is using the West Coast for her own benefit only. The policy adopted should be generous, in the firm belief that such will be best for both sides.

We had intended to go into the question of what sort of roads might best be made on the West Coast, but our space will not permit this to be done at present. On another occasion we may take the opportunity of explaining the facts which make it probable that tramways will serve best, both for communication between the towns and the diggings, and for the main lines through the country.