THE NELSON EXAMINEE. Thursday, March 17, 1864.

Nelson Examiner and New Zealand Chronicle, Volume XXIII, Issue 33, 17 March 1864, Page 2

THE NELSON EXAMINEE. Thursday, March 17, 1864.

Journals become more necessary as men become more equal and individualism more to be feared. It would be to underrate tbeir importance to suppose that they serve only to secure liberty : they maintain civilisation. De Tocquevillb, Of Democracy in America, vol. T., 230. We sufficiently indicated, in our last issue, the opinion that enough or perhaps too much croaking had been done over the present condition and future prospects of Nelson. "We have never desired to see people run into the opposite error, of puffing the place. Here, as everywhere, moderation and quietness are strength. To be elated one day, and depressed the next, is the character of weakness. Nelson is not really worse than it was this time last year, except by some few pounds' that might have been better spent, if spent calmly. "What makes things look black is the sparkling picture that too hopeful fancy has been painting in front of the sober facts. The vision has faded, and the facts look, but certainly are not darker than before. Those who have read the Examiner for the last two or three years may remember that we have frequently dwelt on the fact that the country presents everywhere sufficient of the precious metals to furnish partial but remunerative employment to a considerable population, if that population can^produce the heaviest articles of food on the spot where the mining is carried on. " Gold is sowed broadcast," is an expression that has been in a hundred mouths, and often used in our

columns; and although there has hitherto been found but a very small area where the richest prizes are to be won, there is much reason to believe that gold will continue long to be a product in this part of the country. Already the Collingwood field has exhibited this character ; nor have the Baton, Wangapeka, and Tadmor ever been quite without a few patient diggers of moderate expectations. "We may even say a little more of the present hopes of Nelson as a gold country. There has never yet been a district opened here with better promise than the new diggings on the Mataldtald. In this valley there is a large area that may be worked ; and there and in the neighbourhood there are already a hundred and fifty men, or thereabouts, all admitted to be getting wages. "We laboured strenuously last autumn to direct public attention to this part of the Buller basin. At the confluence of the Matakitaki, Matiri, Manila, and Upper Buller rivers is, by common consent, the pleasantest spot on the main stream ; a level or undulating plot of 20,000 acres or more, spoken of as the " Four River Plain." Besides the little plain, there is a considerable area of level and some open land on the three first named rivers — how much no one has attempted to estimate with any precision ; but the last surveyor who visited the Maruia, speaks of a good extent of terrace land, covered with timber, and of better quality than the grass land, which is itself excellent. Again, as the time for the meeting of this Provincial Council approaches, we recal the subject, we hope with more chance of success, and, indeed, under better auspices. "We shall commence the financial year without any balance in the treasury, but without any serious deficit. It would be unjust not to 'call attention to this fact and place it to the credit of Mr. Robinson. It would have been easy for him to plunge the province into debt, yet maintain an appearance of propriety, for, as our readers are aware, the appropriations were thirty to forty per cent, in excess of the revenue that will be realised, and the easy expedient of an overdrawn account would have furnished means for gratifying a considerable number of people who must now suffer annoyance from the absence of works or contributions to funds in which they are interested. "We cannot do less than call attention to the fact that every needless expenditure has been conscientiously stopped, to meet the actual facts of the revenue. To return from this little digression. There will not be a balance in hand, and the Customs revenue will be poor next year, but we may hope for a fair amount of land fund, little, if any, below the average receipts. "With rigid economy, and a resolute shutting of their ears against any of those recurrent claims which must shortly be silenced, we are satisfied that a sum of £15,000 to £20,000 may be set apart next year for the real work of the province — opening the country for settlement. This money, with gifts of land to eke it out, would employ from 250 to 300 men for twelve months. "We would have it spent with all the care the Council, the Superin-

tendent, and Mr. Elackett, can give to the subject, in improving and extending the present "Western Eoad, and constructing one bridge, or more, over the Buller, near the confluence of the rivera. If this last requisite be for the present too costly, then we would substitute a permanent cradle for crossing the river, running on wire ropes stretched above the flood level. This plan is now in action for constructing the "Waiau-ua bridge, and Mr. Handyside happily suggests that it may be applied in permanence in many places where floods are frequent, and fords and ferries few or bad. There would be no difficulty in taking horses across by such an apparatus. The precise line of road to be taken we do not now pretend to indicate, but whether it goes partly by the Matakitaki, or by the Maruia entirely after leaving the main valley, ifc should be constructed as a main line of communication to the Grey country, and possibly the main southern road ; the future addition of a narrow gauge railway should be constantly borne in mind, and suitable gradients maintained whenever the funds will allow ; and bush clearings made at convenient intervals to form grass paddocks for cattle and horses working on the line. "We have said the funds may be eked out with grants of land, but these grants should in fact be of the very essence of the plan. The new Land Act, which •will soon be law, allows a large extension of the present system of grants for public works, where the land granted is adjacent to the work done. The policy is obvious ; namely, that you interest the contractor or workman in the particular work — and we would wish to see the work given out only to those who will accept of grants of land, so as to interest the workman in the settlement of the country. Our readers must observe that the new Land Act admits of the land being given as a bonus for work (an addition, that is, to the price) ; so that very liberal terms may be oifered to draw labour into the required direction. "When we have once got foothold in the interior, itwill be strange if it is ever again a desert. The most gloomy pictures of the country describe it as containing gold enough in a hundred places to pay good ordinary wages, and sufficient fertile land to supply a considerable population with root crops, meat, and dairy produce ; and men do not leave remunerative freeholds. Is it too much to hope that fifty out of our 250 workmen would become settlers, on the terms and inducements we could offer ? That, however, is the limit of our expectations, and should it be realised, the problem of opening the interior and finding a field for growth, is, we believe, disposed of for the present. If the Provincial Council can resolutely adhere to some such plan, there is not only no cause for despondency about the prospects of the place, but we honestly believe that we should be starting on a caraer of steady advancement which would not be checked for many years ; and next March we shall be wondering at the phantom that so darkens men's spirits at the present date.