The New Zealand Times (PUBLISHED DAILY.) SATURDAY, DECEMBER 21, 1878.

New Zealand Times, Volume XXXIII, Issue 5534, 21 December 1878, Page 2

The New Zealand Times (PUBLISHED DAILY.) SATURDAY, DECEMBER 21, 1878.

As the Government have appointed a commission to inquire fully into all matters relating to the Jackson's Bay settlement in the Provincial District of AVestland, we should willingly have remained silent on the subject till the commissioners had completed their work, and the report had been made public. But in several quarters the case has been already prejudged, and not only has the policy of founding such settlements been questioned, which of course is at all times a fair theme for discussion, but with wretchedly bad taste, and without the slightest shadow of proof, it has been insinuated, if not broadly stated, that the Jackson's Bay settlement was a job from the first, that it has been made unfairly profitable to the pockets of a few favored individuals, and that the reports of Mr. Macfablank, the agent at the settlement, and of Mr. Patten, the Collector of Customs at Hokitika, are altogether untrustworthy, those gentlemen being interested in the perpetuation of the present unsatisfactory state of affairs. Under these circumstances it is no longer necessary to remain silent. That there was any necessity for special inquiry about the Jackson's Bay settlement is by no means clear ; and if the present Government, instead of their predecessors, had been the originators of the scheme, the commission would in all probability have never been granted. The scheme, however, was none of theirs, and it was supposed that the inquiry might give annoyance to some political opponents, and would cortainly please a few of the Ministerial supporters. The inquiry haying been determined on, the first tiling was to find commissioners who were thoroughly trustworthy and competent to do the requisite work well and rapidly, and in no way connectod with the settlement or those who have taken a speoial interest in its success. The gentlemen selooted are, we feel sure, worthy of the confidence which has been reposed in them by the Government, and we do not think a much batter choice could havo boen made. It is to be desired that the report of tho commissioners shall be exhaustive and trustworthy, and shall satisfactorily show, not only to the Government, but to the public at large, either that the insinuations and statements which have been freely made against certain individuals are true, or have in fact no reasonable foundation It is within [ our knowledge that a good deal of what has boon said with referonce to the management of tho Jackson's Bay settlement has in reality been intended to damage .Mr. Bonar, who from the first took a great interest in the experiment, and in whose hands the real management for a long time lay. The same may bo said aboutMr. Patten, tho Collector of Customs, who has also to some extent, and for a considerable time, had something to do with the supervision of the settlement. If the inquiry is to bo of any good it should probably enable tho public, as well as tho Government, to form an opinion, not only as to whether it was wisdom to place a special settlement at Jackson's Bay, and whether that settlement has been managed well or badly, but as to whether it is likely to prove a wise inoasuro in any case for tho Government to undertake this special work of looating colonists ' in out-of-the-way places, and | furnishing them for a time with omploy-

raent in the construction of public works necessary for the prosperity of the settle' ment, should it prove a success. No ono seems disposed to question the proposition that the introduction of immigrants to the Colony is part of the legitimate work of Government; and supposing the Jackson's Bay district to be suitable for settlement, it is a question whether or not it was wise to make an attempt to turn the land to account as speedily as possible by placing on it some of the new arrivals. That of course opens up the question of "special settlement," a form of colonisation for which we confess no great affection. The settlement being determined on, it was necessary to provide the now arrivals with a few miles of road, one or two bridges, and a jetty to facilitate the landing of stores and the export of produce,—surely not an excess of liberality on the part of a Government which was spending millions on public works in other parts of the colony. Nor can we soe any reason why the [settlers should have been debarred from earning money by executing those works. There were, indeed, no other laborers available for the purpose. To speak of the Government as making paupers of those men, and destroying their sense of independence by paying them a fair rate of remuneration for their services, is transparent absurdity. Had useless works been initiated simply for the sake of providing something for them to do, the matter would, of course, have assumed a very different aspect. We read with considerable interest the last report of Mr. Patten, the Collector of Customs at Hokitikia, and that of Mr. Mactakiane, the resident agent on the Jackson's Bay settlement. These papers were presented to the General Assembly during last session, and we are disposed to view them as trustworthy, notwithstanding the attempts which have been made to dispute their accuracy and to throw doubts on the bona fides of the authors. It is true that the agent is a paid servant of the Government, whose continuance in his office is, as a matter of course, contingent on the future of the settlement. If it is to be regarded as a failure, and the settlers are merely looking out for the first favorable opportunity of deserting their homesteads and trying their fortunes in some other part of the Colony, we suppose that Mr. Macfarlanb's services will be no longer required. If, on the other hand, the prospects of the settlement are to be regarded as satisfactory, there is the probability that he may continue to earn his salary for an indefinite period. A dishonest or unscrupulous man, to whom the emoluments of his post were an object of importance, would, under such circumstances, place everything in the best possible light. He would unquestionably bring into prominent notice every feature which would bear inspection, and would as carefully keep out of sight all that was calculated to produce an unfavorable impression on the minds of his employers and the public. But we find nothing in Mr. Macfariane's report to warrant a suspicion of any such unfair dealing, and his character as a straightforward and unselfish man has always stood high. Mr. Patten can have no object in making matters seem better than they really are, for his position as Collector of Customs at Hokitika would be in no way injured if the settlement were to collapse to-morrow. His opinion is that, although many of the immigrants were badly selected, and were quite unused to hard manual labor, the settlement is nevertheless a success, and that little farther exceptional aid from the Government will bo necessary. The district posseses resources which will without fail make it ultimately wealthy.and prosperous in a remarkable degree. There is a vast.supply of splendid timber, which is already to some extent being utilised ; a large proportion of the land is of fair quality, some of it being first-class ; samples of gold are frequently found in the streams; fish are plentiful in the harbor and all along the coast, and a very successful start has been made at sealing ; building stone of excellent quality abounds ; coal and good limestone have both been discovered ; and, finally, the breeding of i cattle has already been found very re- | munerative. Further to the south there are rich lodes of copper ore and immense deposits of white statuary marble and of a dark variety, both of which have been highly spoken of by competent authorities. Having once started it, and for some time fostered it, the Government will now have to say whether the time has come to leave the settlement to shift for itself. A littlo more judicious fostering would be probably repaid in the course of the next two or three years. Putting on one side the question whether it was wise in the first place to plant this littlo colony at the Bay, it would be a pity if it died out for want of a helping hand in the shape of some further expenditure in roads and bridges, and by keeping up regular communication by sea between it and the moro settled districts to the north, Jackson's Bay settlement is not only valuable from its own resources but as a point of departure for exploring the great terra incognita of the West Coast, of the Middle Island.