The Nelson Evening Mail. TUESDAY, SEPTEMBER 4, 1877.

Nelson Evening Mail, Volume XII, Issue 209, 4 September 1877, Page 2

The Nelson Evening Mail. TUESDAY, SEPTEMBER 4, 1877.

Thk scarcity of bouse accommodation that prevails' in Nelson at the present time is, we have reason io believe, to some extent retarding the progress of the town by preventing families coming to live iv it who would willingly take up tbeir residence in our midst if they could only obtain house room. i We are not now referring to three or four roomed cottages, but to the better class of buildings containing from eight to ten rooms, and. as it has come under our notice that t •. within the last few weeks enquiries from four . of fiyp different quarters have been made for tbis particular description of house, we think it right to call (he #fwj_.;(*n ot those Of our capitalists who are pecuniarily irj^rested jn tbe progress of the place to tbe fact, iv the hope t hat they may be induced to supply a want, by remedying which a sensible effect would be produced upon the welfare of the town and community generally. It appears to us tliat we do not attach sufficient importance to the indisputable fact that of all places in New Zealand, Nelson is the most attractive spot as a place of residence for families p£ J-ndpppndent means, whose chief requirements are a i]pg climate, and facilities for educating their childi-eii. with the necessities and many of the' luxuries of life procnrableat moderate rates, We'talk a great deal about the development of our mineral resources, and some of us go the length of sagely predicting that at some future date these are to force us into a leading position among the districts of the colony, but, seeing that wp )wvc been indulging in these day dreams for a long $pfi.cs of years, and are but little further advanced than when we first gave ourselves up tb theni,'it is not too much to expect that we should cease for a time to yearn after mere possibilities and make up our minds to deal with the ** realities of our position. In a climate not to . be surpassed by any in the known*Jworld,aud in scenery both picturesque and magnificent, Nature bus bestowed upon us a gift tbat may woll be envied hy far more prosperous than our o,wn iv a commercial point of view, and which might be turned to account even in the direction of advancing our material welfare, if to the natural attractions of the place wo -add artificial ones. To some extent we have done iijls. }Vp h f aye commenced a system of drainage -of 'tvhich, however, we must not yob boast too loudly—

wo have an ample supply, of pure water, and to other sanitary measures we hope soon to add facilities for the enjoymeut of saltwater bathing. Our educational establishments are of a high class, and Nelson College has made for itself a name that is known from one end of New Zealand to the other; It may be thought by some that, so far as the outer world is coucerned, all these attractions are thrown away, and that the money expended on them, or that might be laid out upon auy new improvements, is not likely to be productive of any results in the direction of inducing people to come here, inasmuch as Nelson wouid probably be naver heard of in other parts of the world. For the encouragement of these doubters we. will quote an extract or two from a letter recently received by the editor of this journal from a gentleman— personally a stranger to him— holding a commission in the Indian army. The writer, a resident in the most central part of India, has evidently made himself as well acquainted with New Zealand as it is possible to do by means of books, the two to which he principally refers being the " Handbook of New Zealand " and Anthony Trollope's work. He says :— "lam looking for a quiet place to which I can retire with my family, arfd where I may end my days in peace andhappiuessiu the enjoyment of my pension. England I have found to ba out of my reac'i, besides I think the climate hateful. I hare thought of the Channel Islands and the Continent, Australia and Tasmania, but from all I have read, no place comes so near my idea of the one to retire to as New Zealand, and no province in New Zealand appears to me so pleasant as Nelson." After stating his means, the number of children he has to educate, &c, he goes on to say -.— « After much deliberation, after looking at the subject from every point of view, after reading carefully all that I have been able to get hold of I have come to the conclusion that New Zealand— Nelson I mean— is the spot for me to make for. * * * * * ' I gather from all that I have read that the climate is exquisite, education first class, necessaries of life moderate, house-rent rather high for tbe accommodation offered, religious institutions of all kinds plentiful, amusements and recreations ditto." After giving Trollope's description of Nelson, he says :— " What a spot to retire to and wind up one's days after 38 years out here, with the thermometer at 95 in the house and 108 in the verandah shade, as it is now whilst I write. * * *- • # * * * To got to such a place where I can enjoy a delicious climate, and obtain the necessaries of life at half the expense of living in England, is my daily wish and nightly dream." These extracts are. sufficient to show that an interest is taken in Nelson in other parts, and we have reason for believing that there are mauy others in India besides the writer quoted whose thoughts are turned in this direction with a view to making their home here. As we stated in commencing, one of the great drawbacks to such people coming to Nelson to live is the want of decent house accommodation, and residents here who are applied to for information cannot, in fairness to their correspondents, fail to impress upon them, that in thia respect they must be prepared to put up with very great inconvenience. There is an old saying that " fools build houses for wise men to live in," but in the present state of affairs tb's most assuredly would not apply in Nelson.