THE Grey River Argus. TUESDAY, JANUARY 15, 1567.

Grey River Argus, Volume III, Issue 157, 15 January 1867, Page 2

THE Grey River Argus. TUESDAY, JANUARY 15, 1567.

The Pupvincial Council is abpiit ceasing fvom its labprs, and j;lic >veapied members aye on the eve of returnipg to the koson]S of their constituents, there no doubt to bg receive^} with demonstrations pf aif^jption aiuj gratitudp fpr the valuadle services they liave rendered tlie country. And really they deserve it } altl}pugh the past session has bpeu a dreai.y and almost pi qfitless one, so far as this portion of thp Province is concer.ned. The Westland representatives ?iave worked hard, and in point pf atr tention to their legislative duties have bpen quite model members. Scarcely cypr has a West Coa.st member been absonj; at the calling of the muster vplJ } aiifl on all topics that have been introduced relating to Westland affairs th.eir vpices have been heard. They have vindicated their constituents and the distripfc against the charges and assertions pf ignorant members, and have bpen ,qf some service in enlightening the Ckmhpil gei e /ally on West Coast affair. 0 , Spme usetul legislative measures have been introduced by some of them, and they have bpen the means of greater financial liberality in the sums granted for varipus purposes. All these things they have done, and they have done tlumi at the cost of gxeat personal inconvenience a good deal of discomfort, and doubtless substantial, loss, and they deserve the 'warmest thanks of their constituents as the least reward their merit deserves. But, as we said before the session, notwithstanding all that has been done for has been in one. important particular a profitless one. That which has not been done is greater than that which has been done, and the omission has been left to be filled up by an inferior body. The most important step taken by the Government was to refer the whole question of the future administration of affairs in Westlaud to a Commission and tlie Council under, the impression that it was the best thing that conl be done agreed to it, and so the Commission was decided on, and will probably soon commence its work of — What? Well nobody knows exactly. Sqme say that Mr Stewart said the Commission was to teach the Government how to govern, but Mr (Stewart denies this, and says that the Commis. sion is only to inquire into things generally and report to the Government. Mqst of the Westlaud members highly approve of the Commission, which they havp been led to believe will be a panacea for all th.c political evils in the country. But nobody yet appears to know what the Commission is really to do. Is it in itp enquiries to poke its nose, into all thp departments of the Civi}. Service, tq the infinite disgust of those hardworked gentlemen the Government clerks, upon wh,oni and-whose doings the Commission ■vyi]! have to report 1 Will the Commisayu collectively put on moleskins, Crimean shirt 3, watertights, and a. Jifty^pound swag, and make a survey ojf thp country from the Arnold to the I^xast River, and report on the excellent state of the roads and bridges that* are so plentifully scattered over tie country ? If the Commission wece solely composed of Eastward memhprs of the Hornbrook stamp, one s^pjld fervently hope they would, but it is not, nor is it probable that anything, pf the kind will be done. The Commis^iorV will find its hardest task iv satisfactorily defining its duties, and we muc^y mistike if the members do not at a eet <ly stage discover the difficulty qf th,e. yd rk they have undertaken. Wp si! ppose, however, that after some; or time £ glimmering

of the true facts of the case will dawn = upon them, apd th. at kicking aside r^ed tape apd sealing wax, they >yill addjpss themselves to thewprk of studying the resourpespf the district, its capacity fpr supporting a large population, and^ its need pf and title to, good government: Will they enumerate the population analys.e '^he commerpial statistics p,f the district an.tl ympvp in anything like £he follpwing manner ] " Your Commissioners after njaking every enquiry, and taking a vast ampunt of evidence, and after considerable personal o,bsei.7a£ipn> are unanimously of pjjiniqn .tjjafc a dis" trict which, like Westk^Js ri.cji|y^gii' do\ved Avith lmtitral'^ssQuricfi^ and already ooasp of a tradp and p.qpulation eqifal"*TO^]iose of t)ic re§^ p,f thp Provipc^f^lt^^hicli pqsspssp^ within itself airtn^cgnditions n.ecessary tp the constitutfofTflfTseparatp Provjjicp, will neyer bp satiptctorily gpverneel from CJ}ristchnrcl), unless it be adinitte/l to equa} pol|tiq}il power tl}p rpstof tlie Province, and that the goldfjelds be represpntpd \n the Gpyermnent by a< resi{p.nsi})le minister. Your G.ommis_ sioners the^efpre recpmmen4 the Government without delay to prpparc and lay befprp thp Counpil such fneasures as will bpst give effect to the opinion they have expressed." Will-tjjp Commission do anythjng of | this kindj If it does, is it likely. t|}e Go. yernmeiit >vould act upon the axtviee,pr if it did that the Council would endqrse it 1 These are questions we should }}ke to see answered. AH that" we have got to say is, that if the Commission falls short of recommending a radical change, such as we haye hinted at, it will have, fajled in its duty. If, however, it does not, and boldly strikes out a policy of pqlitical equality, we? fear the Govenni>ent would hesitate to adopt it, and that the Council would unhesitatingly reject it. The Commission is simply" 'paving the way to Separation.