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Nelson Evening Mail, Volume VIII, Issue 294, 8 December 1873, Page 2

To the Editor of the Nelson Evening Mail. Sir—lt Ins been asserted over and over again, that Mr Curtis'has" kept the province baok, arid' that it h . owing to want of energy oa bin part that Nelson is so far behind the other provinces. Well *c first I-i was quite taken with this err and was quite prepared to oppose Mr Curtis' re!election, but alter mature reflection I have arrived at the conclusion that Mr, i Curtis i? r not so much to blame as his opponents' would Have it' believed. He has from the first advocated loans and railways When in the Council in 1863, sometime before he became Superintendent, he' advocated a railway to the Central Buller, and *ince that date he has consistently urged upon the peoptefthe necessity; of;connecting ..tjtie West* Coast goidfidlds with this part' of the province, and there is reason to believe that but for the . opposition hia propbsils met with railway com-, ruunication would have been established some' years Ago, and Nelson would have been in a much more flourishing condition. Had the people then been aa unanimous as they became a few months' ago and are now, we should not at the present time be a«king for a railway. It is a well known fact that until very lately borrowing money for public works was thought to be ruinous, and was objected to by Mr Curtis' political opponents Mr Robinson and Mr Siuudersbpth strongly opposed loans,, ai\d theic policy was approved of; other provinces' borrowed and prospered, Nelson refused to borrow and her progress has been retarded in consequence. Of late^iears;- provincial borrowing, was prevented by the-General Assembly, and Mr Curtis was unable to carry out the policy he has from the first advocated, snd it is only within the last twbyears, since >Mr Vogel'3 scheme began to be appreciated, that the people of Nelson have become alive t; the fact that loans for public works and opening, up the interior,,of the country are absolutely necessary in a new ie -untry,' and that they luve hitherto been wrosv in opposing a loan policy. If I ara right in what I\ have stated, and I think I am, then I ask, is it fair to blame Mr Curtis because the province has not prospered as other provinces have. I take it that the'blame is to be attributed t j the people th-mt elves, and especially to those who have opposed the policy tint is now so generally approved. Another reason why Nelsm hf>a not progressed is that it has unfortunately from the. „commencement been the victim of pa-ties ver| nearly equ»,l in strength, what one party, proposed being opposed by the other. One advocated the railway, tbe other opposed it, so tiie railway scheme failed; one party advocated a slip, and the other party preferred a dry rock, so we got neither, and so it lias b(en with moat things. It is now hoped, and reasonably so, that the formation of Inland Committee, an enfrely nonpolitical bo iy, has broken up these parties, and that all are disposed to work together for one common object, viz., the prosperity of the provinco. The Superintendent has pledged himself to appoint an Executive without reference fo party, and there is little doubt he will be aide to select men of energy and ability.to act with him in carrying out the policy he has so consistently advocated for years and which bas up to a short time ago been so persistently opposed. But party feeling is oot so easy to put down, and attempt s arc btimj made to blast the prospects of prn£reavthat are offered to; us by turning out Air Curtis,s<rho has so consistently advocated tbe policy we Bbw heartily approve and electing as r-uperintendent a man who has in every way in his power opposed the railway and the expenditure of-public money for connecting the Gol (fields with the settled (iistricts. As a man with some ttakq in the province and interest in its progress, I ask the electors to piiiise bef re voting for party purposes only-, I «sk them to vote forthe man who is most:likely to form a Government that will advance the pr(»Bpe»ity of the province, and I aak them can they expeit that of Mr O'Conor ? I think not. Yours, &c, Progress.