THE Grey River Argus. PUBLISHED DAILY. SATURDAY, MARCH 9, 1872.

Grey River Argus, Volume XII, Issue 1128, 9 March 1872, Page 2

THE Grey River Argus. PUBLISHED DAILY. SA TURD AY, MARCH 9, 1872.

Ouk Nelson contemporaries are still striving to convince themselves and others that the Ministry have committed an injustice to the Province by interfering with the contemplated expenditure of £6000 on what is now softly styled the Central Buller. The Colonist especially has been eminent by the frequency of its allusions to the subject, by the very diverse character of its arguments, and finally by venturing to describe the legitimate and justifiable action of the Government by those very epithets which more appropriately apply to the attempt made by the NeLfon Executivo to misdirect the expenditure of the Gold Fields Fund. Twice in one number, and in prominent places, the Colonist makes allusion to what is now accepted as the intention of the Government, describing it as "a misappropriation- to be proven ted "—as a " mischief to be promptly and vigorously checked." And there is not wanting evidence in fact there is the plain statement— that efforts are being made to carry out the Superintendent's project, and to defeat the execution of the promises made by members of the Ministry at Westport and elsewhere. To meet these efforts opposite efforts should be made, and it is to be hoped that Mr Reeves will not be allowed to leave the-ißuller district without having the matter again brought under his attention, and a proper represention made as to the requirements of the districts contiguous .to the Coast. From a remark which fell from Mr Reeves in his recent interview with the Greymouth. deputation, it, was obvious that his view of the matter had even then been influenced by the communication matte to him by Mr Dobson as to the cost of the road across the Saddle, and that if that Wtimate . of the cost were not ex.

ceeded, he would be disposed to approve of the expenditure of the remainder of the vote on what is now, for a certain purpose, adroitly designated the Central Buller. If this were the case at such an early stage of Mr Reeves's visit to the Province, and if such efforts are being made'as'those referred to by the Colonist, it is not difficult to conceive that the object of the Superintendent of Nelson may yet be effected, and that a work of far greater importance— namely, the extension of tho Reefton road towards the Coast — will share the same fate as tho projected road between Marsden and Greymouth. Speaking of that road, and of the probable action of the Government regarding it, Mr Reeves himself said that in vulgar phraseology they would simply "let it sweat," and we can only anticipate that the Grey and Buller roads coastwise from the point at which they are for tho present to end, will also undervp this sweating process, if, at the instigation of the Superintendent of Nelson and the Colonist, this sum of is diverted to the distant interior, for the purpose, forsooth, of establishing a "special settlement!" Yes; a "special settlement" in some unnamed region in the " Central Buller" is now the object for which, according to the Colonist, these six thousand should be secured. Last week the argument was all as to the poor digger who pays an exorbitant price for his " pound of flesh," and who was to be exclusively and essentially benefited by a road connecting him with an unlimited supply of beef and mutton in Nelson and Marlborough. This week the poor digger is dropped, and there is a perfectly fresh creation. Ha^py thought ! Special settlements ! A speech by Mr Shephard on this subject is remembered and resuscitated ; the contemporaneous influx of immigrants and execution of public works Are recommended as essential features of the Government policy ; and then we are told that to illustrate this speech of Mr Shephard, and this policy of the Government, these six thousand pounds should be spent in the .Central Buller. Here is the little project, as faithfully described and fearlessly recommended by the Colonist as being the right thing at last to secure this slice of the fund for the Nelson SouthWest Gold Fields .— " We have reason to believe that when these sentences were spoken, Mr Shephard had in his mind a special settlement in the Buller Valley in connection with the proposed expenditure of .£6OOO on roads in that district, to which we have already referred. We have learned that in answer to inquiries from the Public Works and Immigration Department, Mr. Shephard some time ago gave details of his proposal as to settlement in the district. He then showed that on the assent of the ' Colonial Government to the recommendation of the Provincial Government to expend the £6000 proposed, in a measure depended how far the immigrants could be settled in the district with a fair prospect of success. The facts were thus set forth : — At present the dray-foad extends about sixtyfive miles from Nelson towards the Buller, and a large portion of the Road Boards' grant of 1870 has been expended in making a good stock and pack-road down the vaUey: "Were there the means of continuing this road some twenty miles further (and would be fully sufficient for this purpose), large quantities of lard, now virtually inaccessible, could be easily reached from Nelson. It is further suggested by Mr Shephard that the whole price of any lands on which immigrants may be placed, to the extent of, say £4000, equal to 8000 acres, at 10s per acre, should be expended in either the continuation or improvement of existing roads, the Colonial Government advancing the money and being recouped on tho principle of the Nelson Crown Lands Leasing Act, 1871. By this means Mr Shephard argues that ' a fund would be at once available for employing a large number of men for the first year, and in a district where gold-mining could be pursued without capital, there is little likelihood that men would remain on charge for so long a period. Largo quantities of auriferous ground lie all about the district, and are now only slightly worked, owing tn the high price of, provisions. Settlement would have the effect of largely increasing the number of miners, and thus a market would be created at the doors of the settlers.' After setting forth that the provisions of the Land Leasing Act would likely require amendment, so as to prevent the best pieces of land from being taken up and held by speculators, and that also the passing of a special settlements act in the next session would be necessary ; Mr Shephard says, ' Opinions vary as to the quantity of land available in this portion of the Buller Valley ; but it is agreed that the extent named, 8000 acres, could be found with ease, of excellent timbered land; and even at 40 acres each, could settle about 200 families."'

Now, if Mr Shephard, like an amiable theorist as he is, ever "had in his mind a special settlement/ as the Colonist says, he could only have contemplated establishing such . a settlement either on the Five^ Rivers Plain, or in the^ Inangahua Valley. In fact, the' firsf-mentioned locality may be considered altogether out of the question, both on account of its limited area, and its partial occupation by other than special settlers, and it is only to the Inangahua that the foregoing extract can be supposed to refer. By the description given of the distances, it is to that district to which the extract clearly points; there is none other fit for a special settlement worthy of the name. And that being the case, the arguments are wholly against such an expenditure as is proposed, in the locality proposed by Mr Curtis and the Colonist. To make the district accessible, if that is the design, any sum available should rather be expended in supplementing the works now in progress for the purpose of connecting it with the nearest sea-board. If there is reason for rendering it easy of access from Nelson, there is tenfold more reason for improving the facilities by these routes which are shorter, and along which some sections of road are already being formed. , But, if the truth were told, the Nelson- people, through simple greed of getting some of this money Nelsonwards, choose to ignore the paramount claims of a district the development of. which will make their Province one of the first in the Colony, and even such men as Mr Shephard and his friendly scribe, ignorant of the district, and' slow tb appreciate, its deserts, follow the proclivities of the bulk of the population. This bit of special pleading about special settlements is ,an unhappy illustration of the length to

which our Nelson rulers and \vriter3 will go when they are hard pressed for an excuse for their actions. It ia utterly inconsistent with what has been written beffre, and is altogether inconsistent with the» facts.