NELSON.

New Zealand Spectator and Cook's Strait Guardian, Volume VI, Issue 457, 19 December 1849, Page 2

NELSON.

[Nekon Examiner, Nov. 24th.] It is a source of much gratification to find that the tide of emigration to this colony, which for various reasons had been impeded for a long time, has at length again set in with a steadiness which promises much for its duration. At first, on re-commencing their colonizing operations, the Company ventured upon sending us a vessel only once in two months, but finding the demand for passages increasing, they have now made the period of sailing monthly, and as 'each ship visits the whole of their settlements, a general infusion of labour and capital is taking place. It is a disagreeable task to find fault with the details of a measure, which has been designed for our benefit, and is carried out principally with that view, yet there are one or two circumstances connected with this revival of emigration by the Company, which it is our duty to notice. First — the class of persons to whom free or assisted passages his been given, are by no means those likely to be of the greatest service to the colony. What we are to do with so many mechanics, puzzles us to conjecture — for these are the immigrants we are almost exclusively receiving, and a smock-frocked labourer (the class we require) is as rarely to be met with as a swallow in winter. This would seem to argue that the agricultural population at home were too well off to think of trying to mend their fortunes in the colonies ; but we rather imagine the true reason why the Company is sending us a town-population instead of a rural one to be this — that it costs them less trouble. They should however reflect, that we cannot go on finding employment for all the mechanics they may think proper to send here, and that another re-emisration most

lake place if ti ey do not soon change their plans, and then, as far as we are concerned, ibe money they are expending on emigration inicrht as well he thrown into the sea, although farni labourers are all the while in great request ; as we heard a gentleman "complain only a few days since, that out of all the emigrants lately landed, he could not get hands to mow his hay-fields. We have already suffered so greatly from this cause — upwards of £10,000 of our Emigration Fund having been wasted in sending us labour which we did not require and were unable to employ, that we are naturally jealous about the expenditure of the remainder, if any is left to us. The other point we have to notice is also important, and it affects greatly the character of the Company itself. Loud complaints are urged against the quality of the provisions that are now put on board the Company's ships. So execrable in particular has been some of the preserved meats, that with no choice between them and fasting, the latter bas been preferred as the least infliction. Passengers in the cabin, fore-cabin, and steerage, alike most bitterly denounce the abominable stuff which has been put onboard as one of the chief articles ot food for their four months' voyage, and which is strongly suspected to have been supplied from some knacker's yard in the purlieus of Cow-lane. In the Kelso, also, the flour was so inferior, that the Surgeon-Superintendent was compelled to get the captain to exchange it for the common flour used by the ship, which, though coarse, had at least the quality of wbolesomeness. There are other complaints of a similar nature we could instance, but we hope we have said enough to induce the Company to institute an inquiry into the matter, for it is our firm belief that good and wholesome food is intended to be provided (as was tbe case in the early ships), and that such is paid for ; but we suspect some underhand and dishonest practices have been resorted to in, some quarter or another, and that both the Company and their emigrants are tbe victims of a disgraceful collusion, or of tbe grossest neglect. We hope the surgeons of ships will do their duty, and make a proper representation to the Company's Agents of the state in which the provisions have lieen found, and we have no doubt but that this evil -will be remedied.

. [From the Nelson Examiner, Dec. I.] We mentioned a fortnight since that Mr. Fit2gerald, the Government road surveyor, had paid a visit to Waitohi, with a view to examine the proposed line of road from that place to the Wairau. We then stated that we had been informed Mr. I'Mtzgerald estimated the cost of a road through the Waitohi Pass at £ 10,000 — a sum very much in excess of ihe estimates of other persons who had previously examined the ground — £3,000 having been named, we believe, as the probable cost; but then there is this difference between the two estimates — that one contemplates a. dray-road the whole distance, and the other only a portion of the way, intending that water-carriage should be used as far up" the Tua Marina as it is navigable for boats of any size. By the latter arrangement a great saving of expense would be effected ; but on the other hand it would cause some inconvenience to parties wishing to ride or drive the whole distance. As far as we can learn, the chief difficulty in the Waitohi road lies on the Wairau side, where a swamp of the worst description exists, which must be crossed, if a complete road through the Tua Marina and Waitohi valleys is made. But, avail ourselves of water-carriage, and a considerable portion of the difficulty is surmounted. Mr. Fitzgerald however has cleared up a point which it is wonderful -has been suffered to remain so long obscure, and which tends to show that something better than a Waitohi town may be formed (considering the means at our disposal, and the interests it will affect) both for the Wairau,* and, what is infinitely of more consequence to ourselves, for the town and district of Nelson. It seems that what we have often suspected to be by no meant an unlikely case, turns out as a fact — that tn easier communication between the Wairau and a shipping port may be made by the Kahuna valley into the Pelorus, than by the Tua Marina and the Waitohi ; possessing : also this important advantage — that a road made for such a purpose would every yard of it be so much of a road between the Wairau and Nelson. We have said that in the opinion of Mr. Fitzgerald, the Government surveyor, very considerable difficulties exist in the way of making a dray- road, through the Waitohi Pass, and we are bound to say that in the opinion of other parties well acquainted with the spot, with whom we have conversed within the past week, these difficulties are not over estimated. The road must either pass over a swamp of the worst description, or be taktor round .the. foot of a succession of spurs

from the hills, which will lengthen the distance and involve the necessity of a considerable amount of side cutting and earth-work, and neither could be done without incurring great expense. We will suppose, however, for the sake of argument, that the Waitohi road was made — would that give all the facilities of communication required between the Wairau and the Waitohi? We fear not. All the land of any value in the W»irau, as well as the extensive adjoining district of Kaiparatihau, lies ou the eastern side of the river, which would therefore have to be crossed to get to Waitohi at a point where there is no ford. Knowing, as we do, the difficulty of getting bridges in a new country, and even in establishing a ferry boat, we fear that the completing of the Waitohi road would not relieve the Wairau settlers from disasters, and delays, and disappointments. Of course these would have to be submitted to, as are the present more serious evils ; all we mean to remark is, that a road between the Waitohi and the Wairau would not give all the facilities of communication required. But one thing u would do — it would completely sever the Wairau from Nelson. Frcm the day a dray-road was formed between the Waitohi port and the Wairau, we in Nelson must give up every hope of benefits to be derived from the bulk of the land which by right forms part of our settlement. The communication between the Sound and Wellington is'so much more easy than between the same place and Nelson, that we must expect to see all our wool go to that port to be shipped, or be put into vessels chartered by Wellington merchants, and the snpplies for the district drawn wholly from the other side of the Strait. These evils, though not new to us, having been contemplated as apparently inevitable, are not the less evils on that account. But is. there a remedy ? , Why, if we may rely on Mr. Fitzgerald's statements, to a considerable extent there is ; and it almost seems as if that gentleman had stepped in just in time to prevent our commuting an act of self-destruction. About ten miles higher up the Wairau plain than the Waitohi pass, where the river is fordable, a valley exists named Kaituna, which, only twelve miles long in a westerly direction, terminates in the Pelorus, at a place about twenty- eight miles from Nelson, to which a bridle road may be made for a few hundred pounds — such a road for the whole distance Mr. Fitzgerald estimates only at £2000, which would bring Nelson within forty miles of the heart of the Wairau plain. But though, as we shall show, it may be possible hereafter to bring a loaded dray into Nelson over a road that shall not cost more in constructing than has been estimated for making the Waitohi road alone, it is suggested, at present, to make use of the navigation of the Pelorus for shipping the wool produced in the Wairau. At the termination of the Kaituna, the Pelorus is navigable for vessels of seventy or eighty tons burden, and three or four miles lower down, vessels of any tonnage may lie in perfect safety. From the same point there is an easy communication of four miles over a flat into the head of Queen Charlotte's Sound. A road through the Kaituna would be most easy of construction, no obstacles of a serious nature exist, and £1000 is estimated as ample for the purpose. This valley also contains a large portion of good land, finely timbered, which would prove of value in a district where so little timber exists. From the western extremity of the Ka'.tuua to Nelson, the distance, as we have said, is computed to lie only about twenty-eight miles. Mr. Fitzgerald, travelling by compass, came on here by the route which has generally been used — that is, by the east bank of the Pelorus for a few miles, and then striking over the dividing range for Nelson, by the Moketap hill, and down the Maitai valley. This route, Mr. Fitzgerald reports, offers no obstacles to a bridle road, which might be made at an insignificant expense — in fact, the work would be perfectly easy compared with much that has been done in the same line in the other island. But the Maitai route to the Pelorus j appears not to be the best which offers. Within the last fortnight it has been^ discovered, that from the pa at Wakapuaka (la which a road already exists) to the Pelorus river is ' only eight or ten miles, over a wooded ridge of no great elevation ; and it is not certain that by following up the course of the Wakapuaka river, a still easier communication might not be found. Mr. Tinline has however proved, by an expedition which he voluntarily undertook, that no serious impediments exist to a road being made from Wakapuaka to the Pelorus, by which route also the W airau plain might be reached by a journey of forty miles instead of one of a hundred miles, and without encountering the present difficulties and dangers. Such are a few of the advantages which a road by the Pelorus and Kaituna to the Wairau would give to Nelson — but should the

Pelorus be made the place of shipment instead of the Waitohi, the advantages we should derive from the more ready communication between the two places by sea would be nearly equally great* To go from Nelson to the Pelorus it would not be necessary to encounter any of the rough weather of the Straits. By making use of the French Pass even boats might ply between the two ports as easily as they now run across the bay. The Wairau would by this means, both by land and sea, be linked unto Nelson, for with no other place would the communication be so easy and short.. The Waitohi scheme, on the contrary, cuts off for ever all hope of Nelson being benefited by the Wairau, forces into existence a rival town, and meanwhile will throw all the trade of the district into Wellington. As a compensation for this, the founders of the Nelson settlement are each to get a quarter of a Waitohi town acre. As we said be* fore, if there was no help for so suicidal an act, it must be submitted to; but now that it is shown to be no longer necessary, we would call upon our fellow settlers to exert themselves to the utmost to avert what must for ever dwarf us down to a very secondary settlement, and destroy any future probability of extending our narrow boundaries, for on all other sides we are effectually barred in.