The Nelson Evening Mail. SATURDAY, JUNE 9, 1866.

Nelson Evening Mail, Volume I, Issue 82, 9 June 1866, Page 2

The Nelson Evening Mail. SATURDAY, JUNE 9, 1866.

Scaecelt a newspaper arrives from the West Coast but contains some complaint of the state of the country roads, or of the streets and footpaths of the towns ; yet, although the Canterbury authorities have shown their incapacity for Government in a striking manner, by neglecting the interests of the inhabitants of their western territory, such is the vast; amount of work of this nature that requires to be done, that no treasury could stand the drain, the carrying out all which are required would cause. The circumstances of the place are unparallelled in the history of civilization. Eighteen months ago it was a perfect solitude ; a large population has suddenly settled upon its shores, scattering in all directions, requiring roads into the interior, wharves at the harbors, streets and footpaths to be made in the towns which have sprung up so suddenly. The nature of the country adds largely to the task otherwise large enough that has been cast upon the Government. It is so covered with a dense vegetation that the cost of road making is very great, and the climate is so moist that roads, unless well made, soon become destroyed by the traffic and reduced to the condition of mere bogs — requiring the expenditure of large sums to maintain in decent order. We believe that the wisest course to be pnrsued by the Provincial authorities would oe to incorporate all the towns and cast the burdea of local works upon ' the inhabitants, confining the Government expenditure en- . tirely to opening communication with the country. The wisdom of such a course as this would soon be apparent. The large amount of taxation such towns as Greymoutb, Okarita, and Hokitika could raise, would suffice to put those towns in decent order before long, and the concentration of the Government funds upon the country works would soon be the means of opening up good roads into all the important miuing districts. In the Nelson province we have as yet no large towns on the gold-fields, but if the diggings at the Buller openfup as they promise, we shall have one or two to provide for in a similar way.