The Dunstan Times. FRIDAY, JANUARY 13, 1871.

Dunstan Times, Issue 456, 13 January 1871, Page 2

The Dunstan Times.

FRIDAY, JANUARY 13, 1871.

Beneaththe Ruloef Man ssterei. v just the pun is mightier than the sWord

Tilf, contest for the Supevintendency promises to he a sharp one, each of the candidates are doin'; tlieir utmost to enlist the sympathies of (he people in their favor Of the merits ol the respective aspirants for the office, there has been considerable op- | portmiity for judgin", and we mint j certainly own that Mr. Macandrew, —should no other candidate than Mr. Reid come forward - would best suit the iute-ests of the up-coimtry districts. So far as his past services are concerned nothingcan be urged against him, and the experience of the last fair years would go to show us that even, if he has promised much, what he has failed to fulfil was because the means were wanting ; if anything can he said against Mr Micanch-ew it is, that he has a ttempted more than he could perform As member in the General Assembly for the Olutha, his support of the Financial Policy of the Government, and the Otago Hundreds Regulation Act are mere matters of opinion, and there is no doubt but that he believed in voting tor those measures lie was doing the best for th interests of the Province. During the term of his office as Superintendent, the country has made considerable progress, and a large area of land has been settled especially upon the goldfield -, and had it been within the means of the Government to satisfy all the claims of the squatters much more would have been thrown open. Progress has certainly marked the upcountry districts during the Macandrew regime -no other administration has ever done so much goo 1 out of Dunedin It must he distinctly understood that for the iuteiests of the goldfields we must have a man of progressive ideas, civilization must not begin in Dunedin and extend itself to the country, it must begin in the city and in the country simultaneously, in fact in many cases, it must extend itself from the country to the city. -Had ■there been no goldfields in Otago, tie ordinary courses of settlement might have been gone through, and population would have extended itself from

the seaboard into the interior as roads were nmde, or the exigencies of the Province demanded, the ad-

vent of tlie goldfields the tide of population set in from the far interior malting it imperative that both town and ■country should equally participate in the ‘expenditure 'df the public Vo venues. It is a fact patent to every thinking man, that to settle popula- i tlon Upon the goldfields there are no | •means so beneficial as roads, and the same may be said where there are no ■goldfields—it is the want of the means of communication that bars tbe way to our progress. The Nevis, Ban-, nock burn, Upper Clutha and western banks of the Molyneux between this and the Teviot are instances of how population follows in the wake of load making, we may also quote the Lake’s District and instance the progress there, solely on account of roads having been nude to the Dunstan, and even Martin’s Bay would progress were communication by land available. We do not go so far ns Mr. Macau drew upon the matter of railways, because we believe that ordinary roads are in our case of more importance They will in the fust place render the country accessible, and afterwards act as feeders to the railroads. We have very little for export beyond grain and wool, and without there is a, very large increase of population ordinary roads will supply ail our wants for some time to come. The six million loan if judiciously expended, will go a long way towards improving matters in the colony generally, it will as a matter of course add largely to our indebtedness, but its expenditure upon reproductive works and immigration will also receive means of discharging our liabilities. We must consider our liability to pay as wei! as our ability to get into debt-; if our burthens are heavier than any other British colony, our capacity to sustain them are in proportion, it matters very little how much tve owe, if we'possess the means to pay, there is no probability of any more serious native disturbances, and six millions ofborrowed money expended upon immigration and public works will not crush us out of existence, but rather enable us to lessen our liabilities by the progress the colony will make Mr. Reid may suit very well for the Taieri farmers, who want nothing hut a road to Dunedin, and the means of sending their produce to the goldfields. The opening up of laud here and the miners becoming their own producers, is entirely opposed to their interests, and the s -me may he said of the Dunedin supporters ot Mr. Reid, all they want is our gold hi exchange for their wares, their love for the goldfields is purely cupboard love, they want us as customers and nothing else. Mr, Macandrew has shown that he would accomplish much for the up-country districts were it in his power, ~We have had four years trial of him, and none can say that he has been found wanting. If we desire progress we must support Mr. Macandrew, but if we wish to make a retrograde movement, then we must lend our assistance to Mr. Donald Reid and the Taieri fanners.