TION FOR WESTLAND.

Grey River Argus, Volume III, Issue 202, 30 April 1867, Page 3

TION FOR WE STLA ND.

of the 24th' instant, contains on Westland affairs, the of -which we publish contempory, after expressing the lengthened detention of in Westland, says : — remembered that the salary the office of Superintendent by Eastland only. No part of upon, the Gold Fields Estipay a liberal price to secure energy of the best man that and it is poor satisfaction to* and that energy vigorously the service of the people of who do not contribute a sixremuneration. We have all while they have their full advantage. system is pursued throughpays nothing towards expenditure, and — a — is not charged with any the Canterbury loan. Yet if an integral part of the Propossible principle can it be from its share of the public Province? If it is argued loans were contracted for purWestland is not concerned, may be urged on behalf of of the Province. The settlers for instance, or in the arc not concerned in and from the tunnel and the harbor works ; they have never southern railway, aud would preferred to see the money exharbor works at Timaru. Yet ever dreamt of proposing — never proposed themselves — be freed from their share liability. The argument at least equal 'force be used in way ; for if Westlaud is too and independent a dismade answerable for liabilities the general benefit of the it surely cannot be considered of the Province at all. is that there is on all sides a of the broad difference beand Westland, and that to convert the prcsuut a real uniou would quickly Natural causes are all The people on the different dividing range form two diswithout the smallest of interest, either commercial Tlieir pursuits and wants and they need different and separate legislathe laws which are suitable to do not meet the requirements or to the circumstances of Nor do the people of Westland supplies through Eastern the diggings of Otago are supDunedin ; they have ports of m , and carry on a, direct and intrade with Melbourne and with Provinces of New Zealand. In two sides of the island, besides division, differ so comin their social and political asif the boundaries of the Probe fixed, the union of would not be The West Coast the niip-s^par't'of Canit was an unknown ' believed to be imjust as Nc.r comprised the of Australia, or as now includes the whole from south to institutions have arc of any utility at all, have, and its affairs managed until it of its own. any common interest beof the province was during the last session Council. The live Westa group apart from ; tli'jy were never with it, and seemed in a element in its discusso frequently exaccurately thatVlicy /felt themselves ixv-be, in a posithat s of the other wero thert i n charge of concerns, in^i^ch mmc im^tcw of the initifh^J, had a p-irt. If any Eastlavj mem . ■•enturcd to criticise any acfcSjF Go■tnent or item of expenditure oh the K Coast, he was summarily put db is - n In outcry from the Wostland member,. I he was in a state of helpless ignor■on the whole subject ; and in truth I ignorance did ypry generally prevail, ■ induced the majority of the House to lain from any interference in Westland Rr.3, and leave them to be disposed of It seemed best to the representatives of Istland themselves. But if this state ■lungs is to continue ; if the Provincial Incil is to be divided, and a line of delation drawn between the representa- ■ of Eastland and Westland ; if the ftland revenues are always to be ap■•iated to the sole use of Westland, Hhc mode of tlieir expenditure always ■determined exclusively by the WestBuembers — why keep up any longer Hie form of meeting together in the What is the use .of submitting Estimates to a bqdy the greater -which is declared 'incompetent to them? It would surely be sides to acknowledge openly are compelled' to admit in and, dropping k sham union hide the actually existing to take each int^> its own hands of its Own affairs. system is /likely to lead to results. /Westland cannot to remain satisfied with being by five members only, but and no doubt obtain, a deniore proportioned There will be then a in the Council, knowing nonothing about Eastland to support any Executive, to the majority from r hich is willing to deal bountiWest Coast. We had an -this last session. The point Stewart resigned office and in was one that concerned onfy, yet Mr Jollies being unpopular Coast, 'the Westland votes against him, and he was to the wish of the EtWJtlandjnembers, We Ica^t bljßH^^M

were called on to deblare whether they had confidence in Mr Joilie,, v and if they had not they did quite right to vote against him ; but.it is important to observe the special ground on which their want of confidence was founded. Now when they had such a Government in power as they appi o re of, the Westland members did as a matter of fact— in the case of one who assumed to be a leader among them, avowedly— -vote along with the Government on all questions relating to the affairs of Eastland. In future, therefore, an Executive disposed to purchase the suffrages of Westland by a liberal expenditure^ of public mouey, would receive a blind support from the eight or ten members (whatever their number may be), through thick or thin, with reason or without, aud so ba able to carry out a policy in the Government of this side of the Province in defiance of the wishes of a »i'eat majority of its representatives. That of course is an extreme view ; but there can be no doubt that the Westland vote would be an enormous power in the Council, the possession of which would tend, as a somewhat similar state of things has tended in the General Assembly, to an amount of caballing and log-rolling that would soon render any good government impossible. For these reasons then — the diverse and incompatible nature of the occupations and interests of the inhabitants on the two sides of the Province, the impossibility of legislating satisfactorily for both in the same Council, and the necessity of affording to the people of Westland a more effective control than they now exercise over the expenditure of their revenues — we think that the attempt at union should be discontinued, and that Westland should have a separate Government. The financial view of the question will require to be considered, but- we must reserve that branch of the subject till another issue.