CORRESPONDENCE.

Nelson Evening Mail, Volume XVI, Issue 205, 29 August 1881, Page 4

CORRESPONDENCE.

SLEEPY HOLLOW V. COERCION. To the Editor of tub " Evening Mail" Sir,— How little the libellers of thia place knew of its inhabitants is made manifest by the occurrences now taking place. Because we have been the most law abiding, the least given to log rolling, the most prompt to aid the authorities in maintaining the Queen's supremacy in a quiet and unostentatious manner, we are to be stamped out of existence. Our political action is simply to stop more colonial borrowing, well knowing that it will be unequally divided and in the end lost to the country, as an amount equal to the whole of the principal will have to be repaid in about 20 years, and the principal be still owing as new loans will ba neaociated. And now we are to be coerced into submibiion. We shall see our power may yet be felt on the London market. Tbe Representation Bill was not demandad by the colony, but by the Southern portion only, and tha reason will develope itself as I proceed. The Southern provinces have been going ahead fast, very fast, too fast, and upon what? The answer is on every man's lips whohas wat3hed the progress of events. Let Us' review briefly and we stall find the answer to b» borrowed money, " where the carcase is there will the.eagles be gathered together." That many new industries have been started, and that agriculture has made rapid strides, is under the circumstances not to be wondered at, but are they, is it, paying, and paying sufficient to yield the interest on private loans, about £10,000,000, and their share of the public debt, cay altogether about £1,250,000 per annum. A novice can see that nothing short of a foreign loan will save them, of which tbey intend (if they can only Bucceed with this Representation Bill) to have tho lion's share. But although they want it (and want it quick too) the colony ooeff not want it at all. Let the colony have rest from borrowing, and let these «• swashbucklers " show New Zealand, like Welson has shown, that they can do, and do honestly, without it. Auckland, I believe, is self-maintained, but sift the success of most other portions of the colony and you will find public money haß wonderfully helped them along. To show to what extent that hss been the case let us take the railways. Nelson District his 1 mile of railway to about every 1250 people; Anckland-- 1 to every 915; Wellington 1 to every 420; Napier 1 to every 315; and tbe other places average about Ito every 300. In the matter of public buildingß and other worka (the Estimates are no certain guide in the matter, as tbe votes are frequently passed on) the proportion is much worße against Nel6on. Nelson, wbicb, believing that the open and therefore in most cases easily worked portions of the colony would of necessity draw the agricultural portion of the community, was content to abide, and for tbis was libelled to the extent of being called " sleepy." I suppose now we shall be libelled in the other direction, but to all this we can afford to turn a deaf ear. We know exactly what we are about, and unless I am very much deceived Nelson, which has supplied a large number of our best leading men, indicated a safe railway policy (which was unfortunately disregarded) and has been to the fore in all the bsst measures. Well at the next election, I have a programme well suited to the wants of the colony; as a matter of course it will not be acceptable to the Southerners, it is not intended as an emetic but as a mildly purgative which is, I believe, the proper treatment after a surfeit. 'Ihe first line of the programme will be:— l. "No more colonial borrowing," 2. "A retrospective examination of how pravious loans have been expended, with a view to tbe apporti rnment of the interest, and to compensating the neglected districts," 3. " A new Representation Bill on a juat basis, giving the nsglected districts additional members for a number of years," and I may hero remark that if Nelson had justice done Hr she would at this time have 12 to 15 members. Had the West Coast line been pushed through as it shou'd have heen much of our mineral riches would have coma to bank before this. We from whom tbe cfipital has besn temporarily diverted have to wait, but nothing will hasten our prosperity bo much as throwing on their own resources those who have long been fed from JCh9Bt ' f^ to Whlch we iQ com "

mon with others have contributed. Capitalists can't see much in wheat at 3s 6d per bushel and other grain in proportion, cheese at 3d and dairy produce at almost a gift; £1,250,000 per annam interest without a foreign loan to help pay it will tax tho ingenuity of the great southern chancellor. Much as we shall regret to see the two great southern -provinces, losing capitalists and their best population, who will eventually come north to unearth our minerals, we can only feel that they have eaten their cake, and gire them such help as we can, but we will not resort to the expedient of disfranchising them. Our cry ia now "no more economy. "—Yourß, &c, Nelsoniax. TO THE EniTOE OB 1 TH3 "EVENING MAIL." Sir, — I think Mr Akeraten did good service in calling attention at the late meeting in Nels n to VT r Hursthous&'a views in reference to wages (a sut.j .;t of far more imporance than the Redistribution of Seats), and for one I am thankful to Mr Akersten for ape'iking as he did What value esn we at»ach to v »c by ballot, uoiver al suffrage, and a!l other die things that are beiog thrust on ua unasked and uncand for, as long as we fl-"1 ilu.-e political shams and fooleries com • b.-ml in hand witb w«g»s getting lower aud lower until one wonders when the lowering is gru-g ro ston. and when the. Hursthouse stamp of M.fiLß.'s will tbink thiey are lo* enough. We can view the much vaunted Liberal assures as nothing else but shams as loug as the whole tendency of legislation in other respects is to make the rich richer, and tho poor poorer, and to make the battle of life day by day harder and harder. If the working classes will look into this matter they will see tbat these- things are being brought to pass mainly by unjust taxation and immigration. Let them therefore demand the imposition of an Income Tax, so that people shall be made to contribute to the revenue according to their means, and not according to their necessities, and let them say sternly and unmistakeably not another penny shall be spent on immigration. Yours, &c, Waimba Sbtxlbr.