The Nelson Evening Mail. MONDAY, JANUARY 19, 1874.

Nelson Evening Mail, Volume IX, Issue 16, 19 January 1874, Page 2

The Nelson Evening Mail. MONDAY, JANUARY 19, 1874.

Entirely dependent as Nelson must be upon borrowed money for the means of opening up the country and turning to account the mineral- wealth which is believed to exist in theiuterior of the province, we, and those who like ourselves are desirous of seeing the province become more prosperous than has been the case of late, can derive but little satisfaction from the speech recently nsade at Dunedin by Mr Vogel, or at least from that portion of it which relates to provincial borrowing. The f utterances of the Premier are the more ominous in that they give expression to an opinion which has been formed Bince he has visited the large and politically powerful provinces of Otago and Canterbury. At these places public works are being carried on by the General Government on a very extensive scale, while for minor undertakings their enormous land revenues are quite sufficient. It is therefore not likely that they nro anxious to raise local loans, and not desiring thorn themselves the probability is — for Otago and Canterbury are by no means uninfluenced by selfish considerationß—that they will oppose to their utmost any measures that may bo introduced for giving power to the provinces to incur liabilities for which the colony may ultimately bacomo liable. The representatives of these two provinces form a very large section of the House, and upon all questions affecting local interests they are usually managed by their leaders with considerable tact and skill, and, as a rule, are found to work well together. If then we are right in supposing that Mr Vogel's views on this question represent those of Otago and Canterbury, our members and those of other provinces -that are not in so flourishing a condition must be prepared to encounter

considerable opposition when the matter is brought before the House. The most effectual answer that can be given to the objections that may be raised will be that; the works it is sought to execute are " absolutely necesßary to the progress and welfare of the districts iu which they are to be undertaken. If, for instance, it can he shown that by the expenditure of say £20,000 a large breadth of country can be opened up rich in mineral stores, containing at iutervals blocks of good agricultural land, and which, when rendered accessible by a good road would support a population who would annually contribute to the revenue a sum far in excess of the interest and sinking fund, the probability is that even Otago and Canterbury might be convinced tlmt there were certain circumstances under which loaDS for special purposes might be raised with advantage not only to the locality immediately concerned, but to the colony at large. If she hopes to obtain that money which she so urgently requires Nelson must be prepared to show that the works she proposes to enter upon are of this remunerative character, and we hope to see the Provincial government at the special session of the Council to be held next week come down with a full statement-, not merely of the total amount required and of the several purposes to which it is to be devoted, but with somo fuller details with regard to the estimated acreage of the land to be rendered available, and its value whether as mineral or agricultural country, and pointing out the general bearing that the expenditure of the funds is likely to have upon the condition of the province. With all such information before them the Council will be able to discuss the matter thoroughly, and the result of such discussion will be that our representatives will go to the Assembly with a full knowledge of what it is the 'people are asking for and will be prepared to meet, and, we hope, to overcome every possible objection that can be raised. In moving the second reading of the Provincial Loans Bill, Mr Vogel said:—- --" It will be a matter for the Provincial Council to consider whether such works are required ; and the Government will, as a rule, give much more weight to the recommendations of Provincial Councils and Superintendents asking the House to allow loans to be borrowed on the security of blocks of land, than they could attach to the recommendation of a certain number of gentlemen who, meeting in a Committee Koom of this House, should determine to ask for power to borrow money. # * * * I believe that if the occasion really arises for borrowing money, the properly constituted authorities are those who should come to the Assembly and ask for authority." It is clear then that upon the Provincial Government and Council there devolves a heavy responsibility with regard to the raising of a loan, aud that it is for them to be prepared with all the arguments that are to be adduced in favor of borrowing, and with a statement of the advantages that it is expected will be reaped from the works to be carried out. We must not lay ourselves open to such another sneer as that with which Mr Vogel alluded to this province in the same speech from which we have already quoted, when, iu remarking upon the loans that were spoken of by the provinces so eoon as it was known that the Government intended to introduce a Provincial Loans Bill, he said :-— "Nelson members, I believe, one wet afternoon, made up their minds to propose to borrow a portion of a million." If we only make out a poor case we shall certainly be beaten, but if we are in a position to show that we have fair and reasonable grounds for demanding a loan, and if we can prove that beyond all doubt great benefits will accrue from its expenditure then we may derive some hope from the closing sentence of Mr Vogel's Dunedin speech which related to provincial borrowing wherein he said :— " Iby no means desire you should understand it to be my opinion that we should lay down an arbitary rule by which to deny to places interested the conotruction of workß which their own local conditions render imperatively necessary."