THE SEPARATION MOVEMENTS.

Grey River Argus, Volume VIII, Issue 528, 5 June 1869, Page 3

THE SEPARATION MOVEMENTS.

Mr Lightband's Meetings. (From the Charleston Herald.) A public meeting, called by Mr Lightband, was held at the Oddfellows' Hotel, Charleston, on Wednesday evening, for the purpose of initiating an anti-separa-tion movement. Mr Dwan was voted to the chair, bxit declined, on the ground chat he was a separationist. Mr Bain was then voted to the chair, and introduced Mr Lightband, trusting they would give him a patient hearing. Mr Lightband said, it affords me much pleasure to find that so much, interest attaches amongst you to a que; tion that is agitating the minds of the people of this Province. My own impression is, that in seeking separation you are adopting a system of Government more cumbrous and costly and one that will more heavily tax your resources than the present administration. (The speaker then read the petition.) 1 have already obtained numerous signatures to this petition, and in the Brighton district alone one hundred and fifty attached their nam^s, and in the Grey district I found the miners almost unanimous in their desire to continue their connection with the Provincial Government of Nelson. It has been said, and no doubt for the purpose of prejudicing your minds against me, that I am a Government emissary. I now beg most emphatically to deny the allegation. I am deputed by a number of private gentlemen in Nelson, who formed themselves into a committee, to ascertain the true feeling of the people of the Nelson Southwest Gold Fields, and in the event of their expressing themselves favoiable to the existing order of things, to obtain signatures to the counter petition. Dr Featherston, the Superintendent of Wellington, whose opinion was of much weight, had stated thai the County system was a failure, and adduced the instance cf Westland as an example, that the form of governmet would not act and had proved more cumbersome and expensive than the Provincial form of government. And as a proof that it was not calculated to answer the purpose of its framers, I would ro mind you that already Greymouth is seeking to become a separate County, including a portion of Westland and a portion of the Nelson South-west Gold Fields. Recently there have been great complaints against the Nelson Government, and I believe not altogether without cause. But going back beyond the pait

year, I believe that none will deny that the Government of this Province presented a most striking and favorable contrast to that of any oi.ier Province having gold fields populated Indeed, tho Government of Nelson was proverbial for liberality in forming roads, enacting mining rules, ami adopting any measure calculated to advance the interest of the mining population. I now come to the question of expenditure, and in this respect I think, after detailing the items extending from 1860 to 1868, you will find that you have had a large share of the revenue of the Province locally expended, and that you have no ground of complaint in this respect. (The speaker then detailed the items of expenditure, amounting in all to L 225,424, the correct7ies3 of which he vouched for as taken from the Treasurer's statements.) The question then is in seeking Separation, and having obtained it, what advantages are yon likely to derive. I must confess that I have given the matter much consideration, and I fail to find any. I also assure you that I do not treat the subject in a partial spirit ; I have simply come among you for the purpose of endeavoring to persuade you to a course of action which I firmly believe will result to your future advantage, and to the welfare of the entire community. Should you gain Separation, I should like to know what benefit will accrue to you from your connection with Westport, which is bound to repeat in a tenfold manner the centralisation alleged to have been attempted by Nelson, in the event of no care being taken hy the miners to return efficient and conscientious men. And I have much to fear from the political apathy usually displayed by your class. As a proof of the unscrupulous means to which some of those interested in the Separation movement will resort in order to attain their ends. I may state with regret that an agent who had been despatched to the Upper Grey, in place of stating to the different parties the object of his visit, in many instances which came under my personal knowledge, simply enquired the names of parties working in creeks and gullies, and without further ado, attached their names to the petition. Others again were not informed of the true object of the petition, but were told that it was to obtain a miner's right to be available for the entire Colony. The views I entertain are, I believe shared by a large number of the gold fields residents, and such I ask to come forward and sign the anti-separa-tion, petition. Mr Gillespie then addressed a few remarks to the meeting. He considered that Mr Lightband had brought forward nothing to show that the course they were taking was not the proper one under existing circumstances. His statement had no doubt been concocted by a few people in Nelson, but it possessed no interest for them, and he should therefore move, "That this meeting consider the Separation petition a true document, faithfully embodying the true sentiments of the people of the Nelson South-west Gold Fields." Mr Dwan said the motion Avas a good one, and should meet with general approval. He replied to a number of the statements made by Mr Lightband. Mr O'Connor also spoke at some length in support of the motion. Mr Button, member of the Westland Council, said that he came amongst them as a stranger, and but for the several requests that had been made should not have addressed them. Some reference had been made by Mr Lightband to Westland which he should be glad to reply to. Contrast the expense of the County system of government with that of the Provinces they would find a marked difference in favor of the latter. It was not that the actually necessary expenses in either case would exhibit much difference, but in the provinces it was deemed to be necessary that a large staff of officials should be kept up in order to invest them with dignity. In the County they had their Chairman at a much less salary than that received by Superintendents of provinces a treasurer and clerk, and these were pretty nearly all the expenses their separate existence as a county had entailed. He quite agreed with Mr Lightband that the provinces were tottering and must fall. He contended it wo old be of immense benefit to the colony if they were entirely superseded and a County system which meant nothing else than a division of the colony into rural municipalities indefinitely extended. He had lately visited .Nelson and was particularly struck with the barren appearance of the country. With the exception of a few favored localities, and the Wairau which communicated chiefly with Canterbury, Nelson was surrounded by barren hills, and it was a perplexing matter for him to comprehend how its inhabitants, numbering 4000 to 5000 succeeded in earning a livelihood. The simple matter was that they could not do without their gold fields, and if the latter were of such value then Lhey had better transfer their seat of government to the West Coast. He had much pleasure in informing the meeting that the County of Westland had not proved a failure, many public works of great utility had been carried out which under the. rule of Canterbury would never have been contemplated. To cite the fact of the Grey seeking to form a new County only went to prove how benificial the system was, otherwise the people of that district would not seek to reproduce it. A great deal had been said about the inability of the Council to raise a loan, but he believed that would be settled and no difficulty experienced in getting what they required, as Mr Hoos, their chairman, on his return from Wellington, reported that the Executive had favorably received his statements. Any difficulty that had existed had been due to the discredit into which the Provinces had fallen by their reckless borrowing and wasteful expenditure. It would be to the advantage of the gold fields to be even annexed to Westland rather than to continue the connection with Nelson, which appeared only to secure to them the power of contributing large sums to works of questionable utility calculated to benefit the city of Nelson or its immediate neighborhood, His own views were very strongly in favor of the movement as conductive to good government, a fair distribution of the local revenue, the development of their industries, and the general welfare of the entire Colony, Mr White made a few remarks, and Mr Gillespie's motion was put and carried nem. con. Mr Lightband expressed his intention to remain in Charleston a few days to receive signatures. A vote of thanks to the chair tenr "lated the proccQlingF,

A public meeting, called by Mr Llsjhtband, was held at Slattery's Hotel, Brighton, on Saturday evening last. The attendance numbered about fifty, being composed of business people and minors. 3 Mr Lightiund addressed the meeting at some length, and answered a few questions, aftor which Mr Lynch moved. — "That in the opinion of this meeting the Nelson Government are wholly unworthy of any consideration whatever, as they have invariably treated the inhabitants of this district with the greatest indifference and neglect, and we have therefore no longer any confidence in their assumed honesty or administrative capacity." Seconded by Mr R. Patterson, and carried by a large majority. The meeting after a vote of thanks to the chairman broke up, and Mr Lightband after thanking those present for the courteous attention bestowod on him, invited those who wereanti-sepa-ratioirsts to come forward and sign the protest he is canvassing for, this call was only responded to by one or two persons. The whole tone of the meeting was most unmisiakeably in favor of Separation.