HOKITIKA.

Grey River Argus, Volume VI, Issue 385, 2 July 1868, Page 3

HOKITIKA.

(from oub special correspondent.) The Hokitika Corporation have made a curious faux pas with regard to what is spoken of in this town as the " want of confidence motion" passed by the County Council the other day; but which in reality was nothing of the kind. The worthy burghers held a special meeting on Friday evening for the purpose of venting their indignation against the County Council in general and one of the members for Greymouth in particular, for having Censured the Corporation and said inai'it "funked" &i the time of the late political excitement ; and also to express their unbounded satisfaction with the course adopted by Mr Bouar in " crushing the rebellion." That very excitable gentleman Mr Button opened fire first — he denied that he or any; members of the Corporation "funked," and thought that the County Council had much mistaken its functions in supposing that it ought to have been called together, and he finally proposed a resolution expressive of the approval of the Corporation of the manner in which Mr Bonar and the Government had acted from first to last. Af*er Button, Mr Higgin spoke much after the same fashion ; then up got Mr Pros3er, who told the Mayor that he was to blame for nearly all the mischief ; that there had been a great deal of fuss about nothing, and that the conduct of the authorities had not boen certainly free from blame. ] Other magnates followed, and after the ' spechifying had been done the motion was carried only by a majority of one in a full Council ! What the worthy chairman of the County Council must think 1 can't tell, but certainly this vote of the Corporation amounts to nothing more nor less than a vote of censure. " Save me from my friends," Mr Bonar may well say, for whilst the resolution of the County Council was only to affirm a principle," that of the City Council was absolutely a test of the reliance that body had in the County Chairman. They're queer folks in Hokitika. On Saturday evening there was a large meeting in the Theatre for the purpose of deciding what to do with the Hospital — whether to refuse or accept the conditions Bet forth in the resolutions of the County Council. The Mayor presided — and will you credit it, the meeting was never informed what the proposed arrangement was (and I'm sure none present seemed to know), but appeared to think that the Council was. dissatisfied with the management of the Hospital. The Mayor lugubriously bemoaned the poverty of the city, Mr Binney said that he was sure the Hospital would go to pot under Hokitika management, and others spoke in the same strain ; finally the meeting resolved Hot to accept the Hospital on any terms inviting payment. I suppose therefore that the County Council will impound Hokitika's two-twelfths of tho surplus revenue and devote it to the Hospital.