NELSON GOVERNMENT GAZETTE. 59

[Left Column]

Local
Revenues
Board.

of them. In order to meet the difficulty and to dis-
charge their duty as faithfully as possible to the
Board and the Province, the Government proposed
to the Boards:—

"1st. That the services of Mr Dobson, Provincial
Engineer and Chief Surveyor, as Consulting Surveyor
for the current year (under Section 32 of the Local
Revenues Act), be offered to the several Boards free of
charge.

"2nd. Upon the Board accepting the above offer
and appointing Mr Dobson Consulting Surveyor,
the Government will provide them with sufficient
funds during the current year, within the amounts
available for each district, to carry out such main
tenance contracts as Mr Dobson, as Consulting
Surveyor, may approve.

"3rd. That as a condition of the above each Board
should undertake to provide during the current year,
their own Overseer and Secretary out of rates.

"4th. That in the event of the maintenance
contracts not absorbing the whole amount available
in any district the balance will be handed over to the
Board in such district, as soon as the Provincial
revenue will admit."

Main
roads
generally
in good
repair.

This proposition seems to have been received
with disfavor by many of the Boards, and
consequently in a great many cases it was not acted
upon. The Government called for tenders for the
maintenance of the main roads and those roads which
are not now actually looked after by the Boards, are
under the direct charge of the Government Overseer,
and in good repair. With regard to the road works
constructed in the Province, there is a certainty
of a main road being open, between the pro-
vince in a few months, and I hope before long to see
a coach running from Nelson to Westport and Grey-
mouth. We will also be enabled to have a track to
connect Reefton, with Nelson, when the line is made
will be benefited, and a new line opened from Nelson
to the back country. I regret that it has not been in the
power of the Government to have had certain works
even started that were provided for by the Estimates.
One of them is a road from Totara to Granville.
Instructions were given months ago to have that line
laid out, but unfortunately the press of work was
such that the Surveyor was unable to do it. I hope
however that the funds will soon be available for it.
Another of these works is a road to connect the
Amuri cattle-producing districts with the Goldfields
Districts during the last year animal food rose to
almost famine prices on the Goldfields, and it will
be liable to do so until the road I have mentioned
is made. The railway works now in course of con-
struction in the Province show some symptoms of
advancement, and I hope that in a short time the
line will be open to Fox Hill. I regret that the
General Government have not shown more activity
in having a re-survey made of the line to connect
the Fox-hill terminus with the Goldfields. I am
sorry also that the Government were inclined to
countenance a proposal to make a railway by Top House
through the Wairau Gorge to the Amuri. I know
that it would be next to impossible to make a railway
there, it was intended to place a telegraph line in
that direction but the General Manager of the Tele-
graph Department pronounced it impossible. Lately
in passing through that place, it occurred to me that
if the Government Engineers would visit that part of
the country they would not think of such a thing.
Still a road might be very properly constructed there
(An hon. member : What about the Brunner mine?)
I have heard remarks made about the Brunner mine
by the Superintendent and I am bound to endorse
them. (Hear, hear.) I know they were strictly
correct, and I know also that a more cruel injury was
never inflicted on any Province nor upon the Colony
than the construction of that line. On one side
of the Grey river there is a mine where the dip is as
great as to render it unworkable, while on the other
coal can be got out at a minimum cost. Notwithstand-
ing the Government have persisted in constructing the
line on the wrong side at an enormous cost, while an
easier and cheaper line could have been made on the
other. The construction of the line as at present has
been the means of ruining a town, and will be the
means of placing the Brunner coal out of the market.
On visiting the place a few days ago it struck me that

Main
trunk
roads,
Nelson to
Westport
and Grey,
Nelson
and Kara-
mea.

Works
not com-
menced.

Railway
works.

Brunner
Mine.

An injury

[Right Column]

it would be necessary to have the coal carried by horses
from the mine to the railway on the other side, and
on consulting with the manager of the mine that I
found this would add one-fifth to the cost of the
coal. Considering the obstacles thus created I ask
any reasonable person whether it is at all possible
that the Brunner mine can compete with other
mines not having such difficulties to overcome. I
believe, with the Superintendent, that the time will
come when recourse must be had to a line on this
side of the river. As far as engineering bungles go
I am glad to say that the line at Mount
Rochfort is comparatively free. But although the
railway there is getting on with a fair amount of
progress nothing has been done by the persons in
possession of the coal country to prepare for deliver-
ing coal when the railway reaches them. Now, sir,
I propose to deal with a question which has been
plainly stated to this Council, in which I am not
prepared to acquiesce. I refer to the statement that
the revenue of the Province has fallen on. On the
contrary I find the revenue has increased. In the
year 1874 there were a number of items in Brunner
revenue which have since been excluded. Now, I
shall ask hon. members to exclude those items and
take the ordinary revenue as it stands, and compare
it item by item with that revenue since that I been
received this year by the Provincial Government. I
think they will find on doing so, that the balance is
in favor of this year. In 1874, under the head
"Capitation Allowance" £13,000 and there was £5,000
it is received from the Colony. Therefore we can
strike it out; it has very little connection with the
revenue entirely derivable from the Province.
"Capitation Allowance" has been made an advance of
£5,000, which may also be struck out. Under that
heading "Brunner Coalmine," there appeared last
year an item of £5,640. It is well known that the
line has since been handed over to a proprietary,
therefore it would not be correct to retain it. I
shall now read a statement showing the amount of
revenue received in 1874 and 1875:—

Extra
cost im-
posed
ruinous to
Brunner
Mine.

Mount
Rochfort
Line.

State-
ment that
Revenue
has fallen
off contra-
dicted.

Proof of
increase.

Ordinary Revenue received by Provincial Treasurer
for the years 1874 and 1875:—

Ordinary
revenue
1874 and
1875 com-
pared.

Balance in favor 1875, £3,769 7 3

Last year's revenue was £45,849, and this year we
have £49,619, leaving a balance in favor of
this year of £3,789. Now, in the face of such a
statement can it be said that the revenue is falling
off? Certainly, by anticipation, we have been
deprived of a considerable amount of land revenue,
because I maintain that the survey department, the
expenditure on which is so large, should have done
more work, and there should now be a greater quan-
tity of land available for settlement or sold.
The reason of this may be that the land was offered
for sale at so high a price that nobody would buy
it. £2 per acre was asked for land at Cobden and
at Waimangaroa, land intersected by water-races was
the deferred payment system at two shillings per acre
nor have been paid to the owners of the water-
races. Neither of the sources under that the
late Provincial Treasurer expected to receive

Balance
in favor of
present
year.

Why land
sales not
greater.