ORIGINALCORRESPONDENCE.

Southland Times, Volume III, Issue 10, 30 November 1863, Page 3

ORIGINALCORRESPONDENCE.

WE WO NOT HOLD OUKSELVES KESr-ONSIHLE FOR THE OPINIONS EXPRESSED HY OUB COBREBPONDENTB. To the Editor of tike Invercargill Times.) Slß,— The proposed disruption of the Otago .Province, in consequence of the neglect and injftsttce of the Government, is tho principal topic of conversation with the Lake people. Oppressed and wtonged by Otago, they ask to be taken in hand by thetJcmeral Government, to be ultimately disposed of as may appear best, leaving it an open question as to whether they are to be resolved into a separate Province, ot be annexed to Southland. The recent discovery of a harbor on the West Coast, and, as was said, a route therefrom, which could with ease be made passable for heavy traffic in a short space of time, led people tn^tris district to express a very strong opinion *hat the country, which would naturally draw its supplies from that harbor, should be made into a separate Province. That opinion has, however, undergone vory considerable modification. The harbor is now declared, on very grave authority, to be next to useless (quite useless for ships of heavy draught of water) ; and the route over which drays were to come as over a macadamised road, turns out to be very nearly impracticable, and could not be j made available for heavy traffic without an enor- ! raoUB expenditure of both time and money. What, then, would bo tbe best course for the inhabitants of the Lake district to pursue ? I, for one, and I may say that I do not stand alone in my opinion, considerthdt nothing would more rapidly produce an improvement in our present condition than annexation to yojuf Province. Supposing the district, or rather tho goldfields to be again placed under the management of the General Government, it is certainryimpossible that we should bo worse off than at present, but, at the same time, it is by no means clear that we should be any better off. If, .-however, the "Lsilae district were to be annexed to the Province of Soutlilunfl, 'the advantages would show themselves directly. Your readers have no doubt considered the arguments in favor of such a course, but, wfaesn a stop of grent importance is in contemplation, the wtsar.plan is to keep it constantly before the public eyo. 'Lot there be no cessation in tbe endi-avors to obtain wbat-is wanted, and thechancos of ultimate success are very considerably augmented. Not only thon -has the Province of Southland the adc-antege-of a natural road to tbe Lake, better a hundred-fold than Dunedin ha*, but she is about to increase the ' facilities for traffic by constructing a railway; for * cOTisiiicrablo distance along the route,' and that taken in connexion with the fact' that a rtuiway from B^uff Hurbor to Invercargill as already in course of construction, makes it very apparent that almost ail supplies for t' c J^ako will bo brought through Southland. It is butjusUthat the Province which benefits the gold 'fields most, should have the largest share of any adventagps'derivable from those gol<i fields. " One good turns another," and as Southland, by the •expenditure of manythaasand pounds is bringing us within un easy distance of a good harbor and n large and flourishing seaport town, she should have the revenue which is produced in our district. Otago, if -she-were disposed to do all in her power, ■could not offer us similar advantages. No amount of capital-will bring us within an easy distance of Btmedin.-or reduce the rates of cartage, &c, to the same level^as on the' Southland sido. The best ■ course then, «s*fiir 'I am nble to .juige, is, for the inhabitants 1 of*-the 'Lake District to petition tho 'General Government for annexation to Southland. :By giving tbe subject a little ventilati >n in your paper, you would greatly oblige A Miner.