58

NELSON GOVERNMENT GAZETTE.

was a large quantity of land in the neighbourhood, how
the climate was all that could be desired, and the
Government thought that it was just the kind of
place for a new settlement, and that even if it
cost a great deal of money the Province would be
well repaid. Up to the present time, I am happy to
say, it has not cost a great deal of money, and there
is a prospect of even the small amount that has been
paid being amply returned to the Province by the land
sales. Since the first settlement of the Karamea
block 10,000 acres of land have been taken up by
the settlers themselves, and about 1,000 acres by
persons outside the settlement. There are yet many
thousands of acres which I believe will be taken up
in the course of the next twelve months. (Hear,
hear) Now, if that takes place, I believe the Pro-
vince must see there is a great advantage to result
from the establishment because it will be self-
supporting, and even if we have to pay interest and
sinking fund for the money, the returns from the
settlement itself will greatly assist general manage-
ment, furnish that, and the Province will derive in-
creased revenue from the extra population down to
the spot. My hopes and the hopes of the Govern-
ment in the matter were very much raised by the
fact that gold had been discovered there in consider-
able quantities, and we can see that the time will
come when immigrants will easily find employment,
either from other man who are settled there or by
digging for gold. Therefore I think there is not the
slightest doubt that as far as the settlement is con-
cerned, it will with care flourish, and yet prove to be
a credit to the Province of Nelson. At any rate I am
not a little proud of the fact that the present Executive
have had the opportunity of breaking in upon the waste
and desolation that existed from the Mohikinui to
Cape Farewell. The number of men sent to the
Karamea from Nelson and Westport was 98, of these,
very shortly after their arrival 18 left, and I think it
is right that the Province should know under what
circumstances that did leave. When the first settle-
ment took place to the Karamea, I was absent from
Nelson on duty, and the selection of those immigrants
was left to the Immigration Officer in Nelson.
The Immigration Officer perhaps selected them
from a desire to rid the depot of immigrants
that with a view to the future, despatched
a number of persons there whom I found to be
utterly unfit for the life of a colonist. I found it
would be more economical to get rid of them, as
they were neither able to work or to make themselves
useful in any way, therefore, partly by persuasion,
I got eighteen of the worst to leave, and am sorry to
say there are two or three yet remaining who should
have accompanied them. The number of women and
children now at the Karamea is about 150. The
the population is nearly 300, and the amount of land
occupied by special settlement is about 4000 acres,
and the total cost of the settlement up to the present
time is £3,748 8s. 4d. With the whole of that sum
of course the settlers are not chargeable, from it
has to be deducted the cost of the subsidy given to
the steamer that took them there, the cost of various
Government buildings, the rost of boats and their
conveyance, and also the cattle necessary for the
settlement. In any by these ways will be re-
productive, and in the meantime, having the immi-
gration fund to draw upon, the ordinary revenue is
saved. The anxiety and care of the Government
with regard to the settlement was great, and every
steamer that went away was advertised by a
member of the Executive in order to watch carefully
the progress of the place and see that nothing went
wrong. On the first occasion I visited the place and
remained there a considerable time, I went on
consequence of the old survey lines having become
obliterated, and the manager finding it impos-
sible to fix the exact place on which he
had been determined to locate the immi-
grants. I remained with a surveyor whom I had
brought from Westport, and my expressed determina-
tion not to leave the place until I had seen the
immigrants settled on their land, gave confidence.
Both the Provincial Solicitor and Mr Rout have
visited the place, and we have consulted fully with
the Superintendent on the subject, I am certain

now that beyond certain irregularities that
have occurred and that could not have been
presented, there is nothing to complain of.
The settlement on the whole is a success. When it
was first started a great many evils were fore-
told of it. It was constantly rung in the ears of the
people of the Colony that it was an entire failure,
and I was ashamed to hear people from other Pro-
vinces saying that nothing would flourish here,
not even a special settlement. With regard to the
expenditure of a sum of money borrowed for har-
bor works, I regret that it is not in my power to tell
the Council of any advance we have made in con-
structing these works, as, unfortunately, the means
of going on with them have not been placed in our
hands as yet, although all preliminaries have been
settled. The Government were alive to the import-
ance of getting, at the earliest possible moment,
plans and specifications prepared of the proposed
works, and for that purpose the Provincial Engineer
was instructed some time to consult with an
engineer at Westport and to supply the plans
necessary for the dry dock and wharf for
Nelson harbor. I will think it is proper for the
Notice paper with regard to these plans, and
I have the correspondence ready. The information I
have to give is simply this: Mr Evans who was
engineer at Westport was requested to assist Mr
Dobson in furnishing plans for a dry dock at an
estimated cost of £27,000. He said the sum was too
small, but that he would try to bring forward some-
thing that would be within the means of the Pro-
vincial Government. I told him it was necessary not
to exceed that sum, however we could not stop at the
Provincial territory outside the town. After long delay
he sent plans and specifications to the Provincial Gov-
ernment for a wharf and dry dock to cost over £80,000
-which plans I must state I had seen in the office
previously, being then informed they were prepared
for similar works at Auckland-as soon as the Govern-
ment received them they at once decided that it was
nothing at all like what were required for this Pro-
vince. Notwithstanding this, he expects to be paid
for these plans according to his own estimated cost.
All I have to say in regard to this matter is, that if
an engineer is to charge according to his estimated
cost he is very foolish not to make the cost as large as
possible. However, I think Mr Evans is not likely to be
paid a high price for the work he has and does for the
Province. Under the Payment to Provinces Act, the
General Government were recommended to distribute
the sum of £3000 10s. 1d. annually to the Province
of Nelson amongst the several Road Boards, in the
following proportions:-

£ s. d.
Waimea ... 250 0 0
Motueka Valley ... 250 0 0
Motueka ... 50 0 0
Pangatotara ... 75 0 0
Sawaka ... 100 0 0
Buller-north ... 75 0 0
Moutere ... 200 0 0
Takaka ... 300 0 0
Collingwood ... 150 0 0
Hampden ... 250 0 0
Inangahua ... 400 0 0
Amuri ... 100 0 0
Grey ... 250 0 0
Ahura ... 400 0 0
Buller ... 300 0 0
Cobden ... 208 19 1
Collingwood ... 300 0 0

There are a number of Boards which have failed to
comply with the Act, and as a natural consequence
they will not be able to claim any portion of the
money. It will be the duty of the Government to
make other arrangements for the redistribution of
this amount, in order to make it available as soon as
possible. With regard to the Local Revenues Boards
I may remark that on the Goldfields they gave a
considerable amount of trouble to the Government
during last year. The Executive found them-
selves in this position: that while the roads
and bridges were by law placed in charge of the
Board's, the Boards would not really take charge