MR. STAFFORD AND MR CURTIS.

Grey River Argus, Volume XII, Issue 1289, 16 September 1872, Page 2

MR. STAFFORD AND MR CURTIS.

In tho course of his remarks on Mr Stafford's resolutions, Mr Yogel is reported in Hansard to have said :— Mr Yogel : Auother prominent member, whom we have every right to expect would be one of a new Government, is the hon. 'member for Nelson (Mr Curtis) ; indeed, I am inclined to believe we should have rather a plentiful supply from Nelson. There would be the hon. member for Waikouaiti, and the hon. member for Nelson (Mr Curtis) — in fact, we should have three Nelson members in the 1 Government. - ' ' * ■ Mr Stafford : The hon. member may not be aware that I do not represent any constituency in Nelson, but a constituency in Qantprbu ry, The hon. member having been away from the Cjolpny of late, may possibly not be aware of the constituencies which hon. members represent. r ; Mr . Togel : The hon. member has grown up at Nelson. His interests are in Nelson, find his sympathies are. with Nelson. Mr Stafford : Not at all. I have got a very small and inconvenienthouse there, and that is my whole interest in Nelaon. If it Were burnt down to-morrow, I should, perhaps, be more glad than any person else in the country. Mr iVogel: Everybody looks upon the hon. member as a Nelson man. He has received his political educatioYi at Nelson — he commenced there, and has gone on studying politics in that charming city. I want to know this ; Does the way in which Nelson has been governed, afford to us a fair prospect of the same kind of government being successful if applied to the whole Colony ? I undertake" to say that if Nelson had been properly governed it would be the most prosperous Province in the Colony; but what is the case.l> Nelson possesses the oldest gold fields in the Colony. I believe they are as rich, if not richer, than any other ; but to this day they are almost undeveloped, with the exception of what the General Go-vernment-has done for them lately. As far as the commercial aspect is concerned^ the \Vest Coast i 3 a mere appanage of Victoria j the whole of. its trade has gone, there with a comparatively small excep- ' tion. The Province is threatened with dismemberment, so that the Superintendent may stand upon some ridge overlooking the town, and say ka is monarch of all lie surveys, and no more. There are proposals to cut it iip in two directions, and it is the part of tha Colony in which there is a chronic state of discontent. Ido not think it at all desirable that we should apply the Nelson system of Government to the whole Colony.