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21. The unusually wet and unfavorable weather which was experienced during the late harvest has very seriously deteriorated the value of the agricultural produce of the province, inflicting general loss upon an important portion of our population, and one which cannot fail to be felt through the whole community as a serious drawback to its otherwise flourishing condition and cheerful prospects. The roads and bridges of the province also sustained considerable damage by an unusually high flood, which occurred on the 2nd February, and the necessity for the immediate repair of some of the most important of these works has induced me to instruct the Provincial Engineer to proceed with those repairs without waiting for a vote from the Council to cover the necessary cost.

22. A bill has been prepared to give three additional members to your Council, to represent the Grey and Buller districts. You will recognise the justice of making some provision for the representation of the large population on the West Coast; but for many obvious reasons I have not recommended that the number of representatives should bear the same proportion to the electors as would be desirable if the population had been engaged in pursuits of a less migratory character. You will see that the bill has not been prepared with a view to bringing it into operation during the present session; the necessity of obtaining the Governor\'s assent to the measure, and the delay that must take place before the elections could be effected, would render a very long adjournment necessary to accomplish that otherwise desirable object.

23. A bill is also laid on your table to provide for the Election of Local Boards on the Gold-fields with similar powers to those given under the Town Improvement and Country Roads Acts. There are some difficulties in framing, and will probably be much greater ones in working, such an Act; but the circumstances connected with most Gold-fields render any approach to local self-government for the purpose of local expenditure so highly desirable that I trust you will consider the experiment worthy of serious consideration.

24. A few days will now place the capital of this province in communication with the most important ports in this Island by means of the Electric Telegraph; and the regular information that will thus be so rapidly transmitted, will enable each of the five provinces on this Island to maintain a more intelligent and active interest in the progress and welfare of the whole.

25. It will not be convenient to print the general estimates until a few days after the expiration of the financial year, so as to give the Treasurer and Auditor time to balance their accounts, but they shall be submitted to you without any unnecessary delay.

26. It now only remains for me to express a hope that the Great Source of all wisdom may guide your deliberations and grant prosperity to the province, whose interests you are now called upon to watch over and represent, and that avoiding all those improvident attempts to exalt the present at the expense of the future, which have proved so fatal to the steady progress of some portions of the colony, the Executive and Legislature of this province may long continue to work harmoniously together, and be rewarded by the conviction that we have in some humble degree been enabled to promote the happiness of those whose prosperity or safety may, in any measure, depend upon the manner in which our public duties have been performed.

ALFRED SAUNDERS,
Superintendent.

Printed under the authority of the Provincial Government of Nelson, by R. LUCAS and SON, Bridge-street, Nelson, Printers for the time being to the said Government.