COBDEN AND SEPARATION.

Nelson Evening Mail, Volume IV, Issue 103, 4 May 1869, Page 2

COBDEN AND SEPARATION.

To the Editor op the Nelson Evening Mail. Sir, — In this evening's issue of the Greymouth Star appears a leader on the Brunner Coal-mine, on which, with your permission, I should wish to say a few words, but in doing so will have to quote from the said production. In the first place, then, a quotation: "Universally acknowledged a stay of the Greymouth trade," &c. Now, from the tone of the journals here, I had arrived at the conclusion that the mine belonged to the County of Westland South, because both imports and exports are claimed as belonging to that county by the local papers. That portion of the leader referring to the price, quality, and weight of the \-oal, is perfectly correct; but I consider that when the writer of the article in question observes that " we do not consider that any Government ought to interfere in matters of this kind," and again, " the sooner the commercial community of Greymouth take the matter in hand," &c, he is just as much in nubibus as when he tackled my valued friend and staunch advocate of total abstinence, Ben Crisp. There are portions of the article in question, as I observed before, that are quite correct, for instance, the first quotation, " Universally acknowledged a stay of the Greymouth trade," &c. Could not the Star have also gone on and said that " we are glad th;it honest individual Alfred Saunders has left Nelson province; had he stayed we should not now be battening on the revenue of that province, but as it is, upwards of threefourths of our receipts fairly belong to Nelson ; an I besides, we have plundered that province of £800 a year f r the collection and trouble of j expending the said revenue;" he would then have written that which, if not " Universally acknowledged," is "Universally" known to be true. So far on " black diamonds." As I have the pen in my hand, I will glance at to-day's leading article in the Grey River Argus. It is on the question of Separation, and for the first time, to our great disgust, we find that this district is inclu !cd in the crj' for separation from Nelson, implying that we are agreeable,—that we wish this change. The implicaion is untrue, — almost to a man we are faithful to our first luve Nelson. We know that at present we are unfairly d-alt with, but we firmly believe that wiil be rectified so soon as the Council mees. Objection may b; taken to the words unfairly treated, but I will mention the revenue (from official s >urces) of the district. I don't mean to say the revenue that is actually the sum due to Nelson, bat that portion she received last year : — Customs, Cobden's share £21,086 12 5 Gold 7,022 13 7 Miners' rights, business licenses, land, miners' leases, &c, approximate 6,000 0 0 £34,109 6 0 The Provincial Council will probably supply us «ith the expenditure, and if you also take into cor.slleration that the Cobden district has never returned a member to the Provincial Council (this is principally owing to the fact or the polling booths l>eing so far away from the centres of populati n) WestpTt virtually returning the five members, I think that the words "unfairly treated" cannot be taken as harsh 1 terms. The separation of Westport so far as the Razorback would be found a benefit to Nelson and Cobden, because tne monej r raised here has b e.i spent in the Buller, as well as their own revenue lam sure that there are "old identities" in Westport who must remember th^ Wairau separation movement, and how fiat it was only a movem nt of interested individuals to provide themselves with feather beds, instea •! of those of wool. What has become of it? Verbum Sap. Yours truly, Looker-ox. Cobden, 20th April, 1859.