THE COLONIST, NELSON, TUESDAY, AUGUST 5, 1873. A NEW PROVINCE.

Colonist, Volume XVI, Issue 1657, 5 August 1873, Page 2

THE COLONIST, NELSON, TUESDAY, AUGUST 5, 1873. A NEW PROVINCE.

For several years the peace of Nelson has _ beea disturbed by attempts being made tc i. alter the, boundary between it and, the f> County of Westland. At one time it was proposed to cut off from us the district 3 extending north as far as the Razor Back, at others the Grey Valley clamored to have that part of the County, north of the ) Teremakau annexed to Nelson, and last yeai Westland generously proposed to relieve us * of all our "West Coast territory; a project ) of spoliation in which they were' "assisted by many of the inhabitants of that part of ) the Province who were so infatuated as not to see the certainty of their having to beat. ' a considerable extra* load of debt, and that whatever evils they may fancy they endure •from Nelson rule, the change would have been pne very much worse for themselves. By efforts, which, however, they may have been censured chiefly by, or at the instigation of the defeated party, were at any rate successful in maintaining the. unity of the Province, all the schemes for the injury of Nelson-fell to the ground, and despairing of being able to acquire additional revenue at the expense of her neighbor; this year sees l an endeavor to procure for Westland the abolition of the present form of government, ■ and its erection into a new; Province with 1 powers of legislation such as are possessed .by other parts of the Colony. When Mr. Stafford, in 1867, devised the notable scheme for establishing a novel form of political 1 organisation in New .Zealand, he was peculiarly favored by existing circumstance?.

r . J J O — The Canterbury Goldfields were then in state of great prosperity, but though a larg revenue was received from and a still large sum was spent on them, like others neare home, they constantly complained that the derived little benefit from their contribution which they .alleged were either spent in th settled districts of Canterbury, or waste in works badly designed and extravagantl executed. In the Provincial Council th members, sent from the western side con trived bo completely to wear out th patience of those representing the agricul tural and pastoral interests that they bavin, first secured at enormous expense a coac road across the Island, offered, no objectio, to the severance, and thus the County o Westland came into existence. The Staffon Ministry, as then constituted, had laii themselves out to break down every mean they could.devise the existing Provincia institutions, and in Westland they expectec to furnish the Colony with a model to b< imitated instead of which it has developec into the dreadful example to be by everj one avoided. When the debt of Canterbury came to be apportioned, the monetary con dition of both the districts were verj different from what it is now. Gold duty as well as every other part of the Goldfield, revenue, was exceedingly productive, whil< on the east side land sales were few and m one dreamt of a time coming when these poor rich people would lament having more money than they can profitably use. The natural result followed, and Westland, with a revenue that fell, was in the heyday oj prosperity saddled with a share of thp Provincial debt greater than it could possibly pay, and at the game time do anything effectual towards opening the country and extending the. area available Cor mining and settlement. The necessity for new roadg was so great that the Westland share of the Middle Island. Railway was diverted to that purpose, useful it must be allowed, though not what was originally cpntemplated. The funds available from this .source proving insufficient, a further sum of £50,000 was last year authorised to be advanced on security of the County revenue, and now it is understood that a case has bsen made gut so as to have satisfied the. Government of the propriety of advancing another £50,000 on the land, with this proviso, in consideration of the undue proportion of Canterbury dsbt, that for ten yearß the Colony wiil pay the interest so as to giva the luckless County a chance of reducing itself from its present impecunious condition. How far j the rest of the Colony will be satisfied to make so large a contribution for the benefit of this prodigal remains to be seen. This is clear that without aid it would not be possible to continue any Government, and as neither Nelson nor Canterbury , have expressed any, desire to have annexed a a district loaded with debt, and requiring large sums for public works, possibly it may >c made to appear that no other course was open. The change in the form of government now proposed has long been seen to j be desirable. Members of the Council were selected, not so much for their merits as with a view to the election of spine parfcicu- j lar chairman, and the result has been that j the chief executive officer has never possessed ] the confidence -of a majority of the people j The management of .public business has always been extremely loobs and unsatisfactory, and- even had a chairman been judiciously chosen, being only elected for ■ two years, by the time he had acquired a reasonable knowledge of his duties he had. to give way to another novice, and thus the i real control was in the hands of the I' permanent officers. When the separation \ took place, it was.provided that the Provincial Acts of Canterbury should continue in [ force, but as there was no power in the t County Council to amend existing or pass new Acts, the changing circumstances of I" the people could not be provided for. At J \ one time a strong desire was expressed to I & establish schools, but this was found I« impracticable, because, previous to 1867,1 o; Canterbury had made no sufficient provision. I " Experience proved the need for a new I* Licensing Act specially adapted to a Gold-1 ields community, and giving powers that] re lo one anticipated would be requisite while!a >art of the Province legislation on Koadjj" Boards was impossible, though the Act in I orce had long been shown to be exceedingly I O i tefective. la short the inhabitants yrere at I m very turn encounteredbj an inaurmounttblt I {ti

barrier on which was inscribed " No jtyjislar tion.*' Tt1 is quite true'they could, appeal .] to the General Assembly, but thera while \ every other part of the Colony dealt with, the wants of its own people a natural disinclination existed to spending the time . of Parliament over the affair of a small; community. Greater pecuniary, prosperity caunot be expected to spring from the mere change proposed, though we believe it will - tend to produce a more satisfactory feeling among,the people, so thit every success should be wished for the. now Province coupled with a hope that there never may be an attempt to repeat this costly failure of which Mr. Stafford was- so proud, and from which he expected to be able to advance to the deatructioa of Provincial Governments.