THE The Grey River Argus. PUBLISHED DAILY. SATURDAY, AUGUST 10, 1872.

Grey River Argus, Volume XII, Issue 1258, 10 August 1872, Page 2

THE The Grey River Argus. PUBLISHED DAILY. SATURDAY, AUGUST 10, 1872.

The surviving members of the Separation League of which Dunedin was the birth* ' place and cradle some nine or ten years ago, have reason to suppose that their infant hopes as Separationists may yet be realised. It does appear, nothwithstanding any heretical opinions to the contrary, that it may oacasionally happen that bread cast upon the waters will return evon after many days. To judge by passing events, the object which they then exerted themselves to achieve, forsaken as it was by some, and forgotten as it has been by many more, may now be nearer its accomplishment than at any time Bince it first received a name and a place in the programme of Colonial politics. It may not be achieved in its integrity according to the designs of it s promoters, but, as events shape, it may even during the present session of Parliament be brought about by circumstances uncontemplated either by its supporters or opponents. As started, the object of the League of nine years ago was the separation of the two islands of the Colony, as complete in every particular aB is their separation by the existence of Cook Straits ; And with the Government situated at Auckland, while the bulk of the tax-paying population was located in Otago, it was an object in favor of which there were many substantial arguments and facts. As the circumstances became altered, the arguments for Separation, pure and simple, became weakened, but there Btill remained sufficient force in the facts to justify action on the part of those who first gave attention to the subject, and first and last among these, as he is first aud last in attention to his duties in the Assembly, was Mr W. H. Reynolds, of Dunedin. Two years ago he was chiefly and prominently the champion in the House of his never-abandoned cause of separating the two islands in, at least, their financial arrangements and responsibilities for the future, but, as he was none the less a friend of the Government, he wa3 finally induced to forego for a time an object which was inferior in importance to the greater scheme which they then inaugurated for the advancement of the Colony. Though a Ministerialist, Mr Reynolds, however, is still in a subdued sense a Separationist, and he seems to consider that, in the latter capacity, his opportunity has come. Ho discovers on the one hand a Government avowing its intention of not destroying Provincial institutions, but of amending their form and improving their force in the direction of dealing distinctly with local affairs. On the other hand he finds a newly formed Opposition whose object it is, not only to hold all that as Provincial officers they have already got, but to grasp at more — to become, in fact, a distributed Executive in matters in which any credit as to the past, and any responsibility as to the future rests with the Ministry of the Colony. Under these conditions he is again before the Parliament with his pet scheme, thus briefly stated: — "That, in order to provide for the Colonial' Legislature dealing only with subjects of Colonial importance, and to secure efficient economical administration of the Government of the Colony, the existing Provinces should be abolished, and two Provinces be established, one for the North Tsland and one for the Southern Island, with a Central Government dealing with matters to be agreed on of purely Colonial concern, and that an equitable adjustment of annual charges arising out of the burthens of the Colony be made." Of the details of his scheme we in the provinces as yet know nothing, but at the political metropolis, as our readers will see by telegrams, it is already pretty fully before the concentrated wisdom of the country, and is leading to some very pretty quarrels in debate. It comes before the House as a decidedly disturbing influence, and, if it has no merit but that, most people, we imagine, will consider that it is calculated to serve an excellent purpose. On the West Coast, at least, there can be little or no sympathy with those who, while they promise nothing to ameliorate the condition of this important district, and prevent others' from doing so, are persistently and systematically working to aggrandise that power which, in this instance, has been so abused. If, in the moving of the waters, that party should go to the bottom, whether Mr Reynolds's scheme come to the surface or not, the disturbance can scarcely fail to be the cause of some satisfaction. But many will, no doubt, concede to the scheme the possession of something more than merits of a merely contingent character—of intrinsic merits which, as a substitute for what the Government .have promised, should warrant its adoption. These merits, ns they present themselves to us, we shall refer to as tho dotails become known; sufficient for the day and for the district is it to know that it has the merit of embodying the principle of change, and that change not a change to the practice of the past. We anticipate that to, those who are curious as to the probable action and position of parties in the House, the speeches and votes of members on this question of Insular Provincialism will afford a fine field for study. In the first place we have had the Colonial Treasurer expressing himself thus :— v lam expressing my own individual opinion when I say that whatever alterations may be brought about— and I am free to admit that we have not yet arrived at a stationary condition, and that alterations may yet be made — we arc not, in any degree, approaching the termination of Provincial legislative power

I think it is quite possible that we shall see— perhaps after the lapse of some considerable time — the establishment of a single Province in each Island, exercising larger Provincial legislative powers than those which at present exist. It is not my part, however, to perform the duty of a prophet ; I have simply stated my individual opinion, and one which I have no reason to suppose is shared by my col- 1 leagues." Ten years ago the Treasurer was a Separationist, and, according to this quotation, with the element of Provincialism also in him, he is so yet. Then we have seen that Sir David Mimro seconded the resolution upon which the scheme is based— seconded it silently, it is true, but it may be safely presumed not without arrangement with the mover. Subsequently Mr Stafford has spoken, not apparently so much in reference to the subject as with the object of eliciting the opinions of tbe Government ; but the opinions of the Government at this early stage are not so easily elicited, and however 1 much Mr Stafford may have been excited by that circumstance into characterising I Ministers as a "set of miserable wretches," the logic by which he arrived at that conclusion is not very palpable. The scheme is none of theirs, so far as appears on the surface, nor is it their place or policy to stifle debate or to serve the purpose of opposite parties by pronouncing at once upon every question raised by individual members. It has come to be said of them that they are a Government of surprises, and it would not surprise us to find that they have a scheme which, though different from that of Mr Reynolds, may prove kindred with it, and be more kindly received by the House. If not, they have already indicated their desire in the direction of reforms, and, speaking more especially in a local sense, we may safely say that whatever shape these reforms may take — whether they are from a Reynolds or Ministerial mould — they will be more acceptable than the retrogressive reform of the Provincial Executive Party.

The Directors of the Grey District Building Society are reminded that the adjourned meeting takes place to-night at GiJmer's Hotel, at half -past seven o'clock. Ihe Postmaster here has been advised that in future the charges on correspondence for places on the South Pacific Coast of America, via San Francisco, will be as follows: — Letters Is Gd per half-ounce, each newspaper threepence, -nd n ; nepence per four ounces on books. Long play-bills, late hours, short space, and cold-fingered printers form such a concentration of impediments to even the most rapturous reporter of the performances at the theatre last evening that our representative may be well excused for saying a single word more than that the five-act play of " Money," and eke the following farce, were performed before a full house with great credit to the performers, amid much applause by the audience, .with several calls beforo the curtain, concluding with a general wish tbat the play should be repeated. At the Resident Magistrate's Court, Hokitika, onThursday, George Henry Chamberlain was brought up on remand, charged with burglary. Inspector James re-called James Rowley, and examined him on a few points previously omitted. The witness was then cross-examined by Mr Button for more than five hours, when the further cross-examina-tion was postponed until yesterday, the pri- | soner was remanded on both charges of burglary which have been brought against him. . Mr W. M'Leon, as manager for the Westland Quartz-crushing Company, advertises that a legal manager is wanted, and that a call of 2s per share has been made. On Thursday evening a meeting, in reference to procuring a steam fire-engine for Hokitika, was held at the Town Hall, when it was resolved, "That a steam fire-engine be procured from Messrs Shand and Mason, London, for the use of the town, and that Messrs Scott and Wilkinson be authorised to procure the same." In the Supreme Court, Ckrisfcckurch, last Friday, Mr William Reeve Haselden, late in the Registrar's Office, Hokitika, was admitted as a barrister and solicitor of the Supreme Court of New Zealand. The Excelsior Gold-mining Company at Ross, we are happy to report, have struck very good gold in a monkey -shaft, sunk about 30ft below the present level. The Morning Star Company are in full work, in their usual quiet manner, and, wo hope, with satisfactory results. The Old Whim claim has been shortening hands, pending the trial of some new ground. The West Coast Times learns by telegram that the call addressed by the Presbyterian congregation here in favor of the Rev James Kirkland, of Inch Clutha, was duly sustained by the Canterbury Presbytery, ac their meeting yesterday, and forwarded to the Clutha Presbytery for Mr Kirkland's acceptance. The Hokitika Coal Prospecting Association have received, says the Times, a very favorable report from the manager of the coal mine. The shaft on the new seam, which is now being sunk, is 37ft down, and the coal seam, which was 7ft 7in on the surface, is increasing in thickness and in quality. The first seam tried, showed at a depth of 77ft a thickness of Bft Gin, as measured by Mr Mueller, Chief Surveyor. So the association have now, in two seams, a thickness of 16ft of coal. It is said that there are several other seams cropping out on the surface, and that the association intend trying more of them by sinking shafts.

Upon the termination of the bankruptcy cases in the District Court, Hokitika, Mr Button mentioned that several persons were actually practising in the Court as law practitioners oy attempting to prepare the necessary papers in bankruptcy cases. He (Mr Button) remembered during Judge Ward's term of office, one of these gentlemen being brought before the Court, who then promised that the matter should not occur again, and yet that very person had, in Morris's case, taken an active part in preparing the bankrupt's papers. His Honor stated that under the Law Practitioners Act, any person practising in the manner stated by counsel is guilty of contempt of court v? which he so practised, and after reading the section of the District Courts Act, which gave him power to commit for fifteen days for contempt, said that he should certainly exercise it if any like case as that mentioned by counsel came under his notice after this expression of opinion, and which expression he hoped the Press would notice.

Tho following particulars of a recent burglary at Temuka appears in the Timaru Herald :— "The men evidently got through tho office window of the store, which is placed at the extreme end of the building On first entering the building the rascals -regaled themselves with some spirits, as a glass full was found on the counter They then opened the back door of the building, and out of that exit au iron safe weighing some 2501 b. From appearances on the ground this safe had apparently been upended, and turned over and over through the yard at the back of the building, through a waterhole, and then round by the back of the yard belonging to the Jtoya'l Hotel. At this point the thieves appear to have got thei

booty into a wheelbarrow, and taken it near to Mr Bryant's house, where it seems to have been capsized. Prom thence the safe was turned over and over till the gully at the back of Bryant's house was reached, a total distance of about 70 yard 3. Here the work of smashing open commenced, the tools employed being a sledge hammer and cold chisels procured from Mr Gray's foundry. The examination of these tools showed that the men had a tough job, and it was probably an hour's good work. However,, after all the battering neceßsaiy to start the door and effect an entrance, the blackguards were ill repaid, for the cash abstracted only amounted to L 2 4s 7d. A cash box was carried away containing a lot of papers, but of no possible use to anyone but Mr Mendelson. All the books were left untouched." In his report upon the expenditure of Gold Fields Revenue in the different Provinces, Mr Haughton gives the figures relating to Auckland, Otago, and Westland, and he adds:— "ln the Province of Nelson I have absolutely no data upon which to base even an approximate estimate of the post or proposed expenditure upon the gold fields by the iocal Government. "

The following description of a recent flood in the Molyneux River, Otago, which occurred on the breaking up of tbe severe frosts, is given by the Dumtan Times, Otago: — " On Saturday last tbe water of the Molyneux showed symptoms of a flood by its thick and unsettled state, and by Sunday the volume of water had increased most wonderfully, and had commenced its work of devastation. The Hit and Miss Company's claim, on Frenchman's Point, was the first to succumb, the water rising completely over their extensive workings ; the next party down the river, was Kett and Company's, at the Half-Mile Beach, over whose claim the river quickly rose, destroying in a few short minutes the work and labor of months of a large body of men ; the next loss that 1 heard of, was that of the Ovens Company, up the Manuberikia, whose claim and workings, over which they have been engaged working continuously for the post nine months, was entirely silted up with gravel and slum. So quick was the rise here that before the party had time to draw out their long and expensive Californian pump the greater portion of it was irretrievably buried. The loss to the whole of these three parties must be something enormous, and it will take some considerable time, even supposing the river to fall, before they will again reach the position they were before the flood."