NEW GOVERNMENT FOR THE WEST COAST.

Grey River Argus, Volume XII, Issue 1240, 20 July 1872, Page 2

NEW GOVERNMENT FOR T HE WEST COAST.

At a recent meeting held in Greymouth certain resolutions were passed, relating to the popular wish with regard to proposed changes in the prevailing forms of local government. ... .At, that meeting, a,. Committee of fourteen gentlemen were appointed for the; purpose of embodying in a memorial to the Government the -resolutions which were then passed. This Committee finally adopted a draft report at a meeting held ; yesterday, and submitted the same last evening at a public meeting held in Gilmer's HalU :-■ * • ' The Mayor (Mr Wickes) presided. i Mr Nichol, as Hon. Secretary to the Committee, brought up and read the draft memorial, a copy of which, as adopted, will be found in our 1 leading column. ■ . ; - ■, ■■-,!•: Mr Masters, in moving the adoption of the memorial, considered that, without entering into details, it was a memorial which fully represented the resolutions unanimously passed at the meeting originally held. In this matter it should be their object to act with those in other parts of the West Coast, and as the resolutions were as yet to a great extent an expression of the opinions of those residing in the Grey district, it would be premature to attempt to embody or describe exactly the details of the system they, desired to promote. For this reason only thu memorial did not condescend to details. The main object had, however, been expressed— -the establishment of a Province, in some modified form of the Provincial system, Whatever form might be. adopted, it was; evident — — it' had long, been evident— that some such change as that proposed was generally and justifiably desired, and they had reason to hope that it would be n change which would be favorably considered at head-quarters. If the memorial wereadopted it would be desirable to communicate at once with the residents of Hokitika, Reefton, Westport, and the other, principal centres of population, and if it could be shown that they were unanimous; in what they asked for, he had very little doubt but that their wishes would be_ attended to. \ : , ...■ , Mr W t . S. S^ijij, seconded the motion,, .The memorial ' spoke, for itself, and did not require anything in the shape of a speech to recommend it. The Committee, in drafting the re-, port had been guided by the desire to deal with ; the question, not: locally, but as a West Coast matter. It did not introduce anything calculated to. create local jealousies, and he hoped it would be adopted throughout the Coast ; and he had no doubt- that, if the General Government granted their desire, it would be for the general benefit of the whole Coast. The memorial was unanimously adopted. - 1; Mr Nichol proposed— "That the following gentlemen be appointed a Committee for the purpose of communicating with the various districts of the West Coast, inviting their co-operation, and otherwise forwarding the objects of this! meeting— Messrs Wickes, Masters, Kennedy, A. Reid, R. C. Reid, Kerr, Smith, Gird wood, Maclean, Woolcock, Newton, Moore, Cooper, and Nichol, with' power to add to -their number." It was necet)-: sary, so as to give effect to what they had done, to appoint such a Committee. The object of their appointment was the most important purpose of the memorialnamely, to secure, if possible, a unanimous expression of opinion along the whole of the West Coast as to what form of Government they really required^ and as to what remedy they wished to apply to their oft-named grievances. As Mr Smith hai said, that was the object of the memorial, and he trusted sincerely that it was an object: which would be gained. . - Mr Moore seconded the motion. He hoped that in the action now taken they would find the sister town, Hokitlka, go hand in hand, so as effectually to remove, or endeavor to remove, . their mutual grievances, for Hokitika had . many complaints to make- as well as Greymouth. The greatest barrier to their prosperity and good government was th© range between Nelson and the Coast, and. with that barrier obliterated by the union of the West Coast as one Province, he believed they would get the right remedy for their They had striven for the remedy long, and .her had some hopes -that now their proposals would be favored by the Government. 1 . "\ The motion was agreed to, and the proceedings terminated with a vote of thanks to the Mayor. . . ' ■ >'■■•■ ■^■■■"> ': ! |