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Westport Times, Volume V, Issue 878, 24 October 1871, Page 2

During the discussion of a proposal to secure to all Goldfields wherein Road -Boards had been established the gold duty derived therefrom, the Colonial Secretary intimated that the Government intended to deal only with the Nelson South-west Goldfields, and after some little discussion the motion was negatived, as also was Mr ©'Conor's amendment, —" That, in the opinion of this Honse it is desirable that a bill be introduced this session -of Parliament, to enable Road Boards to be formed on the Goldfields of the colony, and that 33 per cent. >ef the special revenue derivable from any district be placed at the disposal of such Board for local purposes, and Government be requested to give effect to this resolution" This amendment was put and a division called for, the ayes being 12 ' noes, 36, The whole question waa, therefore, negatived. The opposition to this proposal, to hand over to Boards for distribution all special revenue locally raised came chiefly from .Olago mem.

bers, who, reminded the House, that if the principle of granting the expenditure of revenue to the district in which it was raised had always been in force, the Goldfields of Otago would have been left at the present day without communication with the seaboard. Whether or not this inference is open ; to contradiction does not materuilly' affect the question of the desirability of extending as far as possible the principle of local self government. It may bo true that the Provincial trover inherit of Otago have done their duty to their Goldfields ; but the fact must not be lost sight of that the mining industry in that Province was so closely connected with the pastoral and agricultural industries and the commercial prosperity of Dunedin, that in serving the one the wolfare of the others was promoted. In this respect the goldfields of Otago offer the strongest possible contrast to the Goldfields on the West Coast of this Province. In Otago good roads bel tween the interior and tbe seaboard were as essential to the merchant in Dunedin for the purpose of forwarding goods to the miner, to the farmer enabling him to find a market for his produce, and to the squatter in affording cheap facilities for wool transit, as they were necessary to the • miner in lessening the cost of necessaries of life and the hardships inseparable from his pursuits. The special circumstances, therefore, in Otago were such, at least in the eariier days, that it was nig'i impossible to expend their abundant revenue in a manner that would have excited any class jealousy or local irritation, while it had the happy effect of lendiug a prodigious impetus to the prosperity of every interest in the Province. Had the Goldfields bordered on Martin's Bay, giving rise to a settlement which would, have entered into commercial competition with Dunedin itself, the course ef action would in all probability have been similar to that whicli has been experienced iu our connection with Nelson. These Goldfields have certainly not offered such advantages to Nelson as were enjoyed by her more .powerful neighbour. The agricultural settlements are too far removed to derive any large advantage From a system of roads into the interior, while all our manufactured goods are obtained by way of Melbourne. The only mode in which it was possible for the settled districts of Nebon to derive any material gain from the presence of a prosperous gold-mining industry within the province was to carefully exclude our population from its fair share in the representation, and with the command of an overwhelming majority in the Council divert our revenues to improving the material and fecial condition of those who returned the majority. Legislature that will subvert this anomalous state of things under which it has been possible for a petty agricultural settlement.to impede the progress of a portion of the colony containing great mineral wealth and natural resources, will, we trust, meet with, the warm support of the majority of our colonial representatives.