NELSON.

New Zealand Spectator and Cook's Strait Guardian, Volume IV, Issue 249, 18 December 1847, Page 2

NELSON.

.We wete, complaining afew^weeks sihc&'of the waiiit of cbmmunrcatidn between. the different settlements of New Zealand, and- the apatiiy" which the Government manifests, on the subject. It seemed, to jusUh'at tlie large sums of money, so -liberally voted by the British !Parliamentito>platce« the, colony on its legs and giv.e it,an opportunity of makiogi .*fair »3tart, were4ikely- to be fritted ayray s without conferring >on us much benefit, or at all events, without producing that 'lasting service whibh we might reasonably have' expected, to derive from, them. On. the occasion, to which- we refer, we insisted: oh the^necessity of ir-regtt-lar and frequent intercourse'bfetween"th» settlements as the measure of all others calcult-

ted to advance the general prosperity, and, by 'promoting inter-colonial relations, it would give^ an unity tb,th'e colony, and' thereby considerably* strengthen, the hands of Govern- : menu* We have since; seen, our complaint re- , spbnded f to in the Wellington Spectator, and j.the^ Auckland press has frequently harped on same string. If the Government Will still " persist in neglecting what is so necessary to promote its interesythere is no reason why' ;>th<; colonists should be longer indifferent to < their own welfare — for we have the power in ' Nelson of remedying the evil ; and if by the application of a portion of our Trust Fund w,e, establish a steam communication between the present settlements of New Zealand, not only should we benefit the whole country to an extent scarcely to be estimated, but the effect 1 it would have on our own condition by extending our, markets, would soon completely change the aspect of our affairs. What we propose should be done is this :—: — Steam Fund already fealized out of the land sales in this settlement is admitted by >the Company to amount to £10,913 6s, 8d , which, with interest, must now reach upwards of -£14,000, We think then the time has arrived when a steamer, running between Nelson, Wellington, New Plymouth, and Auckland (Manakau), once -every fortnight, would \ pretty well pay those who should venture on the enterprize ; but as such a vessel would snpersede the necessity of Government' maintaining the brig, we might ask for the sum she costs the colony for a few years, on condition of bur conveying the mails and official v passengers, and the success of the under ta- > king would then be rendered so certain, that 4 we should be justified in expending as much of our fund as would be necessary to purchase , and equip a first rate vessel, of the class best adapted for our- purpose. ■ • It is scarcely necessary that we' should attempt, to paiut the benefits which such an arrangement would .confer on the, colony. Every one who has witnessed the change * which a rapid intercourse has wrought, whereever steam communication has been established, will readily see the service we may hope to derive from it in New Zealand. The producing settlements, such as Nelson and Taranaki, would find a ready market for whatever they could raise, while those engaged in mercantile pursuits, such as Auckland and Wellington, would get the first necessaries of life at a cheaper rate. The glut also of imported of particular .articles which often occurs in one settlement, while a scarcity exists in another, would be relieved by the facility given for spreading them over the whole country, to the evident advantage of all concerned. The markets of the colony would thus be nearly equalized. The advantages which would accrue to this settlement in particular, ara such as should stimulate us to every exertion to see our object accomplished. The anxiety which producers of whatever kind now feel regarding the disposal of the fruits of their labours would be relieved, for instead of looking t'o*Nelson alone as their market, they would find it extend to the other and larger settlements, which at present draw their supplies from distant places, and at enhanced prices. With a steamer running from Nelson, our fresh butter, .eggs, poultry, and cheese, would go far to, remove the scarcity of these articles which exists in Auckland and Wellington, while oar fat cattle and &heep would always be acceptable at the shambles. Grain of all kinds, Hour, potatoes, beer, timber, are all articles which, with a low freight and a quick transit, we could extensively sell and bur ' neighbours purchase, and both derive a benefit. With the encouragement which this would give, other articles would soon be added to. the list. The cultivation of the hop plant has been so successful here that it is. fast extending,/ and will soon yield more than we can make use of ; cider in a short time will be manufactured, and become an article of export, and even garden produce may be raised, and sent to the places we have named, /when the voyage can be accomplished within a few hours. With a steamer theprdperty of ourselves, we should be able to regulate ireight, and' make other arrangements, so as best to promote the interests of this settlement, whereas, should such a vessel be started by other persons, as it some day w.ill if we do not take the lead, we may find bur interest's in a great, measure overlooked. Regarding the expense of. the undertaking in the first instance, and 1 the subsequent cost of carrying it on, we believe that viewed as a ' mercantile transaction alqne, it promises to be remunerative, and the power of carrying it into effect rests with ourselves. Let us lay our plans before Captain Grey when he next visits us, which is likely soon to take place, ,and learn from him, if possible, whether the Government will accede to our wishes ; if this is likely, and we think it desirable to go forward with our scheme, an application should instantly be made to the Company for the fund, and instructions given at the same time for the equipment of a vessel,,»nd in twelvemonths, we be- ** H«ve, wi. might see her it* Nelson. We have

prepared estimates, according to the best, of our information, ,of the probable expenditure , and receipts, and we should be glad to lay them before a meeting of our fellow settlers, by whom the whole subject may be discussed. If. a meeting were called for some day about the end of the month, it would take place before j the expedition started to select the site of a town for the Wairau ; the reason why we deairethis is, that should the Governor visit' Nelson during the absence of the large party of. gentlemen who, w t e understand, ,are about, ,to proceed to the Wairau, and are likely to be absent a month or six weeks, something having be.en previously been determined upon, a deputation appointed for the purpose might speak to his Excellency on the subject. If the favourable opportunity, which a personal interview would afford of bringing our scheme before his Excellency, is lost, and the whole business has to be .negotiated with the Government in Auckland, at our present rate of i communication a year may be occupied in a | discussion, which a conversation of half-an-hour would determine. On the founding of the Nelson settlement, considerable importance was attached to its Trust Funds ; for by the assistance to be derived from them it was expected the infant | colony would more easily surmount the obstacles which had been seen to weigh so heavily on similar young communities.- We all know the difficulties we have had to contend against for six years past, and ,how little we have, yet benefitted by the provision we thought we had made for ourselves. Shall we then continue to go on struggling, fighting our way up the rugged hill, when we can command the assistance we stand so much in need of? Some unaided, may reach the summit, but others will follow those who have already sunk by the., way. And yet a few of these may witness the s dawning of a brighter day, when the prosperity of the settlement has been secured by the perseverance and energy of the colonists, and, seeing our Trust Funds then for the first time for the purposes for which they were subscribed, be only able to exclaim, "That comfort comes too late ; "Pis like a pardon after execution ; That gentle physic, given in time, had curd me ; But now I'm past all comfort here."