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Hawke's Bay Herald, Volume I, Issue 11, 5 December 1857, Page 2

him £50,000 without any condition -wha'ever, further than a voice in the Districts to be purchased. The money had been refused, simply because he (Dr. Featherston) would not give a guarantee that he would not avail himself of his right under the Constitution Act to claim repayment out of the land revenue of the whole colony. He declined acceding to this, first, — because such a guarantee would be illegal ; and, second, because he purposed advancing the money without any stipulation whatever. He would like much either to stand acquitted of the charge of unfairly depriving the District of its due share, or that those present would substantiate such charge. It was well known that out of the loan to be contracted by the General Government, under the Financial scheme of last Session, £50,000 would be allotted to the Province of Wellington, of which not less than £30,000 to 40,000 would be spent in this Distrect. Then there was the loan of £180,000 for the purpose of extinguishing the native title, of which in this District alone would probably be expended £40,000 so that, under any circumstances, they might fairly assume that they would have a larger share of expenditure than the whole province together ; for they would be entitled, in addition to what he had mentioned, to a share in the loan for public works. With respect to the repayment of the loans, their need not be any alarm. With a revenue increasing so rapidly that since 1853 it had jumped up from £16,000 to £SO,OOO, there surely need be no uneasiness about an annual sum for interest and sinking fund, of £8,000 to £10,000. With a revenue of £80,000, and a prospect of further increase, surely the province could afford this amount — especially when it was considered that the loan was being solely appropriated for opening up the country, and making it it available for settlement : He believed that the impression so prevalent of the District having been unfairly dealt with, with regard to those loans, arose from the fact that £20,000 had been placed on the estimates for Wanganui and Rangitikei, and only £5000 for the PiAiataniwha road, Napier. But when he proposed the £5000, he also proposed that £20,000 should be vo.ted for connecting Napier with Welling - ton by the road through the 40-mile bush. In doing so he was impressed with the belief that the whole was equal to £20,000 for the special benefit of Ahuriri, and that £20,000 out of £100,000 was that district's fair share. He was aware that many were opposed to this road through the 40-mile bush. But he still believed that nothing could tend more to the benefit of the province generally and the special benefit of the Ahuriri District, than for communication to be opened between Napier, the Wairarapa and Wellington. That, however, was certainly a matter of opinion. Then with regard to the alleged separate and oposing interests of Wellington and Ahuriri. It was true that the two places were separated by a distance of 200 miles ; but were such a work as the road through the 40-mile bush once completed, the distance between Wellington and Napier would be reduced to a three or four days' ride. The difficulties now existing would then disappear, for Napier would not, in a sense, be further from Wellington than the Wairarapa was but a few years ago, although only 40 miles off. (To be concluded in our next.)