NELSON BOUNDARIES BILL.

Grey River Argus, Volume XII, Issue 1312, 12 October 1872, Page 2

NELSON BOUNDARIES BILL.

• Mr J. Shephard, in asking leave to introduce this Bill, said that its main object was that which was sought to be attained iv other ways by the Bills introduced by the honorable member for Rangitikei arid the honorable member for Colling wood, namely, to allay a certain amount of discontent which existed on the West Coast, and to bring about a better state of things in that district. In both the Bills to which he had referred, it appeared to him the proposition was to deal with the question from the General Assembly, and through the General Government, rather than by the action of the people of the district themselves; but hia object was to give effect to the prayer of the numerous persons from whom the honorable member for Grey Valley a.nd himself had presented petitions, by giving a larger representation to the gold fields in the Provincial Council of Nelson. During several successive sessions, Bills had been introduced into the House for the purpose of altering the boundaries of the Province of Nelson and adding to it some part of the' County of Westland, but, for one cause or another, they had not been proceeded with. If that could be done, and at the same time a 1 further representation were given to the people on the West Coast gold fields, and if the representation of the settled portions of Nelson were equalised, it would then be the fault of the districts themselves if they did not receive a fair proportion of the revenue derived from them, To accomplish this, it would of course be necessary to adjust the debt of Westland, and he proposed to do this in a way that would be fair to all parties, and that a sum equal to that which was estimated as payable to Westland, should ha raised by way of loan, to complete mwr lines of communication between that part of the country and the interior, and also with Ainuri, which district, they had learned from the action of the honorable member for Cheviot, had some cause to complain. That honorable gentleman had brought in a Bill for annexing Amuri to Canterbury, chiefly, he believed, because these main Hues of road were not constructed. He proposed that any sum which might be payable to Westland as its proportion oE the •uhare of the debt, should be handed over to that County, to be expended on the construction of main roads. By this means, not only would the discontent which existed in Nelson be allayed, but Westland would be furnished with means to complete roads, and would hare means of communication with the North which would very much tend to do away with that delay in the delivery of its mails which the honorable member for Hokitika had referred to. The expenditure of the money would open up commu. nication between the West Coast and the rich district of the Amuri, and between Nelson and' Marlborough, and the measure would give increased representation in the districts that were complaining. In short, he proposed that the operation' of the Bill should be such that the people of the districts should have the management of their own funds and a share in their own government, and that they should not, in either, be dictated to by that House. Mr Fox did not rise to make any remarks upon the merits of the Bill itself, but merely to suggest that the honorable member should put it down for disoussion at the same time as the two other Bills on the same subject which the honorable ! member for Collingwobd and himself had introduced. If that was not done, it was very likely, considering the late period of the session, that no steps would be taken in the matter, of which he would be very sorry, for he wished his action to be a reality and not a sham. He was very glad to find that tho course which he had taken last year, and for which he had I been so severely censured by the honorable member for Nelson (Mr Curtis), had eventuated in some action being taken for the benefit of the West Coast, and had led to the honorable members for the district bestirring themselves in the matter. Mr O'Conor trusted that the Bills introduced by the honorable members for Collingw.ood and Rangitikei would not be postponed, as it would ouly lead to the shelving of the question altogether. 1 Mr J. Shephard exceedingly regretted

that he would not be in a position to move day. Be felt sure that the measure would meet the wishes of the people of the West Coast, and of the honorable member for Bangitikei ; and he might say that in the preparation of it he had had the advice and assistance of the • honorable member for Grey Valley, who for a long time had taken a great interest in the question. The Bill was read a first time.