THE Grey River Argus. PUBLISHED DAILY. SATURDAY, APRIL 13, 1872.

Grey River Argus, Volume XII, Issue 1157, 13 April 1872, Page 2

THE Grey River Argus. PUBLISHED DAILY. SATURDAY, APRIL 13, 1872.

It is refreshing to find, in the columns of our Hokitika contemporary, even the outward and visible oigns of original opinion —large type and " leads" between. This rare species of refreshment is afforded to us in his issue of Thursday last ; and, apart from the extraordinary character of the opinions enunciated, the rarity of the incident of itself deserves recognition. Very often, and for prolonged periods, our contemporary goes into a state of chrysalis, emerging only at intervals as a not very perfect or pretty insect, but still an insect. Or he is like a whale, going down to 'the lowest and coldest depths of the element in which he rolls and flounders, and coming to the surface only for a few seconds — to blow. Thus frequently lost to sight, though never to memory very dear, his re-appearance as a being possessed of life is somewhat gratifying, if only as an assurance that he has not gone to the bottom altogether and for all time. Without getting more metaphorical or mysterious on the matter, we moy say that it delights us exceedingly to find our contemporary capable' or willing to write on any subject which is more of social than of purely personal interest. It is especially delightful to find, after, past and very prolonged experience of its monotony and selfishness, that that subject is not tramways. It would be still more delightful were the subject he has now chosen made the subject of comment of his own accord and instinct, instead of being at the particular request of a member of the Greymouth Borough Council ; but we can never have our pleasures without some alloy. Our contemporary, be it known, has, "by particular desire," aided us in abstracting from the comparative obscurity in which he has hitherto lived a worthy citizen of Greymouth, Mr Councillor Moore 1 , and has positively given au opinion on the said citizen's lively conception of a Borough Oounoil's prerogatives

arid powers— that opinion being favorable to the Councillor and unfavorable 'to the opinion which, we venture to say,, everybody but the^O6uncUl6feStid our contemporary holds 'on this particular subject. Animated by some feeling the goodness of which, if there was any goodnesrin itfwas overshadowed by the evil jiuethpd by which it was proposed to, be i^jfercised, this Councillor was foolish and conceited enough to imagine that the Council of which he forms an important particle could call upon the Inspector of Police "to supply the Council with a list of all houses in Greymouth that are let at the present time for improper purposes, together with the owners or agents of the same." Elevating himself by. another stroke of the pen to the position of a legislator, a magistrate, aud a policeman, he positively proposed that it be resolved "that this Council will at once take prompt measures to remove the tenants of the same, and, if necessary, to indict the owners or agents for letting the said houses to improper persons, or for an improper purpbse." Utterly ignorant of the law of libel, he proposed to invite the Inspector of Police to involve himself and the Council in the publication of libels, for proximity to truth does not always lessen a libel, and, overcome by an overweening sense, of his own and his fellow Councillors' importance, he talked of ejectment and indictment as if it required only a motion of the Town Clerk's finger or a nod of the Mayor's head to secure the immediate execution of these processes of law. We took the opportunity in a recent number, while coinciding with the Councillor as to the extent of the evil of which he complained, to point out the utter absurdity of the means by which he aimed to effect its amelioration ; and we characterised it, as we believe it deserves to be characterised, as a piece of presumption, presenting rather a spirit of Paul-Pryism and petty tyranny, than a wholesome spirit as to the means by which the " social evil" is only to be subdued or suppressed. Thehope of convincing Mr Councillor, either by our own humble observations, or by quotations from the writers of some of the ablest comments that have lately appeared on the subject, we did not for a moment entertain. Notice in such cases only begets a desire for notoriety. But we were not prepared to find a journal which has lately had several solemn warnings as to the human appetite for the exercise of the law of libel actually advocating that Borough Councils should involve themselves in the meshes of the law. Yet that is exactly what is done by our Hokitika contemporary. "The publication of a list of landlords,* ho draw rents from such places would," he says, " in itself be a useful and deterrent measure. Such a list would prove an admirable corrective, and would throw one more obstacle in the way of the ' social' evil." And he pats Mr Councillor Moore on the back for proposing such a thing, and sneers at the Argus, and, forsooth, at the Westminster ßevieto, as " protectors of the frail"— the West Coast Times wrsits the Westminster Beview,' be it observed. Pray, if the publication of such a list would be a "useful and deterrent measure," why does our contemporary notfavorthecommunityof Hokitika k~_x,.,io:~i,;-«. — v.-.i:-x.- xr ii--v-»--«~ i-i_ own locality 1 Is his space insufficient for the purpbse ; is it his moral cowardice ; or is it the consideration of legal consequences ? We shall flatter the community and our contemporary by supposing that the last suggestion is correct ; and we flatter ourselves and our local Councillors that they will consider it no part of their duty to become responsible for any system of espionage, ejectment, and indictment, any more than it is the duty of the Press. It is, indeed, much more the duty of the Press than of a municipal corporation to, expose, so long as the exposure can be made with safety, the miserable class of men who, as landlords, agents, providores, or pimps, live directly or indirectly by the vice of fallen women and their victims, and on every occasion that their names come before the public, under the legal privilege of all evidence in a Court of Justice, their names should be given faithfully to the world. That is a usual, a regular, and a justifiable course. It is "privi-leged"—-and there are substantial reasons why it should be so. The ipse dixit of a policeman out of court, or the publication of his statement by a Borough Council— the mere laying upon the table amounting to publication —is a very different matter ; and Mr Councillor Moore or Mr Councillor Any-body-else might very soon find that they would have to do some ditching and draining on their own account, instead of seeing it done for the ratepayers and in their corporate capacity. It is needless, however, to pursue such a subject or to pursue the suddenly gushing social reformer; who started, ii The majority of the Council, it was evident from the proceedings of the last meeting, have better sense than to act the parts of so' many Sancho Panzas to Mr Moore's Don Quixote, or to list to the flattering talo of a Hokitika editor that "the object for which they are invested, with authority is clearly the moral and social well being of the district.'' It may be so by the time of the Millennium, but if for the present they seek to secure the physical comfort of the citizens, verily they shall have their reward. The moral well-being of the district in the hands of a Borough Council! Heaven forfend ! • .