THE WEEK.

Nelson Evening Mail, Volume IX, Issue 175, 25 July 1874, Page 4

THE WEEK.

The great annual event in the political world of New Zealand has eomfl off daring the week. The Colonial Treasurer has made his Financial Statement,: and, although up to tbe v present time we bave no more information than that contained in tbe brief abstract 'of the speech telegraphed to the. newspapers, we are able to form some little idea of the financial condition __t ; ths colony, 'lhe general, if not universal, verdict will, I believe, be -that, at the present moment, tbat condition is most satisfactory and encouraging, the enormous increase in ihair^yenue, nearly £300,000, showing that a tide of prosperity has, temporarily at all events, set in to our shores. Whether or not it is to be permanent ' time alone will Bhow, and in reading over the statement I must confess that I find ..something that looks a little unhealthy, ' .and leads me to doubt whether the rOae-coloted picture placed before us is not tf little too highly colored. lam not going into figures, nor am I dis- , posed to dispute the propriety of this or that sum being placed on the credit instead of the debit side, bnt will say in a few words what it is that makes me doubt where I would only too willingly believe. We more than once find reference made • to Canterbury and Otago aa being in a most flourishing condition, and making great strides in .;the race of progress} Wellington ap- - pears tb be moderately well off; Hawke's Bay, Marlborough, and Taranaki call for no special comment; but Auckland, Nelson, and Westland are alluded to in terms of pity, and spoken of as being unable to carry on without assistance from the General Government. Now we know that Otago aud Canterbury . are in receipt of a large revenue from the sales of land, which alone is sufficient to cause them to be classed among onr wealthy neighbors, but no bird can gtf on laying golden eggs for ever. The ; constant strain on her constitution must eventually prove too much for her, and :; the day will come when the cheerful cackle tbat announces that another deposit bas been laid in the nest will cease. When that time arrives will Otago and Canterbury continue to advance as they have done in tbe last three or four years ? At all events there can be no doubt tbat their present fetage of prosperity is owing very largely, if not entirely, to their land /fund. Wellington also is advancing, bat this may be attributed to her central position, excellent harbor, and still more to her chief town being the Beat ,of Government. Hawke's Bay, is certainly progressing, Marlborough gets on pretty well, and Taranaki appears to be jogging quietly along in ber own peculiar way. But Auckland, Westland, and Nelson are destitute of a land fund, and are not keeping ~-j)ace with those provinces whose coffers are constantly being replenished by the > gold that ia received in return for the acres parted with. I say tbat in looking over all tbis you cannot altogether make up your mind tbat the prosperity 'shadowed forth in the Budget is either widesprdad or sure to be permanent. I suppose everyone looks upon his own affairs as of far greater importance than those of tbe community or country in which he liveß, and, acting upon .this principle, I think it extremely likely that a very large number of Nelßon people in perusing the Financial Statement bestowed but a hurried glance upon the long rows of figures that represented, in some cases, tbe indebtedness of of the colony, and in others tbe revenue expenditure, and cast their eyes eagerly : <down until they came to the paragraph in which it was stated what was to be done for this province. The quarter of a million we wanted has certainly dwindled down very considerably, and thfr £so,ooo proposed to be substituted' for it is not what we hoped to get, but it is perhaps as much as we can profitably spend io a year, and we must . bring ourselves to look upon it not as •A final advance tbat is to shut our "months for ever, but rather as a first instalment. I suppose tbe Provincial Copncil will be called together to -decide how the money is to be spent," and if they can only agree quickly, and the Government will set to work at once in earnest, put on strong gangs of men on the works to be executed bo as to get them completed before tbe next -session of the Assembly, our representatives will then be able to go to the Government and say — The money you advanced is all of it gone. It bas been expended profitably and economically and has done good service to tbe province, but it has not proved sufficient : for oor requirements. We want still ; more to carry out our views with regard to opening up our country, and you may accept tbe manner in wbich the last amount has been laid out as an earnest that all future sums granted to us will be equally carefully administered Then, perhaps, we may again find favor in the eyes of the Government who, seeing our determination to remain behindhand no longer if we can possibly help it, will once more grant us tbe assistance without which we cannot get on, although with its aid . yvo. may rise to our proper position among tbe provinces of New Zealand. 4 "'- has been one item in ihe parliamentary telegrams that I must! confess I was glad to see. The Marriage with a deceased wife's sister BUI has passed (he House of Representatives, and will probably find its

way through the Lords. lam not speaking from a moral, social, or scriptural point of view, but merely from that particular point taken up by a reader of newspapers who bates to be bored witb seeing tbe Bame thing over aod over again, when I say that I am glad that the poor girl who has been tormenting us so long with her claims haß at last established tbem, io at least ooe branch of the Legislature. Sbe has been so pertinacious that she deserves success, and on tbis, tbe third time of asking, it is gratifying to find that there were not a sufficient number of people to be found to declare any jnst cause or impediment why the Bill should not become law. If the Upper Houee will only agree to it, we shall hear no more of this matter, and the deceased wife's sister will be able to marry her deceased sister's husband, and live with him happily for ever after. Wellington seems to be a bustling and thriving town just now, but sad tales come from those who are visitors there during the session of tbe miserable weather they have experienced ever since their arrival in that favorite residence of the storm-king. What would those who have to wade through the mud, desperately holding on to an umbrella that threatens every minute to turn inside out, or take its departure in tbe shape of ribbons, give for such weatber as we have enjoyed for the past week ? Bright, still, sunshiny days, nnd clear frosty moonlight nights — what more could we desire from tbe most kindly disposed clerk of the weather? In some respects, Nelson is without doubt more highly favored than any of her neighbors. F. ■^ — — i-i