EMANCIPATION FROM NELSON.

Westport Times, Volume III, Issue 444, 2 January 1869, Page 3

EMANCIPATION FROM NELSON.

(To the Editor of the Westport Times and Charleston Argus.) Sir, —It strikes me that very likely Mr Gallagher will not offer himself for re-election to the House of Representatives, and that even if he did, we should do well in the event of a dissolution to get up an address to Mr Stafford, the Premier to stand for this place. Tou will say that this is flying high, but Westport has been, by nature, made the Capital of the West Coast, and it would not certainly be infra dig. in Mr Stafford to represent it, and it is, surely, a more important place, than the fishing aud farming village of Timaru, which now aspires to the honor of having the first Minister as its representative ; and the certainty of Mr Stafford's return would, I think, at once make that gentleman comply, as he will not be uuopposed in Timaru. This would be the best possible mode of getting ourselves emancipated from Nelson, whose officials, and Government we have to keep up as well as our own, as, by late and strongly suspected " cooked " statistics, we contribute, from the West Coast, twothirds of the revenue even by their own showing. Nelson has kicked out Stafford, and he will, if our representative, only be too happy to return the compliment. The only thing against this is the Stafford Ministry's management of the of the Maori war, but I; think their late acts in offering a sum of £5 for every rebel head brought in, and general change for the better, fully redeem them on that score. Besides, Mr Stafford is only one of the Ministry, and no doubt exists in any mind as to his ability. Besides, it would be in my mind hardly possible to over-esti-mate the influence this would have on Westport. We should soon see the Panama and other mail steamers calling here, and our daily mouldering away river banks become wharves for the whole length of the town, or at least substantial ones erected, and our communication with the upper Buller soon opened up. On this subject let me remark that four parties of fourteen men in all started un from Westport, got as far as the Owiki, and had to retrace their steps, returning to town on Monday last. There was no boat, the river could not be crossed, and the track beyond was in too dangerous a state to attempt it with the heavy swags the men were obliged to carry. The fact is, Nelson wants the upper Buller to herself. She has a drayroad to within thirty or forty miles of the Lyell, and a splendid packing track the rest of the way. For miners to go from Westport to the Lyell. if they want to get any more eight pound nuggets, is by steamer to Nelson, cart their goods from there to the " Grip," and pack from thence. How long will Westport indulge its apathy ? Tours, &c, Progress.