THE Grey River Argus. TUESDAY, NOVEMBER 3, 1868.

Grey River Argus, Volume VI, Issue 438, 3 November 1868, Page 2

THE Grey River Argus. TUESDAY, NOVEMBER 3, 1868.

Our friends iv Nelson city have at last become aware of the fact that during the past session of the Assembly their revenues were saddled with what is to them a new charge of £800, being onehalf of the cost of maintaining the Customs establishment at Greymouth. They might have become aware of this nearly a mouth ago, but with their proverbial sleepiness they could not wake up to it until it was known all over the country. Well might Mr Stafford call Nelson " the sleepy hollow of New Zealand." We are only sorry that the House did not make the charge retrospective, so as to compel the inhabitants of that lathergic place to become alive to the fact that for years past they have been committing a fiagraut injustice to Greymouth, by absorbing one-half- of its Customs revenue, and contributing not one farthing towards the collection of ifc, or the maintenance, protection, or improvement of the port from which it derived so large an income. Over and over again they have been asked to deal justly with this port ; but the same selfish reply has invariably been sent — that they would give nothing, because .they were, entitled to receive more of the revenue than they were then getting. They have for years taken from us a full one-half of tho revenue, free of all charges, and have recently put in a claim for two-thirds ; also, we suppose, ires from charges, which would make it equivalent to giving up the whole of our Customs revenue to Nelson. The absurdity of such a claim was fully demonstrated during the debate on the question, and the reasonableness of the demand made by the Westland members on behalf of this port was at once understood by theHouse,and we were relieved, at least in a. slight degree, from a burden which, pressed heavily upon us. What could be more just than that those who receive one-half of the Customs revenue should pay one-half of the cost of collecting it ; but such a simple argument as that is not convincing enough for our Nelson neighbors, who are now calling out loudly at the injustice which has been done to them. They require a more convincing argument, and the only regret is that the House did not furnish it to them by compelling them to pay their share, not only of the Customs establishment, but also of the large expenditure which has taken place here during the last three years on wharves and protective works. Only lately a memorial on this subject was sent by the Borough Council to the Nelsou Government, requesting them to make some contribution towards the cost of protecting the port from which they received so much revenue, but as yet no reply has been returned. In the face of the recent vote in the Assembly^ we may anticipate what the answer will be; but we do hope that the Superintendent and his Executive will give the memorial every consideration, and examine whether the facts of the case do not warrant the application being made, and a liberal sum placed on the Estimates, which could either be voted or struck out by the Provincial Council. One good thing which would result from the adoption of such a course^ would be the ventilation of the whole subject; and, although it would be

from a Nelson point of view, yc;fc if the amount were discussed alongside of a similar sum which will have to be voted for protective works at Westport, it may appear not such mi unreasonable request as the Nelsou legislators have hitherto declared it to be, If the one port from which revenue is derived is to be protected, the other, from which an equal, if not a larger amount is yearly contributed to the Provincial Treasury, j | ought to be so also. At the present ! time Grey mouth deserves even greater consideration at the hands of the NelBoti Government than Westport, for hitherto they bdve received our revenues and spent them in building wharves and protective works, and making improvements in Westport, and have refused to spend a single shilling on Grej'inouth. Jf our claim is considered calmly and fairly, there cannot remain a doubt as tp its justice ; but we expect that those who have denounced the small annual payment which, they have been com pelled by the Assembly to make, will be much louder in their outcry against j the prayer of the memorial from the Borough Council.