The Nelson Evening Mail. SATURDAY, AUGUST 30, 1873.

Nelson Evening Mail, Volume VIII, Issue 209, 30 August 1873, Page 2

The Nelson Evening Mail. SATURDAY, AUGUST 30, 1873.

It was an iniquitous vote that was agreed to in the House on "Wednesday night, when 1 it was resolved. to ;place^be surii r of £2500 on the Supplementary Estimates for "a subsidy for communication; betWeen the Eaat and West Coasts." From Mr VogeFs remarks, as reported by telegraph*, it would appear that what was required was not a subsidy for a mail service, for which,' perhaps, some plausible arguments might have been adduced, but simply for establishing . "steam communicatibri." In other words, the colony is asked to contribute £2,500 a year for the purpose of diverting the West Coast trade from Nelson and throwing ifc into the bands of the Dunedin merchants. For many yearapast ;an enterprising > firm in Nelson has been running a smart little fleet of steamers between -this place and the West Coast ports. They requiredno subsidy from the G-overnmeht, but seeing that a fair field of .commerce was open to them they at pnce entered upon it, no doubt to their own advantage, 'but 'at the same time to , ; the great, convenience of the public. These ..boats have now been I in. the. trade for a length .of time, v leaving Nelson pretty regularly for the West Coast ports at the rate of somejihing like two a week, thus serving all purposes required for a mail service. ;^ Otago now - wants to share in a trade that has hitherto b'efen secured by Nelson vl enferpri&ei' ! 'but ; hesitates to enter into r fair competition^ with ;our merchants , and "bOn's'equ'ently goes ' to tho House asks for a subsidy to enable her^ at the expense of Nelson, to connect herself with, the Coast, and, what ■■ is worse, she geis what she wants — with the assistan ce -of ; . a Nel son ■' member^ -Mp ; b.*Conor. Some , people. , like protection. What do they think of this new system of protecting-p-for. it is prp,t^cting— pne pro T .. yince against another, the one that is specially " protected^' against being, that which : has borne the burden and heat of the day? Imagine the positions of the two provinces reversed. What a hullaballoo there would have been in Otago! And Otago would have gained the day, as she has done now; ih'e subsidy would.; not have been-'graiited. Nelson is very frequently sneered at as being stationary. ■ No "\ wonder, if she:is;< thus to be specially legislated against by the colony.