PROVINCIAL COUNCIL ELECTION.

Grey River Argus, Volume XII, Issue 1166, 24 April 1872, Page 2

PROVINCIAL COUNCIL ELECTION.

„ , : THE NOMINATION. " ; .V The nominatidri of candidates for election as ; a meiriber ; of ; the Nelson :Prpvincial Council for ' the Grey district . took^ place yesterday 'at'Cobden,, at ; the usual' hour for such events. . /^Cbmpared with the numbertbf /peppleV present on the occasion of the previous i nomination, which took 'place a few weeks "ago, there was -what might be -considered, in Cobden a large asaemblage,' but its numbers did not exceed a dozen. The. vacancy in .the'' 1 Ifcollofcrepresehtatrves in the Council, was caused by the recent retirement of Mr; JameVWilkie^and, from the 'Btatein6n.tB;; made since^ hjs^ resignation, h wa"3 ! an- 7 tieipated thakinere wqula bg several gentlemen nbmiha{e#, : but i the nominations yesterday were only two in number, Mr. Jones, of p C,al r lagh,an'3, f to Jwlioni; a Requisition had been presented, .declining to stand. Mr c; Whitefoprs^.,p.Sßiciated as Returning Oflicer, and,- havings read the writ, heirecprded thejtwo,foUowinT'no,?hrinations :—-. :--vi-" r :«.:,T r j^Mr FeAnk GoHOTEiss by Mr Michael Henry-Hayden, seconded by Mr,. John M. Langdoii." - :Mr ' EfiWAltD" <A.lfked 'Drttry : Prs* J pqsed by. Mr- Charles Harvey Boase; secoiicled by Me John l : RiehWrcUoti; \*' : f - A show of hands was taken, and the result was at first stated to be— for Mr. Guinnfess, 4 ; for .Mr J^rjary, 2-;; ! "feut itie hand~<s a ; >oter' ; ha'pperied'to'be concealed for the moment by the r intervention , of; the ;por.tly,. form of Mr' Jam.ej,. Johnston, of the. Melbourne Hotel, and the final and accurate declaration of the show^of-hands-was^oiHMr* Guinness, C; for Mr Prujpy,:3 ? l>i\yibereupon a poll vras demanded by his proposer and seconder, on behalf of Mr Drury/ * , : -; Mr Guinness briefly addressed^those present, H0 said; that he had consented to oorne forward on the present occasion at the request of -'several- of ;the electors and inhabitants of the Grey Valley, and/ was ready to undertake the duties of one of their 'representative's in the Nelso.i Council. In doing so he would sacrifice considerably -his personaHnterestsjrbut as it was desirable .-that -the district should, not be unrepteVeritecl, and as his interests' were identilied with and fas these interests must more or less' be aifeCte.d by such steps as might be taken in connection with the * carrying out of public works and other; matters, ;Jie wwa r rga^y to do his be3t in promoting measures beneficial; :^o the district which might 6ome 'before the Council. He would ! refer briefly to sqme of those mea-" sures""-whiclr v he w "considered- fc ta' sSl be Hit greatest urgency^ Tire crying want of the district he believed to be roads. Theseto.;a fieFtaiP'extept were ? being provided by the ..General '; Government ;^nd the \Vestland'G6vernmißnti'but between the lines of road undertaken,: by them-there was ' a distance of 4 'only nine "miles, along which the Ii! construction of a' road was absolutely necessary, and the promotion of that work would,, be one' of : the works to lie would give his at : c tentiori if he were returned to the Cpuiipii' — he would make -his utmost" effort to get such a sum placed upon the Estimates, as would enable, that \fotk to be carried but. There were otli^'c, works of lionsiderable impor|aucej iauch as" the formation of a track by '. the; AhauraJ .Pass, oi\ into the J Amuri = Plains. L -The.,.ady.antages accruing to t^e^ompletiog.pf^such a work were''appafent, and'he' D^lievld the Government was .not,, averse . tq, i^-beirig-i}ndertakeri, but there^was'agre^t©^ possibility Hfj-itg, being favorably consideretl 0 by 'it had/the support of their local represehiatiVes, and it was one df the matters which' he : wo\ild urge upon the • Government. Another important scheme was the, construction of a j%g§. V^i<f&jac^. inltl^j^elsmrjOreek dis-:> triet — a wprk 7p»i<sulated to open" up an extensivyaVeaof auriferous cpuntry,ahdtoj enabJe.<a large^ population to earn an ade-' quite 'livelihood. Goveripnfftt, believed; *was;disposed"to take"ffipneces'savy stepi'to carry ; out that \w|ff|^ andy* for his parji ? : l}e w^uld strongly^f^ their doing"s,q, believing that the rej^w would justify other andslmilar works^^carcely,, inferior -'importance ; being^^ertakeri. ' -'He referred tb the ■"■ uTifoTSßtel^ valije. r v ahd increasinj* importance 1 of the ■ Reet • ton districty ' aiid' to," ;th6':, /promise of the ..SijpVrinteAdent 'of the Province to 'in|trQidu(3e a J^iff for |lie'formation\Qf Road JBoar^s^.aV.^ strongly support, it to be tlftSiF duty, as early as possible, to establish .communication betweenthe mftin\ljnes of road and the •' outlying districts.^"iit waj3 mot hisintehtidn, nor-vyas h'e'prepared, to make any lengthy upon the present occasion^, but he, would' wait j .upon the electors. in the various districts, during: the s.hort interval between the notiiiriation; and the polling, and explain his views as fiiHy as poBsiblo. '...;■■■ ;■ ji A few questions wei c put to the candidtUe by'Mr James Jolinstqn, and 'the thf" swers given seemed satisfactory. : . • Mr ! DuxJkv said llJatihe interest he had ,jn the .district which. hg desire^ to reprefs'ent Va's 'simply efiili|aqed in thb possession ' of i> miner's' rigjfi ! H^ earned his ljre*!^ njerely by .mining aybqations,, and he considered tl\at, ; as" .a, miner,' he had quite as nuioh claiovtOjbe in the Council as the other' candidate, though there might be a distinction as to their relative; positions and the possession of surplus; t

cgh. He wishfcf t| say ffolliirg Idisro npjctful of his opp|p?rit, ijjilfc hf fwould if&ply ask whiclih^^ie^4tea^c]aiirts, signd had largestNfp>errericS^n^jje*gord s < fields — he who haa been identified with the miners at Brighton, at Charleston, and since elsewhere — who had earned hia working with thorn in the same claim — and i>vlio IKheJYjtheir'i.ipeculiar requirements, or a stranger, the greater portion i m»*another : Prq^nge^pfifeniirelyj. different, jindustaies and interests ? Iniimately acquainted as he \yas .with all/, the wants of- :the|Nfelson South- Weßt Gold Fields, and as?, one of the delegates on the passing of the Regulations, he asked whether he came forward without having a claim on the district,; or whether he 'was .open. to the acetic sation of having, uniuvited, thrust himrself c.uppn; «publicft&ti£nti,on>li'fThe next . of judgment. jj^on questions which, none coulS* afeat^eWr with than those who were .acquainted with the past^maladministration' of , .these? gold fiel^s| He' referred V - the' brbUen"' promised "of the r Siip^erin tendent made 4a ;. the, j delegates" who waited upon him on his last visit to Reef ton, and complained, of the use made* of the'Voie'of ;i L2i;oo6';- '^which should have included roads to No Town, Nelson "Greek^ Red~Jack?s,- Duffe^iß;;Half-Ounce, i &c. As to the Afniiriirbadj referred to by Mr Guinness, there was a.more easily ahd'a'teo're'ch'eaply ma'deiirie'^f mad by way of .the,.Lyell,, .Wjhich woula^more amply secure" v their purposes. He con-. . sidereel also *that, the Question < of < ■water supply AvouJd be best dealt with by the, General Government, and he would set his face against ttie Provincial Govern-, -nienjb^t-whyti ; jisas «a^ subordinate body, dictating to. the General Government on; suc^hma^er.^"'^^ s^^ .Mr GpiNNESSf explained that the Prd-;Vtifcial'-^dV^^ent^w^uld"'haVd'' l to guarantee the sinkih r g ? fiVnd 'and interest J and that-they^niust'to rsonie extent; be con-^ ?J §idered r inJjßrested itirthe matter.;;- •,;:; - to a few other subjeets,,and i |aid he.j^ld not prolong his^rehiarKs, as ' h?'* i?.te|i3ed to "address Jjh'e ' electors in. the .different disr trictal/ when he w'duld s^eak more^&ticiJ^ larly of questions likely to come~oef«,Te* the Council. The only thing he asked for was that.tKß^"*w^)uld give him fair-play — that they would give him "bonny play." If they considered that his opponent would do- the /district^morfe^credit^nd benefit, .^^™^^oKs^^4Lj^ejn^jLnd hoiwould thank them for doing so. But if, 'm^th-efKd^e^^iiSnH, ftili ey aHoiign^that a man who was identified with them— one whose Owliolfe interest Mas wra^eji up with theirs^-who, in passing measures to tax them, taxed himself —was the man to" who had not these claims, and take the at the 4^g3j^j&Jusady^iMh^|iuicebox. j . -•*••■ The RexuilnM^Olficek intimated that the polling would take place on. Saturday, next, as-Wdvertised, -* -' -' '■>■" M Mr A. asked.leave of the.Returning Officer t'o'direcit nis attention to ther dottbij whidhj existed on 'ihei part of the public as to.ibhe rpll^pppn which the polling would be taken. He explained that this doubt naturally existed on account of the original roll Jbeing^for «^estlaiud. North, and of -the t mojre recently framed roll, which was applicable to the Grey. Valley, nicludingjbpth sid/es.of .the Valley. He referred dlso to a qrfesiSon which had T been raised, yip.— whether t Winers cr holaers'or business licenSes wnc|e|righ.t« fit. Jicencw^had bee ; n. obtainediiirotlitr* districts of the South- West Gold' Fields, such as Wes^|»ort/<sfiarleston, , Brighton, or Reef tdn, could'vdte in this district. .j, }ThejßETUKNiNG ; QFriCßJtexplainetJ fchatf the original (^V T estlancL North Rail did not' now existrand'tnat'lor the purposes of this; electionj-.'there had: been compiled Jrom'tKe Gr^3le£^i^|ngcial roll, < w fr^nTwnlSh W4 fn^^m^lT > or^rtn^e nonresident or-<whoae-3qualification was outside of the Nelson portion of the disjjrict ihad bgeni etased ;/ithis havinsf^beefi done ? J by Mr Lbwthercßroa'd, the Regis&ation. ' Officer. With- regar4 to the exeroise of miners' righjts, .there were; certain ques.tioiis set out in v the Act whiph, the Return- 7 iii^ Officer 'was entitled fo-'asifi'and^no" others. He was only entitled to ask, amo.ng -these questiorisj whefher4he right ;^^[.t*iken' out on . the Nelson ' South -West\> G^ld'Fieldsi^and, on that qtiestibn. being answered tl^e Affirmative,; '^&;.rights holder wa^s entitled to vote^ even 'though the righf had be.on,Lssued at,Wangapeka. * The Returning Officer was thajnKed for -the^information,; ai^d avptf .jofT,tnanks to him", proposed by the two candidates, concluded thoprocegdings,.