THE Grey River Argus. PUBLISHED DAILY. SATURDAY, OCTOBER 7, 1871.

Grey River Argus, Volume XI, Issue 998, 7 October 1871, Page 2

THE Grey River Argus. PUBLISHED DAILY. SATURDAY, OCTOBER 7, 1871.

According to the telegram, published in our issue of yesterday, received from our own correspondent in Wellington, the Ministerof Public Works stated on Wednesday that the Government were preparing a Bill to provide for alterations in the administraion of the West Coast Gold Fields. It will be plainly seen that this bears upon the subject of Mr Harrison's resolutions, and we should not be at all surprised if that gentleman does not find it both necessary and prudent to withdraw them in favor of the Government measure. There is no doubt from the position which the member for the Grey Valley holds in the House, and the weight, which it is admitted even by the West Coast Times, that he carries with him as the authority on all matters relating to the West Coast Gold Fields that his representations will not be without having due effect, and that the Government measure will embody the views enunciated by him, the effect of which will be to elevate the status of the Gold Fields. At present the Gold Fields on the West Coast are under i two different Governments, one of which looks upon them in the light of a football, to be kicked about by the Superintendent of the Nelson Provincial Council as he choses. It is all very well for Mr Curtis to stand up in his place in Parliament, and state that more has been expended on the Nelson South- West Gold Fields than has ever been received from them, but there still remains the fact, patent to every one, what is there to show for it ? Streets unmade in its principal business centres, tracks uncut to new centres of population, bridges going to ruin for the want of a few planks, and whole miles of road being destroyed for the want of being promptly attended to, and it is to meet this — to remove the powers vested in the Provincial Council of Nelson and the County Council of Weatland— of dealing with the various districts that the new "Rill pronnses. to do. The principle of bodies haying all the powers of a Victorian Shire Council, and these boards are to be endowed with a fixed proportion of revenue— thus allowing each district, as it were, to legisiate for itself in the matter of roads and tracks, while a pro rata proportion of the Capitation Allowance and Gold Fields revenue would provide for the admrristrative departments, and it also appears, as we have already explained, that a portion of the Middle Island Railway Fund will be applied to the formation of main roads over the South-West Gold Fields. Such, ! we presume from the telegram, will be the leadingfeatures of the proposed Bill, and if such be the tenor of it, then the thanks of all interested in the welfare and progress of the West Coast Gold Fields, especially the mining community, are due to the member for the Grey Valley for agitating, the question, and to the Ministry for removing the yoke under which the inhabitants of our Gold Fields have so long labored, as it is alone due to Mr Harrison's efforts that the Government Bill has been introduced. It may be considered that the Road Board system, as worked in the County of Westland, notably the Paroa Road Board, has proved a failure, but this is not a fair criterion. The Road Board system is sound enough and workable enough', if it has only a fair chance, as has been shown in Victoria, but we believe that the proposed local boards will have more extended powers, and a conference will be held at certain periods, composed of delegates from the various boards, to consult upon measures affecting the interests of the whole. In this manner will be brought under review the condition of the gold fields from Westport on the north, to Okarito on the south, and everything that presses unjustly on the mining community can be speedily remedied. That some measure of this kind is necessary is shown by the, rather amamolous position of the Grey District and the working of the proposed Nelson and Brunner Railway, the line from the coal mine, situated in the Nelson Province, running down on the Westland side of the river. It is time that the barrier and expensive machinery caused by the working of two Governments should be removed, and the mere accident of a river running through a district not be allowed to separate and militate against its interests and the general welfare of the residents in it. Notice of the intention to introduce the Bill only has been given ; but, as it will be taken as a Government measure, the probabilities are that it will be carried, and another experiment in local self-government commouced on the West Coast of the Middle Island. This time the experiment will be more successful than when the County of Westland was established. Then, no had no roads ; now, we are to have the country opened up by main lines of road paid for out of the Middle Island Railway Fund, and a railway to the Brunner Coal Mine, both of which ought to insure the prosperity of at least this part of the coast. The coal mine lines of railway are not to He charged locally, as was at first anticipated, but are to be constructed out of the loan, and the interest on their construction charged to the mines— that is, charged as a royalty upon the amount of coal obtained from the mines, and this could easily be done without materially affecting the price of the mineral at the port line. One thing is certain that whatever change may take place, the present < boimdary-lin* will b* iw*pt »w*y, and

the natural valley of the Grey River united as one district — one in all things, instead of, as heretofore, being separated by a river, by separate governments and government officers, by separate miners' rights and business licenses, and by local jealousies.

[Since the above was written, we have received by telegraph from Wellington the outline of the proposed scheme of government for the West Coast Gold Fields, which we publish in another column, and in the meantime we refer it to our readers for consideration. We will discuss it at length in our next.]