THE Grey River Argus. TUESDAY, OCTOBER 6, 1868.

Grey River Argus, Volume VI, Issue 426, 6 October 1868, Page 2

THE Grey River Argus. TUESDAY, OCTOBER 6, 1868.

We are very reluctant to have again to refer to the late political action of the Hokitika Committee with regard to the member for the Westland Boroughs. We would have allowed the matter to rest where it was, but for the letter which we publish to-day on the subject from Mr. E. Prossar, the Mayor of Hokitika, and a member of the committee whose conduct we have recently had occasion to question. We are glad to find that the discussion has clone some good ; and the members of the Committee, instead of being angry with ns, and questioning the motives which induced xis to publish the telegrams they were supposed to have transmitted to Mr. Harrison, ought to be thankful that we have thereby shown them the unfair use which was being made of their name and influence by, it. now appears, one of their members. MrProsser, as well as Mr. Mowat, has disc/aimed any connection whatever with the telegrams which were sent to Mr. Harrison and Mr. Fox, and to which their names were appended, and it gives us pleasure to exonerate these gentlemen from further blame in the matter. On this subject, there appears to be a pretty llhtle paper war raging between the members of the Committee, into the merits of which we do not intend to enter; it is quite sufficient for us to receive the assurance of several influential members of the Committee that the telegrams were unauthorised, and did not emanate from them. We would not have noticed the matter further had there not been imported into the discussion an attempt to show that we, and those who convened the late meeting here, were actuated by two feelings only — first, jealousy of of Hokitika, and, second, a " thick-and-thin" support of Mr- Harrison as "our inenibei\" We assui'e those of our southern neighbours with whom we have differed on this question, that the feeling imputed to the people of Greymouth does not in reality exist, and that they are, and ever have been, most anxious to co-operate 'with Hokitika in every work or movement which has for its object the advancement of the best interests of the County. But we ask Mr. Prosser to remember that in the present case the people of this district were entirely ignored — they were not asked to co-operate, but action was taken in their name, without their consent ; and, afterwards, when they very naturally resented such treatment, they were coolly told, "Oh, you are jealous/ What we have argued for as a matter of principle is our right, as a section — and not at all an unimportant one— of the constituency to be consulted when action is to be taken on any political question affecting the well-being of the County ; and we shall never cease to maintain our right on this point. When that is conceded our Hokitika friends will find that whenever they ask our co-opera-tion they will receive it, but that cooperation nmst be something real and not imaginary. As to the second point, we must disclaim auything like what is known as " thick-and-thin" support of Mr Harrison, and attempting to shield him from that legitimate criticism to which the actions of all public men are exposed. We have never claimed him as "our member" as Mr Prosser and the " West Coast Times" insinuate we have, but on every occasion we have represented and treated him as the member for the Westland Boroughs,

and as such entitled to give as much consideration to the wants and opinions of the one section of his constituents as the other. Perhaps it is his misfortune that Greymouth was chiefly instrumental in returning him, perhaps otherwise ; but while lie is the representative of the .Boroughs,' we did not expect to find a gentleman occupying the position Mr ■■Prosser does, speaking of him in the contemptuous terms of " your member." We have supported Mr Harrison throughout this discussion as a matter of principle, because we believed he had been wronged in his representative capacity. It would not have mattered to us who our member was, he would, under similar circumstances, have received our warm support.