THE Grey River Argus. SATURDAY, FEBRUARY 1, 1868.

Grey River Argus, Volume V, Issue 320, 1 February 1868, Page 2

THE Grey River Argus. SATURDAY, FEBRUARY 1, 1868.

Either through purblind ignorance or direct intention, those responsible for setting the machinery pf the County Act in motion have committed a, flagrant act of injustice to the Grey district with regard to the election for the County Council. As so,w,e of our readers are already aware, the returning officer here has been instructed that all miners whose rights have been taken put at Greymouth can only vote at the election of members for Greymouth, and will not be permitted to vote for any pf the Goldfiekls meruberb — thus reducing the representation of nearly one half the whole county down to two members, against six. for the southern portion. Anything more absurdly stupid could hardly be conceived, and yet as if in stolid mockery the farce is perpetrated o,f appointing two polling places at Rutherglcn, where not half-a-dozen miners can vote, through having taken out their rights at Greymouth. Who in the world is responsible for this mistake — if mistake it is ] Evidently some sort of idea appears to have prevailed that there was a separate Warden's Court at. Huthergleu, as one of the polling places is designated by that apocryphal term. We can scarcely bring ourselves to believe that the decision to exclude the votes of the miners of this district for the Gold-fields district can be according to the letter, as it certainly is not to the spirit of the law. The evident intention of the Act was to give the towns of Hokitika and Greymouth two members each, and that four other members should be elected by the rest of the County. What is the town of Greymouth ? As defined by the Provincial Council Exension Ordinance, it comprises, simply, the surveyed town proper as now occupied. How then, in the name of all that is sensible and right, can miners, covering an area of some 600 square miles, be supposed to have any right to elect the two mcnibera for the town ? Of what use is the Electoral Roll if the miners outside the town can if they

choose put in Avhoin they like by tlie sheer force of numbers ? Tlie thing is nuuibtrous, nnil avo are amazed that such thorough stupidity should have been allowed 10 preside over the initiation of an experiment, upon the success or failure of which depends a change of the Avliole constitution of the colony. It is as unjust to the miners as it is to the town residents, fpr it deprives them of an opportunity of exercisiug their political rights, fpr even if they vpte for the Greymouth members they in nst cpnie many miles to record their v°tcs, B«t tha effect pf this blundering is entirely to upseb tlie balance of representation, and thus to jeopardise the success of tho wholp scheme. One half the County returns six members and the other two ! We protest most indignantly against th^s arrangement, aud it should be the very first duty pf the representatives of tlie Grey tp luive it rectified.