COUNTY COUNCIL ELECTION.

Grey River Argus, Volume VII, Issue 452, 5 December 1868, Page 2

COUNTY COUNCIL ELECTION.

MESSRS LAHMAN AND WTCKES' K MEETIN(jL" ' A meeting of the electors was held las£ evening at the Oddfellows Hall, Hunt's Club Hotel, for the purpose of giving Messrs Wickes and Lahman an opportunity of stating their opinions on matters , affecting the welfare of the County. The Mayor, took" Jhje chair," and ijtitroi duced Mr Lahman, who said that as a candii date for the representation of the town in tlie County Council, he camp before them ■ in order to give them an opportunity of judging whether h§ was tit"to occupy the . inportant and honorable position. Evtr sir.93 he received the requisition from hft fellow-to\viismen, he had tried to deline ' ihe duties of a member' "of the Council, 1 and he was there to give them his views • on those subjects- which, if ho was re- ! turned, he would endeavor to carry out) and to discharge liis duties honestly and faithfully. He J considered that the dubies of a representative were two-fold ; first, towards the County at lirge, and second, to see that the expenditure in all the de-~p.xrtm©-nts of Government" were reduced. : He had ho' doubt* that whoever was returned would see to this desired end. Retrenchment was now the order of tile day ; the ijhnes required it, and he might" fairly asseuU tliat considerable reductions would he effected, and the'surplus revenue to be divided between the Road Boards considerably increased. He would not go into details, but he might say it was i his linn conviction that the Survey department could be done away with altogether. The Estimates showed that this'department consumed the largest prop- rfcion of the revenues of the County, :nd he was of opinion that whatever surveys wera required had better be done by contract, as that would be 1 ths cheapest way of doing the work. He considered it to be the duty of a representative to enddavor to increase the revenue of the County as much as possible, provided it could be done witho.ujfc additional taxation, with which the County was already overburdened. A great amount of injustice had been done to Westland by Nelson "absorbing a large proportion of the revenue raised in Greymouth. With the exception of the gold export duty, that Province ought not. to share in ths revenue derived from' the port, which arose simply through the enterprise of our local merchants. Westland might as well expect to be reimbursed for goods exported to it from the other Provinces of New Zealand. He knew that on this matter the County Council was powerless, but a resolution passed by that body wpuld have due weight" with the General Government. With regard to gold-mining, no one doubted but tiiat it 1 would be the mainstay of the County for many years to come, and consequently it would Ije the 1 duty of their representatives to endeavor to encourage that interest in every possible way. The County Council had hill control over the main roads' in the Counfcy, and he believed with Mr Harrison that the prosperity of thp country depended upon giving every facility for opening up communication * throughout the country. Should he be returned, he would do everything that lay in his power to further the interest of the mining coniUiUnity, and to encourage undertakings siich as the construction pf tramways, water-races, tracks, &c. He would assist these undert iking 3 with a material guarantee, when it could be shown that they would materially benefijithe country. He would endeavor to obtain for Greyniouth as large a share as possible of the surplus revenue, because "up to the present time the importance of this port had been unwarrantably ignored or badly understood. The port of Greymouth 'was the best in the County, and the resources of the district the modt iniporfcant, as it Svas rich in coal.' If fairly treated, the district'would receive as much as would fully insure the future prosperty qf the district. If he had ihe honor of being returned to the Council, he would advocate that the lock-up' here should be declared a commpn gaol, which he believed would be of great advantage to the district,«and a saving to the County ; the construction of a main route from Greymouth to Greenstone, so that the diggings there might be supplied with goods from the centre to which they properly belonged, instead of from Hokitika, from which Mr Sale had recommended the construction of a main road at the expense of the County. He would endeavor to have a commission appointed to enquire into the Stoney Lead affair, and find out who was blameable in the matter. In his opinion the completion of the protective works at this port should be a charge on the county and not qii the

town, as the whole of the county would benefit by the improvement which these works would effect in the navigation of the river ; and it was no more than the duty of the Council to reimburse the Borough Council for the money it had already expended in protecting ,the port, but he would be satisfied if the C-ounty Council finished the work. • With regard , to himself he had no selfish motive in ' going into the Council if returned. He went there to spend his money and time i for the .benefit of the district, and the approval of the electors would be a auffl- i cient reward for him under all circumstances. . . • . * i A few questions having been asked and i answered, Mr D, Girkwood moved, and Mr G. Simajkws 'seconj^ed, a moticSn /• thajt $tr Lahman was a ',' fit and proper person to represent the town in the County; Council. ' ' • This was carried unanimously. ! The Mayc^r introduced Mr E. Wickas, ' as another candidate for the repi#s,Qnta- : .tion of the town. ' . I Mr E. Wickes said he did not come forward as a stranger, but as one who had been long resident in the town, and who had consented to stand when there was none in the field but Mr Lahman. Singe then other two gentlemen had come furward, bat since he had come forward he intended to go to ihe poll. He did not come forward as one of .those independent men who pledged themselves to carry a measure at any expense. He had cast his lot in the town three yeara ago, and from that time he had constantly endeavored ,to advance the prosperity of Greymouih. He felt that in doing so he had only done <his duty,'the dnty of f every man ; and if ; every man did his duty iii tiiat respect tlie : prosperity of 'district would' •b.e assured. Grey mouth liad been in a series of difficulties since its e^tabHshnient, ; one of fhe greatest of which was the ! present bov,n lary line of .the County. So long as that boundary was inaintained ihey could not prosper, as the revenue collected in the district was first divided with the General Government, and then with Nelson, While the fourth remaining : was left to bear the full burden of the cost of'the protective works of the port. These works were commenced by the Road Board at a time when destruction was stareing the town in the face, and the mjembers of the Board would have been 'wanting in their duty if they had not constructed them and contracted the debt they had on that account. The Borough .Council had also been inaugurated under 'financial difficulties, but he thought there woulcl be ho difficulty in obtaining a grant from the County Council. He fully approved of the present form of Government for the ' County ; and it did not require a great orator to represent the district in the Council. It required' a man •who would not take "no" for his answer. He approved of Mr Harrison's conduct in \ the Assembly, but he had not dbne.Jbis dutyih the • County Council. After hia brought forward his motion for declaring the lock-up in Greymouth a common gaol, he quietly T^itlidrew r6, instead of pressing it upon the attention of the Counci 1 . He (Mr Wickes) was in favor of the County Council forming a main arterial road through the country, as on that he believed much of its"prosperity depended. He wo.uld endeavor to abolish the Survey and Engineer's departments, and allow each Road Board to 'ifayjif v the mad through tneir districts 'under the direction of the County Engineer. ' After some further remarks he said he had only one object to serve in seelmig'the suffrages of the electors, and that Was tb perform his duty to the town honestly and' faithfully. ! '• " :" ' ' •■' Mr Maqoffi^ pronosed, and Mr J. 1 Black seconded a vote%f confidence in Mr Wickes, which wa3 carried unanimously. Mr Harrison made explanations with reference to what the fast speaker had accused him of, viz , withdrawing his motion in the Council for declaring the lock-UD here a common gaol. His reason for doing so was tfiai when he compared the cost of erecting suitable buildings here with the "cost of conveying prisoners to Hokitika, the difference was so great that he felt compelled to'withdraw his motion. A vote of thanks to the Mayor for presiding was carried, and the meeting adjourred.