PUBLIC MEETING AT NAPOLEON HILL.

Grey River Argus, Volume IX, Issue 656, 2 April 1870, Page 2

PUBLIC MEETING AT NAPOLEON HILL.

— , — «8» Mr Franklyn, M.P.C., met the residents of Napoleon Hill and neighborhood on Wednesday evening, at O'Brien' j Hotel. The meeting was the largest ever known in the district, and numbered about 400 persons. Mr James M'Lattgbxin, on being called to the chair, said they had assembled there that evening to meet their representative, who was shortly about to proceed to Nelson to attend the opening of the Council. Mr Franklyn" was naturally desirous of coming to see them before commencing his duties, so as to learn from themselves what were their most immediate want 3, to be in a position to bring them before the Council, and endeavor to get them rectified. Beyond a doubt Mr Franklyn was a great favorite with all of them — in fact, they considered that, as they had carried him into the Council at the head of the poll, they had particular claims upon him. He (the Chairman) was, however, certain that Mr Franklyn would, in the coming session, stand forward as the champion of their rights, and make a stand against the misdoings of the Nelson Executive, who had acted in an unfair and selfish spirit to the Coast. At any rate, Mr Franklyn would speak for himself ; he begged, therefore, to introduce Mr Franklyn to the meeting. Mr Franklyn, who on coming forward was received with several rounds of applause, said. Allow me to express to you my sincere thanks for your kind attendauce here this evening. Believe me I take it as one of the greatest compliments that you could pay me, and also as an index that you will take an interest in the proceedings of the coming session of the Provincial Council. Ido not forget that this is the first time that I have had an opportunity since my return as one of your members of thanking yon for placing me in the position I now occupy. I shall never cease to remember that the miners of this district, on the occasion of the kst election, came forward, took me by the hand, and earned me triumphantly through the contest, in spite of every opposition from tho Cobdon influence. (Applause.) Accept my heartfelt thanks for this kindness, a kindness which I assure you will live long in my remembrance. Since the last occasion of the Superintendent's election I must congratulate the inhabitants, qf the Grey Valley;

upon receiving from the Nelson Executive a considerable amount more of attention to their wanss than had hitherto been the case. It appeared, two years ago, to be the policy of the Nelson Government to bolster up the Westport district at the expense of this, but the result has proved that this was an error of judgment-, and that Westport, with all the pamporing and petting it received, never could compete with the vast resources of the Grey Valley. The Superintendent himself soon became aware of this, and, in his address to the electors in Nelson, confessed that the time had come when we had a right t<j expect greater attention at his hands, and that if he again became Superintendent this district should receive very different treatment than heretofore. The Superintendent is already nobly fulfilling this promise ; public work 3 are now laid ont, and some of them commenced, th«t will certainly absorb some LBOOO or L 9030 ; in fact what with doing ns justice in spending considerable sums of money in the district, and getting Mr Kynnersley (applause) to join the Executive, 1 thinlc he has a righc to expect from your members a certain amount of support in the coming session of the Council. (Hear, hear.) There is one subject that I find causes a vast amount of dissatisfaction amongst you — -the fact of no Court being held in' this township. This certainly is a subject that shall receive from me immediate attention. It cannot be denied that you have a right to expect this concession to you r wishes and wants. (Hear, hear.) Do uot despair. lam convinced that our Warden, Mr Whitefoord, so soon as ever he becomes resident at the Ahaura, will hold Courts here ; in fact he has said as much, and most certainly a Warden can hold Courts anywhere he chooses within his own district, so that you will see that it is not a matter where the Superintendent would interfere without reference to Mr Whitefoord himself. (Applause.) The Grey Valley miners are notorious for that virtue called patience, and if yon will only practise that virtue yet a little while, you will find that things will be very differently managed in the Valley from what they have been during the past two years. When £ last had the pleasure of addressing you, some one asked me my opinion about the establishment of Mining Boards. At that time, I stated that I would give the matter my earliest attention. I have done so, and have arrived at the conclusion that, in such a large district as these Gold Fields, their establishment would be a great boon to the miner, for surely it is an absurdity to think that the miner in the Grey Valley should be compelled to adopt and be guided by the same rules and regulations as the miner at Charleston, where the nature of the ground and the system of working it are totally different from what they are here. The first time we have Mr Kynnersley amongst us, we must try and get him to recommend the Superintendent to agree to a Mining Board being at once established — (hear, hear)— in fact, if your late members in the Council had exerted themselves in the matter, you may rely upon it that a Mining Board would have existed years ago. The good people of the Ahaura— (A voice : " Bad luck to them") — have asked me to bring the matter of the establishment of a Central Hospital before you. I told them I would be happy to do so, provided it was understood that the Hospital would not be built in the Ahaura township — (hear, hear) — as I did not think you would meet them half-way if such was the case. They agreed that the matter of where it should be placed would be left with Mr Whitefoord, and such being only a just and fair conclusion, I ask you to join them in so good and charitable a purpose. I consider the establishment of a Hospital centrally situated, to be a matter of vital importance to the inhabitants of the whole district. It cannot be denied that though the hospital at Greymouth is conducted in such a manner as to be a credit to any community, still the distance from Napoleon Hill, the Little Grey, Noble's, and Duffer's is so great that a sick man is generally more than half dead before he can be brought to Greymouth and receive medical attendance. If a hospital was established in some healthy spot close at hand, in the first place it would ensure that we should have a medical man residing up the river, and in the second place it would cause some LIOOO per annum to be spent in this district instead of, as at present, in Greymouth. I may tell you that the Warden, as representing the Government, was in the chair, and stated that if the miners up the river wished to have a hospital in their midst, the Government would act in a liberal manner, by not only granting so much per annum for its maintenance, but also take steps to have a suitable building at once erected. (Applause.) I have fulfilled my promise, and done my duty in bringing this matter before you, but it will now rest with you to take further steps in the matter. I am afraid that I have already taken up too much of your time. In conclusion then, gentlemen, I again return you my best thanks for the kind manner in which you ( now and always have received me, and permit me to assure you that anything that I can do in my public or private capacity for any member of this community, will be willingly and cheerfully done. (Loud applause.) After the applause had subsided, Mr Gardiner came forward and said he had a pleasing duty to perform, that of proposing the following resolution. He was sure it would be carried with three times three : " That we have" every confidence in Mr Franklyn as our member in the Council, 1 that we are convinced that Mr Franklyn will exert himself to the uttermost to forward our interests, and that we promise to give him every support that may be in our power." Dr O'Donovan seconded the resolution in a long and sensible speech. We regret that our space will not allow us to give even a summary of it. The resolution having been put to the meeting was carried amidst loud cheers. Mr Franklyn proposed a vote of thanks to the chair, after which the meeting separated.