The Nelson Evening Mail. MONDAY, JANUARY 4, 1875. THE KARAMEA.

Nelson Evening Mail, Volume X, Issue 3, 4 January 1875, Page 2

The Nelson Evening Mail. MONDAY, JANUARY 4, 1875. THE KARAMEA.

We are sorry to have again to record the departure from the Kararaea of a number of (hose who were sent down to form the nucleus of a special settlement, although, at the same time, we are not at all surprised at such being the case. Why the Government will insist upon retaining at the head of the liltle colony a man who is gradually, but surely, breakiug it up, and converting what might have been a complete success into a thorough failure is altogether beyond our comprehension. Of thirty-three men and four lads who were originally sent down, there remain now but twenty men and two lads, the others having, as they asßerr, been driven away by the mismanagement, vacillation, and churlishness of the overseer. Having made it our business to see some of those who have returned to Nelson, and to obtain as much information from them as they are able to give, we will put their statements into a narrative form, though it must be remembered that what follows is not the tale as told by one individual, but including the stories of several : — We wero led to believe that we should at leaßt be supplied with a sufficiency of provisions,* instead of which, on coming in to dinner, we have on more than one occasion found that the meal for each man consisted of a very small piece of salt beef and two potatoes, both of which were not always good. On our complaining Mr Hyland would reply, "Wei), you have only to ask and you can get more, but you must first make a regular complaint." The same thing would occur again perhaps in a day or two, when we would again remonstrate, and then would be told, " There you are, always grumbling." We were all of ua impressed more and more each day with a sense of the utter unfitness of Mr Hyland for the post he occupied, and there is scarcely a man in the place but would tell you that he is as weak-minded as a woman. He would set us to work at a dozen different; jobs in one morning, and was perpetually issuing contradictory orders, uutil at last we scarcely knew what to be up to. Whether this was because he did not know any better we could not not say, but some of us begun to believe that it was done merely to show his authority. We wanted to see our land, but he could not tell us where it was or how to find it. He was constantly annoying us too, by telling us that the time would come when we would be very glad to get a meal of potatoes and fish, as a steamer was to be sent down with some cattle and twelve months provisions, and probably would not call in again for sis months, whereas we had gone down upon the understanding that there was to be monthly communication with Nelson. Instead of cheering he was always trying to dishearien and discourage us, never had a kindly word for us, but frequently grumbled about the merest trifles. When Mr O'Conor came we thought things would take a turn for the better/but he soon showed that he was as changeable as Mr Hyland, and we began to think that neither he nor the Government knew what their real intentions were. His first act was to break the Government contiact with us by refusing to allow us a cook for each mess, and he was heard by some of us to say to Mr Hyland, " Oh, let the lazy blackguurds cook for themselves," and on another occasion be told Mr Hyland that if any of them skulked he should give them three days' provisions and pack them off. We were most of ub wilting to work hard, although' of course the particular kind of occupation was new to us, and remarks of this kind did not tend to encourage us or inspire ub with confidence. The

whereabouts of our laud was «t length discovered, and we naturally want<d to go and see it, but were told that if wo did bo we Bhould forfeit a day's WBgep. Everything was done to diohearten and disgust us, nothing to cheer or encourage ua. Mr Hyland whs moßt injudicious in his treutment, for h* would go to one party of men and talk to them about the others, and then go round and repeat what they hod said to him in reply, the result being that strife was Btirred up where we were all. disposed to be friendly ono towarda the other. At laßt some of us determined not to stand it any longer, and here we ate. Such is the substance of what was related to us, and from the frank and earnest manner of the narrators, who had no fault to find with the country itself, we cannot doubt its truthfulness. In addition to their testimony we have been shown a letter from one who remained at Westport, to his wife, from which the following is an extract; — ■ " You will have heard from other Hpß something about our treatment this last few weeks. It has come to thip, that stand it I cannot, so I left with — and — rather than be starved." How it can be expec-ted, or whether it really is expected, that the new settlement is to flourish while such a state of things prevails we are at a loss to know. Repeatedly the Government have been warned — and by this time they must have discovered it for themselves — that Mr Hyland is utterly unfitted for the office of general manager and yet he is suffered to remain and to drive away those who hare been sent down at no little expense to the province. Conduct such as this is worse than childish, and it is absurd to suppose that iu the face of these numerous desertions, and the accounts that are given by those who have left the place, that any of the immigrants yet to arrive will consent to be handed over to the tender mercies of an overseer such as the Government have appointed, and appear determined to retain. Mr Hyland's services have, we understand, been engaged for a year, and consequently he may be in a position to urge a olaim for his salary for that period, but this consideration should have no weight with the authorities. It would be far better that they should forfeit two or three hundred pounds tbeu, that from a mistaken dread of admitting an error once committed, they should ruin the prospects of a settlement which, with ordinary care and attention, and judicious management, be made a comfortable home for hundreds of industrious colonists, and, at the same time form the basis of a large mining population who would turn to account the mineral riches of a country that is now neglected owing to the impossibility of obtaining provisions except by a long journey over the rough interval of country between the Karamea and Westport. We cannot find words Btrong enough to condemn the ineane persistence of the Provincial Government in a course of action that, if they really mean to adhere to it, will expose them to the ridicule of the press throughout New Zealand, and render the province of Nelson the most unpopular portion of the colony amongst emigrants from the home country. Once more we repeat that the Karamea district presents every facility for the establishmeut of a successful and flourishing settlement, and if the present attempt prove a failure, it must be attributed to the gross mismanagement that has prevailed, and to that alone.