THE Grey River Argus. SATURDAY, AUGUST 6, 1870.

Grey River Argus, Volume IX, Issue 710, 6 August 1870, Page 2

THE Grey River Argus. SATURDAY, AUGUST 6, 1870.

Whatever may be the sins of the member for the Westland Boroughs' in' the eyes of our contemporary the West Coast TimeSj we must protest against Ms being made to bear the burden of our transgressions against that immaculate journal. In the discharge of a public duty we lately thought proper to state the steps which had been taken in the cause of Annexation to Nelson, the progress which the movement had made, and ventured to speculate upon its chances of success. That has brought down the ire ' of our contemporary ; not because anything was incorrectly stated, anything unconstitutionally done, or done in a way that was not oj>en and plain to the whole Colony ; but because the member] for the Westlaud Boroughs did not chose to throw overboard the town that elected him, in favor of the discontented eight electors who voted for him, in Hokitika. Why should he not ignore all his past experience, and all that he has said at public meetings during past years on the Annexation question, smother all his private convictions, and prove himself a " traitor" — as our contemporary cho3es to style liim — to the constituency which returned him to the Assembly, in order to curry favor with a select few of the people of Hokitika? We are glad that he has at the present time chosen to stand up in defence of the movement, of which, we may say, he was the originator, and, in compliance with his honest convictions, and at the risk of incurring the displeasure, taunts, and consequent opposition of our contemporary, has advocated it not only in the House, but by means of the Press of Wellington. At the same time he should not bear additional blame because we chose t-) support the movement, and publish facts connected therewith which our contemporary could have ascertained in the simplest manner by carefully perusing Hansard, and would thus have been saved from displaying an amount of ignorance on a subject of great public importance, which is not pardonable in a " leading " journal, especially when that absence of knowledge induces it to make statements and, cast insinuations which are quite unworthy of its position. In order to enable the people fully to understand what the member for the West-land Boroughs has really.written and advocated on the Annexation question, we have, for the present, to refer to the columns of the Wellington Advertiser, and there, we are glad to find, that he has fully and fairly stated the case on behalf of this district ; and we now transfer them to our columns, in order that the true state of the question may be rightly understood, and in order to give our contemporary every opportunity of pointing out any falsity in them, should such exist : After printing a copy of the Annexation Petition, Mr Harrison adds : —

" So far back as 1866, the inhabitants of the Grey district recognised the necessity of shifting the southern boundary of Nelson, nine miles below the Grey, to the Teremakau river, and when the agitation fur separation from -Canterbury was raised iv Hokitika, they opposed any measure -that would perpetuate the existing boundary at the Grey river. Not a single signature in favor of the Hokitika separation petition was obtained in the Grey district. In October, 1867, a memorial, containing 1500 signatures, was forwarded from the Grey district, praying for annexation to Nelson rather than join a separate county, but the delegate with the memorial only arrived a day after the House was prorogued. The chief reason then urged for joiniug Nelson was to. abolish the present unsatisfactory boundary-line. Since tlut time there has been constant agitation and dissatisfaction, and in 1869, a petition was present id fi-om Grey Valley district praying for the exteusion of the County of Westland northward. In this instance, as in the previous one, the main object to be gained was the placing the -whole Grey Valley under one Government.

"The cviis resulting from the unsuitable boundary line, becoming more and mure acutely felt, "and the inhabitants of the Westland side of the valley feeling intensely disgusted with the administration of affairs at Hokitika, recently formed a powerful league for the purpose of once more securing the unity of the districts on both sides the river. It was joined by all the leading merchants, bankers, and residents of the Borough of Grey-

mouth, aiid by all the moat respectable storekeepers- ujXjC^n^ry. Nearly .£2OO was subscrib'eiTTor the purpose of canvassing the district for signatures to the petition, and over 2500 signatures duly attested by responsible persons have been received.

" The whole of the rich and extensive basin of country watered by the Grey River and its tributaries is so completely shut in by natural barriers that the whole of its trade does and must continue to pass through the port of Greymouth, from which for nearly its whole length the Grey River is navasible for boats and canoes*

" But whilst the port of Greymouth and the south banks of the Grey and its tributary the Arnold are for a distance of a little more than 25 miles in the County of ' Westland, the whole of the north part of the valley, and the greater part of the southern portion, are in the province of Nelson. *

"The whole of the diggings in the Nelson part of Miih'e valley are supplied from Greymouth,; and all the gold produced comes to and is exported from the same port. • "The magnificient gold field of the Grey is intersected by the river, and by being under two governments is seriously hindered in its development. It is at the Coal Mine Gorge only where the Grey River can be bridged with safety and economy. Because oi the natural desire to confine their operations to their own territory, the Nelson Government, in their proposals for working their portion I of the seam, insist on the railway to the port of shipment being taken down the north side of the river to Cobden, where it musfc necessarily terminate, and where there is no shipping accommodation ; whilst by bridging the Grey at the mines both seams would be served with the same line, and the railway would come direct to the port of Greymouth, from whence it would be carried south, so as to form a connecting link in the chain of railway communication throughout the Colony. " The inhabitants of both banks of the river are constantly shifting from one side of the boundary to another, in pursuit of their usual avocations, thus being compelled to pay for miners' rights, business licenses, &c, twice over. A separate and unnecessary staff of police exists, between which aud the police of the other side no combination obtains in the furtherance of the ends of justice. Very frequent instances of miscarriage of justice from this cause could be mentioned. Two Resident Magistrates (one at Cobden and the other at Greymouth, only a few hundred yards from each other), hold Courts, when one would amply suffice. : " Whilst the whole of the Grey Valley is interested in maintaining the efficiency of the port, and its navigation, all the costly works for that object have hitherto been borne by the Westland side alone. " That the whole of the Nelson portion of the Grey Valley is supplied by exports from the port of Greymouth is proved by the fact that, as a matter of common justice to Nelson, half the Customs, and a division of the gold export lately have, by Order in Council, been allotted to that Province. " The unanimity of the inhabitants on both sides of the river is shown by the fact that the 2071 subscriptions to the tnemomorial have been derived in the following proportions from the various localities, «&c, viz.: — From the Nelson side of the valley, 570 ; town of Greymouth, 500 ; New River District, 512 ; Greenstone District, 156 ; Arnold District, 243. No

counter expression of opinion has made itself manifest in any one of these districts.

" The Grey Valley is at the present time probably the- most prosperous district in New Zealand. In addition to its great auriferous resources, it possesses large tracts of open land suitable for agriculture, now being rapidly settled, and one of the most extensive and valuable coal fields in the Colony. The population of the Grey Valley may be roughly estimated at about 6000, exclusive of the town of Greymouth. The Customs revenue of the town of Greymouth, during the quarter ending March 31st, 1870, was ,£10,603, or at the rate of £42,463 per annum. During the same period 28,463 ounces of gold were exported, being at the rate in value of £227,000 per annum. " No injustice will accrue to the rest of the County of Westland, by the proposed alieration of boundary. The district proposed to be taken from it is specially distinct from the rest of the County, and its commercial relations are entirely confined to the port of Greymouth. The loss of territory to Westland. will only be nine miles of coast line, with about an equal distance inland, leaving fully 160 miles of coast line down to the Otago boundary. ' " The • inhabitants in praying for the alteration of the boundary, are fully prepared to contribute their fair share of the debt of Westland. This could be arranged annually in proportion to population, or to some other equitable manner. "The above are some of. the facts in relation to the memorial, and I may, conclude by stating that any means the Government may adopt for giving effect to the wishes of the memorialists in respect of the abolition of the present objectionable boundaiy, will be satisfactory to them — always excepting the enlargement of the County of Westland. "