NELSON'S TREATMENT OF THE GREY DISTRICT.

Grey River Argus, Volume IX, Issue 750, 8 November 1870, Page 2

NELSON'S TREATMENT OF THE GREY DISTRICT.

PUBLIC MEETING AT THE AHAURA. The most numerously attended public meeting ever held at the Ahaura took place at Gilmer's Hotel on Thursday evening, 3rd inst. Mr A. A. Boao was called to the chair, and explained the object of the meeting. He said it was the expressed intention..^his Honor the Superintendent to visit ito district during his ensuing trip to the West Coast; it was necessary to take steps to meet him, and bring under his personal notice the wants and grievances of the place. Their wants were numerous and their grievances had now become almost unbearable. They had tried meraoralising and petitioning, they had represented to the local authorities the disgraceful manner in which they had been treated, but all seemed to have no effect. If they took the proper steps now to bring under the Superintendent's notice, and under his personal knowledge the actual and unmistakeable requirements of the place, in all probability they would stand some chance of having their necessities attended to. There were many in the large, meeting before him who felt the neglect with which they had been treated, and he called on them to come forward and give expression to their views on the matter. Mr Pinkehton said the object of the meeting appeared to be to take steps to meet his Honor and " do him honor," but if he wasn't much mistaken it was the duty of the Superintendent to come to us and humbly sue for forgiveness for the contemptuous neglect with which he had treated us. He said 'ihe," because he (the speaker) considered the Superintendent was the mind and representative of the Executive, and he might be that, and not be much, from the samples of that august body we have seen hitherto. We had been despised, neglected, and disgraced; our revenues had been, misapplied and misappropriated, and for what purpose? Why, to beautify and adorn the Sleepy Hollow of New Zealand, as the city of Nelson had not been inaptly called, and to render valuable the property of Government officials at Westport. Our miners— our mainstay — had still to find their way through the bush as best they could, the tracks which should have been made for them still existed only on paper, and, as far as appearances went, they were likely to remain there. Still they were expected to meet the Superintendent as if he had not dashed the promised cup from our lips. He had made promises time their again and broken them, therefore why should they cringe or crawl to his Highness. No ! Let them meet him as men, who had unredressed grievances, and who were eager to have justice done them. Let them have a synopsis of their wants and requirements drawn up, and let them lay it before the Superintendent and^ demand that they should be attenxlcdsto; T He could not trust himself to speaK further on the matter, but he hoped that they would show his Honor that they were not. to be- played witii.anyi4oj^eis,aa,^ children, but insist upon being treated as men who represent a mighty principle, tied down as Gulliver was by the Lilliputians, tied down helpless and immovable, while our rulers might be taken to represent the puny wretches who could dare to disregard our strength and to dart stings of ignominy »t us with impunity. — (Cheere.) Mr M'Kenna said if the large meeting assembled here to-night had no other result it would be a protest against the indifference with which the Governmenthad hitherto treated us. If his Honor could see the large assemblage now present it would convince him that the people here were determined to be resolute and insist on their rights for the future. The promises which had been made them over and over again by the subordinate officers of the Government, no doubt with the knowledge and consent of their chiefs, had been broken, and broken in a most dishonorable manner. Take as an instance the making the Main Trunk road. On the strength of the promise given by Mr Button that that road should be made, the inhabitants of the lower township had been induced, some of them at a luinoun expense, to shift their business and erect buildings in the new town. Last year LBOOO had been voted for works in the Grey Valley, and how much of it had been spent ? This year L9OOO have been voted, and where has the expenditure been made? Echo answers where? It was a pitiful and contemptible state of affairs when it became necessary, because of the alleged defalcation of a subordinate officer, to put an absolute stop to public works of all kinds. In making these remarks, he may not be considered in order and speakiugwith good taste ; but he was asserting a fact, and an undeniable one. If the officer he alluded to had been guilty

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»YOJ'Cj['.; :':■ ■•" ■ '"• ' . •.••■-■'■ of irregularities,, he would have to. suffer for it. See the effects, through the imbecility of hia superiors, of his misconduct. Poor men who had small contracts, taken at such a low price that they could hardly keep body ana soul together with what they ihada fromtthem, were topped ih ! the middle of their contracts, and reduced almost to actual starvations "Locally, they had suffered. There was a creek below the town through which men had to wade waist high, sometimes in danger of life. An insignificant sum of money would throw a foot-bridge over it, but " there were no available funds." Was it not a disgrace that, at the end of two years, with the immense rerenues raised from the district, that the Warden's and Magistrate's Courts had still to be held in a public-house ? He did not speik with disrespect of the owner of the house they were then in, but again he would re\ e.it it was disgraceful, after all the money paid away, that the miner, when he came to transact business at the Warden's office, and iv the innocence of his" heart wenfc to the Police Camp as the most likely place at which he could obtain his" right or effect his registration ; he was unable to find the officials. Is he at present enabled to do so ? No !He is told to "go over up stairs bey ant," and, after a search and making enquiries, he at length finds the Warden's office. It is not so at Westport and other places, without half the pretentious or one-fourth of the importance of this place. These were some of the grievances we had to complain of. There were other gentlemen present who would, no doubt, be able to point out others ; but, as action was necessary, and the shortest way to which matters could be brought to a practical issue was always the best, therefore he would move — " That a committee of six be chosen from the meeting to draw up an address to his Honor, Betting forth the requirements of the district and the grievances we are laboring under." Mr Pinkerton seconded the resolution, but suggested the committee should consist of twelve instead of six. This was agreed to. Messrs Alex. White, E. Fraser, J. Hamilton, John Reid, the Chairman, and others spoke warmly in favor of the motion, which was put to the meeting and carried unanimously. The following gentlemen were then chosen on the committee : — D. M'Kenna, J. Wright, J. Reid, E. Fraser, A. White, W. J. Potts, W, J. Hamilton, M. H. Hayden, J. Hamilton (Greek), J. Kittelty, J. D. Pinkerton, and A. A. Boag. On the motion of Mr A. White, Beconded by Mr E. Fraser, it was decided that the committee should meet that evening, and that the further business of the meeting should be left iv the hands of the committee. A vote of thanks to the Chairman terminated the proceedings. A meeting of the committee was held j later in the evening, and the subjects most necessary to bring under his Honor's notice] were discussed. These were the main road to Greymouth, the erection of the Government buildings, the road to the lnangahua, the sale of the township, the track to the Amuri, the establishment of Road Boards, &c. Mes3rs M'Kenna, Potts, and Hayden were appointed a sub-committee to draw up the address, and the whole committee to act as a deputation in presenting it. The committee then waited on Mr Whitefoord, and {informed him that a meeting bad been held, and the conclusion it had come to. The heads of the address were read over to him. He said he had brought all the subjects under the notice of the Government before, but he would again urge orr \his ;f Honor personally the absolute . necessity of proceeding with some of,' Ithe works mentioned. The Chairman, on behalf of the Committee, thanked Bijr Whitefoord, and an adjournment took place until Monday evening, at 8 o'clock.,