The Nelson Evening Mail. SATURDAY, JUNE 2, 1866.

Nelson Evening Mail, Volume I, Issue 76, 2 June 1866, Page 2

The Nelson Evening Mail. SATURDAY, JUNE 2, 1866.

There can be no question that the majority of the inhabitants of Greymouth are earnest in the desire that the Grey district should he annexed to the Nelson province. Such a measure would be greatly to the advantage of that town. The policy of the Canterbury Government has always been to metropolise Hokitika at the expense of all the other ports on her "western seaboard ; and as Greymouth is the outlet of n district which contains more of the elements of permanent prosperity than her southern rival, insomuch as besides being a rich and extensive gold-field, it contains extensive seams of coal and large areas of fertile land, those who have invested money there believe, as they have reason, that it would soon equal Hokitika in size if the Government acted justly towards it. While the Canterbury Government use every effort to advance the interests of Hokitika at the expense of other parts, the Nelson authorities are endeavouring not only to foster a rival township to Greymouth on the north bank of the Grey, and within their own province, but would, if the progress of gold discovery justified it, transfer the head quarters of its gold-fields establishment to Westport and would endeavor to foster the interests of that town as much as possible ; and as the new country now opening on the Inangahua, as well as the newly discovered ground between the Buller and Grey near the sea coast, which created so much excitement a short time since, can both be supplied most conveniently from the Buller, without doubt; the Nelson Government will authorise the necessary expenditure to improve the means of communication between those places and Westport, which will soon be declared a port of entry. This also would operate greatly to the injury of Greymouth. $ If we can judge by the articles wo read in the Grey River Argus, the opinion entertained at Greymouth is, that were the whole of the Grey district within the Nelson Province, the Nelson Government would then transfer to it their chief patronage, and would cease to foster auy rival township ; and as also the contrast is presented between the administrative ability, or whatever it may be, of the two Governments,- how small means effect great improvements on the north, and how great means effect small improvements on the south side of the Grey ; how everything is neglected as long as possible in the Canterbury Province, and how nothing has been neglected ia the Nelson Province ; these considerations are quite sufficient to account for the earnest desire of the inhabitants of Greymouth for separation from the rule of Canterbury and union with the Nelson Province. The idea advocated by the West Coast Times of the complete separation of the whole of Westland both from Canterbury and Nelson, and its erection into a province of itself, would not meet the views of the Greymouth people so well as uniou with Nelson. As in the newly created province there must be a seat of Government, and as, that honor would be secured by Hokitika, there would still be the same desire for metropolising that place of which the Greymouth people now complain — their town being too nearly of an •equal importance to allow superiority to the

other ; and as the creation of a province for Greymouth to be capital is out of the question, her people would -willingly, as their ■wisest course, unite their fortunes with Nelson.