THE SUPERINTENDENT OF NELSON AT THE AHAURA.

Grey River Argus, Volume IX, Issue 754, 17 November 1870, Page 2

THE SUPERINTENDENT OF NELSON AT THE AHAURA.

His Honor the Superintendent of Nelson addressed a crowded meeting of the electors and residents of the Grey District at Gilmer's Hotel, at the Ahaura, on Monday evening, 14th November. Dr. Lee was called to the chair, and, after briefly stating the object of the meeting, he introduced Mr Curtis, and demanded J a fair and patient hearing for him. His Honor said he need hardly explain his object in coming before them, for no doubt they had already surmised that the object he had in view in visiting the gold field was to make himself better acquainted with their wants and requirements. But he came there that evening chiefly to endeavor to explain the cause of a manifest misunderstanding which existed between that and other parts of the gold fields, and between the gold fields as a whole, and the more settled districts of the Province, with reference to the expenditure of public money. He would first explain how the money was voted, and then show how it was expended. An impression prevailed that all the money voted on paper by the Provincial Gooncil during each session was available for expenditure. Such was not the case. The Council voted money away, not in accordance with the amount of any specific fund already available, but in anticipation of the probable revenue for the ensuing year. The votes were always in excess of the portion of revenue available for carrying them out, consequently a feeling was created antagonistic to the Government, and detrimental to the genemi interests of the Province. If the Council, asr~ was sbrnetiuico i,w ~^», voted five, ten, or twenty thousand pounds in excess of the largest amount which could possibly be spent on public works, a bad impression was sure to be created, because the Government were blamed for not giving effect to those votes, when the fact was there was no money coming from any source which could be applied in carrying those works out. Under such circumstances the Government were compelled to execute only such works as were of urgent and absolute necessity, and the selection of the works to be performed were made with due regard, to the interests of the whole Province, and not with reference to any part of it. When all the available money was expended there was no option but to leave the execution of the works which it was impossible to provide funds for to the next year. His Honor then gave a detailed statement of the revenue and expenditure from March, 1864, up to the present time, and he endeavored to show that the Soutft-West Gold Fields, and the Grey District especially, had more than their fair proportion of the revenue spent on them. With reference to the Brunner Coal Mine, His Honor said he understood an idea had gained ground thatit was being worked at a loss, but that was not the fact, on the contrary, there was a small profit every year. The Government did not expect to make a large profit out of the mine, they merely wanted to keep it open and in good repair until such a valuable property could be disposed of with advantage to the province. Mr M'Kenna asked his Honor to explain how the South- West Gold Fields had received more than their fair share of the revenue and where it had been expent '.* His Honor went into statistics again, and read the items as they had been expended in the Buller district, at Charleston, and Brighton, maintaining the Coast road from Cobden to the Mokinui, and the money spent in the Grey Valley, including the expenditure on the coal mine. He then continued : They would see by the abstract he had just read, which had been made up to the 21st October, the date of his leaving Nelson, that the several districts have had a full equivalent given them for the money raised in them. They would have to bear the fact in mind that there were L 24,000 spent on the gold fields on the West coast, before any appreciable revenue had been derived from them. This money had been spent by his predecessors in office, with the consent of the residents in the settled districts, from which the money principally came, in the hope that the development of the gold fields Avould materially benefit the whole province. If accounts were squared now, it would be found that the gold fields owed money to the more settled districts. But quite independent of this he would again assert that the revenue was expended in the several districts, to the full extent in which they were entitled They would perceive that the sums charged to the gold fields under the head of expenses of Government were apparently large, but the work of the gold fields occupied the greater part of the time of the Provincial Council when in session ; then there were the Engineer and Survey Departments, the time'"V)f which was taken up, to a great extent, with the gold fields ; then the gaols, police, and the great expense of maintaining the lunatic asylum, a large proportion of whose male inmates came :

from the South- We3t gold, fields —(A voice— "Yes, and you'll have more of thorn if you keep going on as you are")— • there were grants to libraries, fire brigades, &c, each item of a small amount, but making a considerable sum in the aggregate—sothat the sumsetdown (L 7,500) was not an unfair proportion to charge to the gold fields under the head of General Contingencies. Suppose the South- West Gold Fields were formed into a separate Province or County, would the cost of its Government be less than it was at present ? He thought not, and no doubt the inhabitants of the County of Westland were of the same opinion. If the residents of the gold fields would consider the matter reasonably, they must come to the conclusion that it would be unfair to expect the residents of the settled districts to bear the whole expense of the administration of gold fields affairs. One reason why the impression prevailed that large sums of money have been expended, without any apparent result, was because of the scattered nature of the scattered nature of the population, spread over large districts. The expense of maintaining order and administering the law, was thus greater than if the populations were massed within more confined limits. Another reason was the expensive system of road-making which, from the circumstances of the case, had to be adopted. There were 500 miles of tracks and roads now in existence in a strip of country only 120 miles in length, and these tracks were made in detached pieces, which was always the most unprofitable mode of construction. The cost of keeping these tracks in repair was very great,' and although he could not say they were kept in as good a state of repair as they ought to be, still they were kept in as good order as circumstances wotild permit, and the cost of doing so had been Lll2O for the last six months. He had now done with the dry and dull details of accounts, which it was necessary he should lay' before them, and he would touch upon more interesting but not more important matters. The bad feeling which it could not be denied prevailed towards the Government partly arose through misapprehension, and partly, he was persuaded, through wilful suppression of the real facts by those to whom the accounts and statistics he had read to the meeting were at all times accessable. He was not sanguine enough to hope that he could dispel this feeling of discontent, which appeared to be fixed and longseated in the public mind ; but he would appeal to their sense of justice and fair play, and ask them to consider the actual state of the case impartially, and they would come to a conclusion such as the facts warranted. With respect to water supply to the gold fields — they were doubtless aware that a sum of L 300.000 had been voted by the General Government for that purpose. Nelson would get its proportionate share of this grant, in common with the other Provinces, but as the money would have to be borrowed in England, the matter was altogether in prospective. The present condition of Europe was not favorable to the operation of raising money, but in case the loan co\ild be effected, it was as well to be prepared to spend their share of it to advantage. Accordingly the District Engineer was engaged in procuring and "COnipiUtjtr ittfffl.ma.iin-. ~» 4*. +he J)BSt sources of water supply, and preparing estimates of the probable cost of utilising the water within the limits of the gold fields. Mr Dobson would be glad at all times to receive suggestions from persons competent to give him information on this matter, but it would rest with the General Government, on the representation made by the Provincial Governments, to apportion the amount of the subsidy to each Province, A petition had been forwarded to the General Assembly at its last sitting, signed by upwards of 2000 inhabitants on both sides of the Grey River, praying for the annexation of that tract of country lying between the Teremakau and Grey Rivers to the Province of Nelson. The Government introduced a Bill to carry out the wishes of the petitioners, but they withdrew it towards the end of the session. He did not offer any active opposition to that Bill, but he suggested to the Government not to go on with it. He had an objection to the final disposal of such an important matter at the end of the session, and he thought it necessary that the Provincial Council should have an opportunity of discussing an affair of such paramount importance to the Province. The scheme had its advantages and its disadvantages. It would certainly benefit the miners on both sides of the river, by obviating the necessity of their taking out two miners' rights ; but he doubted if any advantage would accrue to the Province on the score of economy. It would give increased representation to the people, but it would bring a large amount of debt and liability on the Province. These were questions having such a momentous bearing on the future destiny of the Province, for good or evil, that it should be left to the Provincial Council to take the responsibility of deciding them. It was understood that the question would be again raised next session of the Assembly, when a definite conclusion would be come to. If the people were as unanimous then as" they were now, there was no doubt the Provincial Council would not object to the measure, and if the Provincial Council were in favor of the movement, he would give his personal support to it. Changes of such great moment could not be expected to be successful in their results, if the population affected by them was not united and thoroughly convinced that the change would be generally beneficial. It was for this reason he opposed a similar movement in the Province of Marlborough ; he saw the people were not united on the subject, and he was confident no good could come of it. Mr M'Kenna asked the Superintendent if the proportionate share of the debt to be brought over by the country seeking annexation was equitably arranged, would he give his personal support to the movement, irrespective of any influence brought to bear on him ? His Honor said, if the liabilities were equitably settled, and the people were unanimous in their wish, he would support the movement personally. He was not there to explain matters relating to himself personally. He came before them to yive expression to the views of the Executive Council; but certain remarks he made in the General Assembly, some two years ago, had given offence to the miners, and he was glad of the opportunity of giving an explanation. He then spoke of the miners as an unsettled, and, from the nature of their occupation, a

migratory clasH, especially the alluvial miners, and that they were not entitled to representation to the same extent as freeholders and settlera, who had a permanent stake in the country ; but if the circumstances which called forth the remarks were to occur now, he would speak less strongly on the matter. It seemed to him that he was stating a fact — the miners were a migratory class, although less so now than formerly. He had a deal to do in many capacities with miners, and his experience went to convinde him that he would be doing au injustice if he attempted to cast a slur upon them. He did not ! wish or intend to recall his former words ; he merely wished to explain what he did say, because the language he used had been misrepresented. His Honor concluded by informing the meeting that he would be happy to answer any questions which might be put to him. Mr M'Kenna said they had listened patiently to the long address of his Honor the Superintendent, but it could scarcely be said they were highly edified by it, or had learned much from it. His Honor came before them armed with an array of figures and presumed facts, which they had no means of checking or disputing. His Honor had ransacked the blue books to some purpose, and they were bound to swallow his arithmetic, and take his facts for granted, because they had no means of disputing them. The Superintendent had given as a reason for the non-ss^" pendituro of the money voted, the overr sanguine temperament of the Council ; but this excuse could be of no avail for the continual and studied neglect with which they been treated. Last year LBOOO were voted for the Grey Valley, and L2OOO were spent, and this year L9OOO were voted, and L 3500 were laid out, a large proportion of which went towards working the coal mine. He would be sorry to say anything capable of being construed into an expression of disrespect to his Honor, but he must take leave to dispute his Honor's assertion that so much money had been spent in trackcutting. Why they were continually having tracks, the urgency of which would not admit of delay, made by private subscription. Individually, he had recently paid more money towards the making of tracks than he had for licenses. Besides the great want of the district— the making of the Main Trunk Road to the seaboard — the erection of the Government buildings was an absolute necessity. It was •disgraceful, after the immense amount of revenue raised in this district, and squandered elsewhere, that they had to point to the two miserable wooden 6xß bandboxes opposite, and say — " There are our Government buildings."' Such a state of affairs did not exist at Westport, and why 1 Because Westporfc was the pet and petted residence of the Government officials, whose interests it was to improve their private property at the expense of public j ustice. The neglect of the track to the Amuri was another instance of the indifference of the Government to the welfare of the place. This was one of the main arteries in what should be a network of communication with the sources of our supplies ; but for the want of the judicious expenditure of a few hundred pounds it had fallen into di3iis3. How could any district expect to prosper when one of the first elements of its prosperity __— the means of quick communication — Was thus neglected T When -ho i»cvw those manifest injuries to the welfare of the place thus perpetrated by the Government, he could not help speaking out, and he would be pardoned if he did so rather warmly. The miners, or the " migratory vagabonds," as it might suit some people to call the class which was the mainstay of the country, did not have a fair proportion of the revenue spent on their requirements. There was an almost unlimited area of auriferous ground in the mining districts yet untouched, because the miners could not reach it for the want of tracks, which should have been made long ago. Hi 3 Honor had told them that the mining interest was in debt to the agricultural interest, but he (tho speaker) wouldlike to know, by what process of reasoning his Honor had arrived at that conclusion, and he had no hesitation in asserting that the farming interest did not produce as much, or was of as much importance, as the mining interest. He need hardly allude to that crying injustice, the nonexpenditure of the money voted for the Saddle rjad, for it was patent to everyone, that their trade had ,been diverted from its legitimate course to artificially support another and more favored locality. He would respectfully impress upon his Honor that a very wide-spread feeling of discontent prevailed, and people were getting in that state when a change was an absolute necessity ; a change which would be effected by any means and at any risk. It was certain to be for the better, because they could not be worse off than they were, and he concluded by complimenting his Honor on his foresight in not compromising himself in the slightest, and for the admirable manner in which hii Honor had maintained his reputation for making the smallest possible number of promises or pledges, in the greatest possible number of words. Mr M'Kenna was loudly cheered as he resumed his seat. The StJPJSRiNTENDENTsaid Mr M'Kenna would like to see the public works proceeded with on a more extensive scale, and he was quite right, but he failed to enlighten them on one very important point, viz., where the money was to come from. He (Mr Curtis) had shown them that, with the exception of the last financial year, the Grey Valley had a larger proportion of the revenue spent within it than any other district in the province. He always remarked that whichever district was treated the best, as far as the expenditure of public money went, the residents of that place were the most discontented and the loudest in their complaints. For instance the Buller district which he was told here to-night, was the pett> d and favored district, was by far the most discontented one. Every place he had visited was the worst treated, and most to be pitied, if the inhabitants could be believed, and the settled districts were as loud as the gold fields in their complaints. Tho fau'.t lay not with the Executive, but with the too hopeful temperament of the Provincial Council, as a body, who voted large sums, but did not give the money to carry o.it those votes. If the Council voted eighty thousand pounds for public works, and then expected ninety thousand pounds worth of work to be performeJ with the vote, somebody must come in for a share of public odium, and the Executive generally got the blame, while in reality everything depended on the state of the revenue.

Mr Pinkeeton asked the Superintendent if it was true that extensive public works had been commenced at Charleston. The Superintendent said he was not aware that such was the case ; but he knew that a work of some magnitude was about being commenced in the No Town District. Mr Tucker wished to draw his Honor's attention to a most important matter, namely, the road over the Saddle, and he wished to be informed whether, in case the Engineer, in his report as to the most suitable route to the reefs, should recommend the road through the Grey Valley, his Honor would do his beßt to forward the making of that road. The Superintendent said he only had the power to spend the money voted. LSOO had been voted for that work, and if the money could be raised it would be spent as directed. Mr Tucker put another question, with . reference to a culvert on the road to Halfounce Creek, and received a similar reply. Mr A M'Donald (Topsy Creek) enquired if his Honor was in favor of encouraging prospectors, and what means he deemed the most suitable to adopt for that purpose. The Superintendent said he considered the system of offering bonuses to prospectors the best. Prospecting parties fitted out at the expense of the Governjajeat had failed in their object in Victoria 'and elsewhere ; there was no bonus at present available in the Province. Mr Montgomery would suggest the necessity of classifyingthe several districts, and of having a periodical statement issued of the revenue and expenditure of each district. He condemned in forcible terms the system of road making hitherto adopted on the part of the Province, and said that, according to the Superintendent's own showing, the so called tracks at present in existence, had cost the Province L2OO per mile, and they were even now valueless as public property. He instanced the track to Bed Jack's, which he had cut himself five years ago, and the Government had done nothing to it since. He suggested the establishment of Road Boards, and advocated the construction of tramways, as the most economical and durable means of communication. He concluded by asking his Honor's opinion as to the classification of districts and the establishment of Road Boards. His Honor, said the classification of diftricts as described was not at present practicable. He would be glad to see Road Boards established, but the question arose how were the rates to be raised? They could not place a valuation on mining claims. The Government would offer no objection to the forming of Road Boards, and would give them assistance in proportion to the importance of the districts which {they represented, and the amount of money raised in each district, provided it could be satisfactorily shown to the Government how the rates could be levied and collected. He did not think rates could be levied on mining property, and it would be unfair to make contributions on agriculturalists and traders alone. Mr Montgomery said the miners paid considerable rates at present, the miners' right, for instance. His Honor said it v?a3 true the miners psid LI a year, bnt then they got the land for nothing. Farmers had to pay for their land. Swyers had to pay L 5 a year for cutting down timber. Business people paid an occupation licenss ; everybody had to pay somehow or other, and he failed to see that the miners were worae off than other people. In answer to a question from Mr A. M'Donald, his Honor said the contrast for the construction of the Nelson and Cobden Railway was not yet signed, and if the present boundaries of the Province continued, it would certainly be taken along the north bank of the Grey, below the Arnold. Mr James Anderson (a miner from Murray Creek)] enquired why the business connected with the Warden's Court from the Inangahua was transferred from the Ahaura to Westport. He said the miners could at all times reach this place from the Inangahua, there being now a ferryboat on that river, whereas the contrary was the case with respect to the place at which the Court was now held. He instanced the case of the last Court held at Christy's, and said that the miners were " stuck up" by the rivers and creeks in all directions, and the few who reached the Court did so at the risk of their lives. His Honor said the Court was held in the Buller district simply because the Inangahua was within the jurisdiction of the Warden at Westport, and he supposed the Warden's Court was held at the place mentioned by Mr Anderson, because it was more convenient to . Dr Giles, the Warden of the district mentioned. Several other questions were asked by people in the room, and answered by his Honor, when Mr M'Kenna came forward, and after strongly condemning the action of the Government towards the Grey district, moved the following resolution : — " That the explanation of his Honor the Superintendent was not at all satisfactory to the people of the Grey Valley, inasmuch as there is no implied promise given of the public works being proceeded with immediately." The motion was seconded by Mr A. M'Donald. Mr Robt. Alcorn moved as amendment — "That the thanks of this meeting be given to his Honor the Superintendent for his visit to the district, and that the meeting expresses the hope that his Honor will visit the district often, and ascertain its wants and requirements." The amendment was seconded by Mr A. Montgomery. Me Potts supported the motion, and remarked upon the general feeling of diecontent, which his Honor said prevailed throughout all the localities he had visited. The fact this discontent being so universal, was a clear proof that there must be some reason and foundation for it, and his Honor's explanation did not tend to allay that widespread feeling of uneasiness. The Superintendent had not told them how he was impressed with the place ; he had not seen much of it, and his mode of progression through the district was not calculated to enable him to become acquainted with its resources or requirements. He had entered into a dry detail of figures, which might or might not be correct ; but his Honor's visit and his explanation would be entirely barren of any pracitical effect, and he was confident hegaveexpression tothefeelingsof the meeting, and of the district when he said the imputations made against his Honor

and his Government must have some good groundwork. The resolution was then read by the Chairman, and the amendment was put to the meeting and lost. The Superintendent said he did not feel disposed to make remarks on votes of want of confidence, they did not trouble him much, he was used to them. He was not going to tell them he never seen a finer place in his life, and if they wanted him to promise to treat other districts unfairly, by diverting their fair share o the revenus to benefit the Grey Valley, he was not going to do so, because he was not prepared to inflict any injustice on any other district in order to confer a favor on another. His Honor concluded by moving a vote of thanks to the Chairman and the proceedings terminated. j