HVELOCK NEWS.

Marlborough Daily Times, Volume VI, Issue 1214, 1 April 1884, Page 2

HVELOCK NEWS.

(From our Own Correspondent.) For many months this part of the county has been suffering through some peculiar influences at work causing a general stagnation throughout the district, and while other places with no better local advantages continue steadily improving, this small town seems specially labouring under the powerful weight of some speciesof incubus, not readily ascertained, but whose dire effect permeates through every class of business until “ chronic dullness ” is about the most appropriate expression, and instead of meeting new faces with pleasant greetings, from fresh settlers, who should be redeeming the still primitive land around us, we continually miss the form of some one who has departed to more attractive fields and pastures new. What is the cruse of this ? naturally suggests itself to . thought'll person, and we have only oc look a lilLie above the surface of things to find where the mischief commences, and, finding it, we must endeavor to effect a speedy cure. The principal drawback has been our isolation. Setttlers have had no encouragement to produce anything beyond a sufficiency for the local markets, except fat stock, because the difficulty in transportation, combined with expenses, has left no margin to the producer. But this is partially obviated now, as we have a new wharf recently completed, so that steamers, such as the Kennedy, Wallace, or Napier, could come into port, discharge, and leave without any detention. This is one of our special wants regular steam communication—not such as we are suffering from at present i.e. spasmodic trips, when it suits the owners, from the Lady Barclay, but a fixed time table, which would foster and create intercommunication, especially between the Sound and Wellington, inducing suitable families to locate themselves in the numerous bays, and offering better facilities to those pioneers who first settled there. But more of this anon. Next comes our Mining Industry. During the past twelve months a large amount of capital has been expended in various companies, without any favorable returns from the Wa kamarina. Let us dig “ below ” the surface this time and ask why is this ? My answer is “ too much management.” It is a slorling but a fatal truth, like Jonathan of old, we know too much; and shareholders are persistently giving advice about circumstances it is impossible to realise without seeing them, while many others remind me of an occurrence which happened in Wellington many years ago. A company was formed, who purchased two steamers, the Wonga and Stormbird. Of course their arrival and departure was an event. One evening a goodly number had assembled on the wharf to see the Wonga come alongside, when a young urchin came frantically rushing down, crying out to his mates, “Come on, come along, quick, here comes one of pa’s steamers.” Pa held a five pound share in (he two. Moral—There arc lots of fathers like that guileless boy. Now, there are many other topics I intended to embrace when wasting this paper —re coal prospecting, the timber trade, minerals, tobacco cultivation, fish-curing, turning the mud flats into something stronger than guano for export, Rai Valley Tramway alias Pelorus Tramway Company, main roads between Picton, Havelock and Nelson, and last, but not least, how much “ filthy lucre ” our member will be able to secure for us at the next division of spoil; but this I must defer until I ascertain if there is anyone about this district who does nob take your paper, although there cannot be many in such a benighted states as I believe everyone recognises the importance of advertising, and like to know how the world moves along outside of themselves. One gentleman to whom I was eulogising the wonderful merits of newspapers, exclaimed, “My goodness gracious, what a foolish person I have been ! Which paper shall I take?” My reply was—“ All three, if you can afford it, and if not, my dear fellow, why, subscribe to the paper—the Marlborough Daily Times; and—and—and—kindly pay in advance ” ; which he did immediately.