THE The Drey River Argus. SATURDAY, JUNE 18, 1870.

Grey River Argus, Volume IX, Issue 689, 18 June 1870, Page 2

THE The Drey River Argus. SATURDAY, JUNE 18, 1870.

At last the good folks of Bokitika have been informed by their leading organ of public opinion that a movement is on foot in the Grey. District for Annexation to Nelson, and that a League for the attainment of that , object has been . formed. Although bur contemporary has been well aware of the existence of the movement for several weeks past, itpretended to treat it with silent contempt ; but it has been suddenly roused to a state of great activity, when its masters and patrons, the Chairman and a few of the members of the County Council, became alarmed at the progress the movement. was making, and resolved upon adopting measures to counteract its influence.. We feel assured our friends will find that all their efforts to throw cold water upon the work of the League will miserably fail, if their first attempt is to be taken as an example. They will have to thro, vv mud next, and if they use plenty of it some is sure to stick. In noticing our contemporary's first effort in this direction, we have to thank him for the unintentional compliment paid us in his opening sentences, and on that account weforgive, him the nexlj3ialf-colunin of unjustifiable statements wij|i which he' does us the honor to connect our name. It is a matter of deep regret to us that we .are, unable, to return the .compliment; of. hinting, even in ; th 6 most delicate, manner, that public opinion in the district south of the Terematkau mfyht be influenced by anything that appears in the columns of bur contemporary. We will only answer the broad charge brought against us of tergiversation, by remarking

tha,t since March, 1866, v this journal has "honestly advocated), as the remedy for evils which were even then felt,' the alteration of the boundary-line, by annexing^ &he territory between the Grey,RiVer and;' •the 1 ; Teremakau to the Nelson Province : , anft since the l7th'May, 1866, tlWpeople of the district have stood committed to the movement. Other remedies have at m time3 when there appeafeft" any"Tiope of their aTtainnient ; but this has been steadfastly kept in view, as the records joJUhe pub^c, meetings . held in,.G^^yniq.u,th., can show. ... ... r But to return to the real question at issue, which our contemporary and 'the members of the County Counqil have seen fit to ignore, and which they are about to attempt to meet by the publication of a series of returns lately moved, for by one of our representatives in the Connty Council. The question is the memorial of the Annexation League, which it is proposed to present to the General (Assembly) and nor'anygeneral statements which may have been made in the columns 'of this journal. Whatever* statements we may make we are prepared to substantiate, notwithstanding all these general charges, which are, so easily hurled at an opponent, of "unfounded statements, scandalous charges," &c, which are so easily indulged in, and have recently become a common phrase in' the.editorials of our contemporary when any political movement is' on foot in the Grey District. Tlie real issue is the memorial of. the League, and to the truth or' falsity of the statements contained therein, we request our contemporary to direct his 'attention, as that will be the question' iipoh which the General Assembly will be asked to give a decision. Because the statements contained in the memorial could not be disproved — because our cbntejiiporary would never attempt to argue "that the Grey River was a good boundaryline between Nelson and Westland — he has? thought fit to say that . "the first reason given for change is, that thbse at the head of affairs, meaning, we presume, the County Council) have failed in their duty." No such statement is made in the memorial. Indeed; it ;was carefully avoided, for the purpose of confining the petition ? to : one point. We have thought it, and have often stated it ; but . that sin ought not to be r laid at the, door of ilie League. i It is further said, ; " f the '• next cry is that the Council has not treated the Grey District fairly/ Again, we have to say that no sucli statement is to be : : found in the memorial prepared by the 'i League .; and we' may> as. well add;- that L ! when the return, with which we have -I been threatened, is printed, we will .; attempt to point, out the grounds ■ upon ' ivhich we consider that it is \ not fairly and impartially dra%vn. up. We are treated 'to assort of threat, , that in the event of Annexation more I thana third of the Canterbury debts will be saddled «poa ihe Ulelaon &>rer»H>e»i, but that'we are perfectly satisfied to.leave i. to the decision of the General Assembly, feeling satisfied that the mistake made when Westland was separated from Ciin- '> terbury will never again be repeated. ': The "nice little arrangement" bur con-; '■■ temporary speaks of, by which it is pro- ; ■ posed -to hand Hokitika and the country , ! south of the Teremakaiv bat& to"Canterbury, is where the shoe pinches. The i prospect is too much like a possibility, 1 and too humiliating to our friends in s the metropolis of Westland, to be passed . over in silence. Probably to a realisation of this position we may attribute tlie sudden waking-np of our contemporary. Throughout the entire article we have referred to, there is a transparent attempt ; to shirk the real • question . ' at issue-^---that of the present boundary-line, between Nelson and Westland ; ana we hope that ' whenour. contemporary again;"continues • the subject," he will give us some snb- ; stan tial arguments, and fewer generalities.