THE Marlborough Express SATURDAY, JUNE 10, 1871.

Marlborough Express, Volume VI, Issue 296, 10 June 1871, Page 4

THE Marlborough Express

SATURDAY, JUNE 10, 1871.

“ Give me the liberty to know, to utter, and to ergue freely according to conscience, above all other liberties.’ —MILTON

The Province of Nelson—never considered very fast-going, and whose chief city has been long known by the expressive soubriquet of “ Sleepy Hollow”—is about to make a dash, judging from the newspaper reports of the late Council proceedings. From these we learn that the following Public Works are contemplated, and have received the sanction of the Provincial Council; their cost being estimated at the sums annexed :

Westport and Mt Roehfort Railway £IOO,OOO Nelson and Foxliill Railway ... 75,000 Cobden and Brunner Railway ... 30,000 Water Supply to Gold Fields ... 75,000

Total ... £280,000 —ls this not astounding 1 While we are pausing doubtfully about our little railway from Picton to Blenheim, the Nelson Council talk of three lines, and we suppose see their way to finding the means of carrying their wishes into effect. But these are only the general works, supposed to be for the benefit of the whole Provice, and we find the Superintendent asking the assent of the Ministry to a loan of Sixty thousand pounds, Thirty thousand of which is intended for the Extension of Water Works, and construction of Gas Works in* the city of Nelson ! Where all this money is to be procured in the first place, and how it is to be afterwards repaid, may be apparent to our Nelson friends, but not so to us. Of course they have a right to deal with their own local affairs in the way that suits them best, with which we shall not interfere so long as our interests are respected, but we would ask whether the credit of the whole Colony is not already pledged for certain debts due by the several Provinces, Nelson included, and will not these new loans tend to the disadvantage of the whole, by hastening the period when all the Provincial debts shall be taken up by, or rather put upon the entire Colony 1 Now, our share of the debt is so very small that out of our equally limited revenue, we manage to pay it, but if that of Nelson, and some of the other Provinces—say Canterbury for instance—be averaged with that of Marlborough, it does appear tons that our interests would be affected, and we should quickly discover that an increased contribution would be necessary on the part of Marlborough. This brings us to notice another matter. For a long time there has been a coquetting going on between Nelson and the Grey for the annexation of the latter district. The question came on for discussion in the Council the other night, when the Provincial Treasurer moved that the Council was “ willing ”to undertake the charge. In the’ course of his speech that gentleman looked into the dim vista of the future and saw that after Nelson and Otago had swallowed up the entire West Coast between them, “ would naturally follow the annexation of Marlborough to Nelson, which would thus result in the establishment of three strong Provinces in the Middle Island.” Long was the debate and many and dreary the speeches which followed, but it remained for Mr. Luckie to take up the idea thrown out, which he did in the following prophetic strain ;

He thought he could see the time when a general consolidation of loans would take place, and this funding of all the debts' would ultimately distribute them over the' entire Colony, in which event the difficulty as to the matter'of debt apportionment would be removed'. ■ It was quite possible that the vision of the Provincial Treasurer would ere long be fulfilled, namely that Otago would absorb the southern portion of the County of Westland, as she had already expressed her willingness to do, that Marlborough would be reunited to Nelson, from which she should never have beeu separated, and that this Province would extend southward to the Tere-

makau, its natural boundary. Then three Provinces in the Middle Island, and two in the North, would establish bettor means of selfgovernment, and overturn the efforts after a hard Centralisation, which it was the object of some politicians to obtain. He should support the resolution as being the beginning of a brighter state of things.

—And tlius these gentlemen dreamed and mooned about the absorbtion of Marlborough into Nelson’s parental bosom again, without one thought or consideration as to the desire or willingness of the people of this Province to comply with their views. One who was present tells us that the word “ Little” was sneeringly appended to the name of our Province, and that the enunciation of Mr. Luckie’s vision was greeted by a burst of laughter from the gallery, which caused these sapient councillors to turn to see what audacious fellow had ventured into their vicinity, who dared tints to treat their'new financial project with such levity, but of course without seeing the sinners. The Mail thus lovingly alluded to these unfortunate tale-telling speeches :

But the most effective speech of the evening was’ made by Mr Luckie, who was more drearily solemn than ever I saw him before, as ho peered into the future, and treated us to a narration of his prophetic vision. With a seriousness of tone, and solemnity of countenance, worthy of the prophet Balaam as he stood on Mount Peor and predicted the future of the children of Israel, did our great Nelson seer look forward a vast number of years and tell us what he saw dimly foreshadowed in the time that was to come. His grave and impressive manner had its effect upon everyone but myself, but I must confess that I was rather inclined for Mr Buckie’s sake to wish that he had by his side, as his guide and friend, that cxtremly “ useful animal” whose remonstrances produced so beneficial an effect upon his great prototype of whom I have made mention.

We will venture to say without the slightest exaggeration, that nothing would he more distasteful to this Province, “little” as it may be, than going back to Nelson • and that if any change does take place, the people of Marlborough will prefer even the autocracy of a Centralist form of Government to' having any closer connection with Nelson, and that without taking into account that we should thereby be accepting the responsibility of these projected new works and railways, to say nothing about finding the money to make and extend waterworks or light up Nelson with gas. Our contemporary the Colonist also takes up the same idea as Mr Luckie, and believes

That ere long the annexation will be effected, and that it wall be followed by the return of the Province of Marlborough to the bosom of its parent, from whom she was so ruthlessly severed some twelve years ago.

—Not while the voice of Marlborough can he heard on its own behalf! Badly as we have been treated by other Provinces, they have only taught us to bide our time, and nurse our resentment as to the past. Has the Colonist so soon forgotten how — when some two years ago such a scheme of annexation was proposed by the Ministry—men of all shades of politics met to make common cause against the obnoxious proposal ? Does Mr Luckie think the reckless measures we have noticed above are likely to commend such a consideration to our better regards now? Not a whit. Nelson and Marlborough will only be reunited when Nelson is swallowed up with Canterbury and Otago in one large body, and is by no means so tired of her present liberty and power of local self-government as to accept additional responsibilities which she has had no share in contracting, or derives any benefit from. As we have said before, we have no objection to the whole of the Province lighting up Nelson with gas, or providing it with water, but it will not be at our expense. Turning over our exchanges we find the following letter in the Nelson Mail, and we cannot conclude better than by reprinting it for the edification and amusement of our readers. Besides, it will help to “keep our memories green.”

Sir —A remark having been made by the Provincial Treasurer in the Council the other evening on the re-annexation of Marlborough to the Province of Nelson, and the same subject having been taken up in newspaper leaders and in private conversation, I am constrained to raise a voice from the other side of the Maungatapu, different entirely from theirs. No doubt it is very kind of the Provincial Treasurer to think of providing for “little Marlborough” in its expected state of collapse ; but I question altogether the necessity for such a collapse. A province without any debt is surely in as good a position .as Nelson, which is in debt and wants to go more into debt. Do the worthies of Nelson want Marlborough to help them to light up Nelson -with gas ? Your contemporary, the Colonist, grows very sentimental over the words of the Provincial Treasurer and pathetically describes “ the return to the bosom of its parent of the little urchin that was so ruthlessly torn from her apion strings.” Now the fact is the parent starved the child and whilst drawing large revenues from its estate spent upon it a mere fraction of them, and there is no guarantee now nor talk of such a thing that any more justice would be done to Marlborough if it came ' back to the “ bosom of its parent. Even after separation, Nelson, along with Wellington, kept robbing- Marlborough of its Customs dues

which it was able to do by a fluke of circumstances. So kindly has Nelson acted towards its neighbour Marlborough ! And in conclusion I would ask what support—what assistance have the representatives of Nelson afforded “ lirije_ Marlborough” in the House of Representatives to draw it to her—none, I say none ! Yours truly,— Blenheim.