THE Grey River Argus. PUBLISHED DAILY. SATURDAY, SEPTEMBER 7, 1572.

Grey River Argus, Volume XII, Issue 1282, 7 September 1872, Page 2

THE Grey River Argus. PUBLISHED DAILY. SATURDAY, SEPTEMBER 7, 1572.

The time was ia this Colony, and that not very long ago, when the entrances and the exits of political parties to and from positions of power interested few, very few, -t/muuir, aua' ~cneir oioo~tt~ygiatioiiW— -***, country was in the hands of a family compact, representing, not its bone, sinew, and soul, but their own domestic interests and the "peace and progress" of their herds and flocks. Between their "woollyfaced friends " that bleat upon the hills, and the tawny-faced enemies who then skulked in the bush, their attention -was equally divided. Sedition and scab were the [alpha and omega of legislation, and the result was the spread of both. The country was managed on the principles of the management of a station, with bad 'management at that, arid ; the people, while contributing like sheep, had as little thought or care as sheep, as to the sure of ! their scabby condition. > The times have; changed, and changed immensely ' for the better, else there could not have been, as there was yesterday, a deep and general interest taken in- the fate cf the Ministry who have managed the affairs of the country for the past few years, and as deep and general a regret that their fate was so different from their deserts. To this change the influx of population, and the infusion of a; different spirit a«nongohe mass, have, no. , doubt, cousiderably contributed, but it will also be confessed, save by those to whom the mere name oi confession is obnoxious, that this change has been brought about by the very genius •of the Ministry in.< initiating schemes in the progress and success of which all and sundry were inevitably interested. Startled into antagonism and outcry as the country was .at the outset, as. these schemes?came to* be examined and even pari|a)lj executed there.was awakened among the people an intafesjt in public affairs which had never before been experienced, and a hopefulness as to the success of the projects which was ''justified both by their character and, magnitude. Between the Cabinet, the Parliament, and the .people there was a sympathy, at least v as to the am 1 ount of interest taken ty jfche matter of debate,. snchj as has not b'eeji seeu before in the history of the Colony, but, unless the public feelinij is vejry much jniarepresented an, the .wopdo and actions of tfre public itself, the' sympathy ended there. „ It. is very questionable, indeed, if there ia sympathy between the people andi thp, bare = majority by whose votes jthe.Myiistry have been condemned, and,- ahbiild the opportunity occur, we venture to think that' iHs* a matter whiclj would not long remain questionable, but whic^ipuld, be decided, by a .very general recognition of the credit due to them foi the measures they had devised, and oi their jßqjial capacity withiany posaible successors to carry these measures— to main* tain peace among the Natives, and'to promote the progress of the Colony as a whole. ..•<•.- %• • ■ f ■' But if there is any place within the Colony in which,' as the fruit of the evil and good report through which they have lived, con6 -fence was being felt both in will and the ability ;of the Ministry to do well for the Colony, it was upon the AYest Coast of the Middle Island. This may' be fiaid fearlessly^ and it can surely be said now without exciting any of the gross insinuations which groveliing minds invent and are permitted too readily to print. In Qreymouth, yesterday, among the resident ©lectors and among j#anv pfhers

representing different parts of the Coast, there was discoverable but one feeling, and that was a feeling of intense-disap-pointment at the result as announced by telegraph. The feeling wag intensified by the'fae&that, but for the*?diyided action of the West Coast members, in the face of formerly pronounced opinions, in the face of petition upon petition from their constituents, and in the face of the best interests of the district, the Ministry would have had a majority— a sufficient majority to swear by, at any rate, though it might be nothing magnificent. Whatever share of popular confidence the member for the Grey Valley may enjoy, it has been increased by his faithful adheaion to the party whose policy he was slow, and {certainly nono the worse of being slow, in approving. The member for the Totara has the not inferior merit of being consistent with his declarations during his candidature, with his speeches in Parliament, and with all his previous votes. 1 Consistency, aa we have said on other occasions, has not less been the characteristic of the member for Hokitika, but on such an occasion as this, say what ho may, his consistency is vastly inconsistent with the aggregate interests of a community the requirements of which are similar, and of which his community is not the^iojit^j^Eo^aj^^ session) asHSsFlessloliTMrWhite has, wisely for himself and the course which he adopts,buttnostunwiselyforthegeneralobject of the four constituencies on the Coast, ;aken what a Scotchman would call " the first word o' flitin'". Like the schoolboy who substituted heresy for shortness of memory as an excuse for his forgetfulness of the "Mother's Cathecism," he " dosna believe in onything." He won'tbelieve that the Ministry mean to consolidate the Coast into one Province, or to do anything whatsoever for the Coast but to rob its exchequer. He would not believe it last year ; he will not believe it this year ; and of course, if he goes onashehas done, arid other members' join him, the 1 sincerest efforts of the Ministry will not succeed. The very men whom they are justified in relying upon as .leaders or supporters in such a movement desert them. To make one more familiar illustration, Mr White acts the part of the pilot who, when two ships came in imminent risk of collision, ran down the companion ladder, exclaiming, "I winna see it ; I winna see it." The pilot was a Scotchman,, ©f course, and yet, mirabilc dictu, a coward. Mr White, we do believe, is neither one nor t'other, but his contumacy ja equal in its results to cowardice. When hp ought to bo on the bridge or at the Wheel, he is down the companion ; but the collision $rill come, and in the end he will probably have to confess that he had better have believed in the ship's company with whom he started than trust to those who have not yet signed articles in which unity and uniformity of Government o$ the West Coast are stipulations. From t jjfl member for Hokitika to the member fop the Bulier ihe transition, politically, is too vast to be represented in a sheet of double demy, and, not being able to afford even that space, we maVe a new para^aph, simply to say that the simplest student of men and circumstances must regard the case the honorable member's consciousness — certainly not in any Ministerial measure, act, or word, relatiug to . the interests of the Colony or the Coast, either before or since his unquestionable and outspoken avowal at Westport that he wa3 " a supporter of the Mhmtry." No member is more capable of converting himself after the manner of his prototype the great "Jim Crow," and he has also the capacity of persuading a certain section of his constituency to "do jest so." But, amonggfc ordinary men, sudden and extraordinary conversions are usually a source of suspicion, and nothing but a sublimity of conviction such $g may be read of in the "Book of Mirtyrs" can account for Mr O'Conor's action in ousting Mr William Fox from office, and substituting for such a man, or for such other men as were aasociated with him, Mr Oswald Curtis. Apropos, and as an illustration of what the constituency of the Grey Valley may expect from a Ministry of which Mr Curtis is either a member or a supporter, we recommend our readers to peruse an extract from Hansard which appears in another column, and to contrast its spirit, as foreshadowing the future, with the spirit and action of the Premier in the nast.

The improvements that have boen lately made in Alexander street and its neighborhood arc assumiug vory marked dimensions, and adding greatly to populating the surrounding district. A distance of nearly half a mile has been well laid out, and almost gravelled, with well cut drains on each side. Sundry new cottages have also been built, ,and several more are in course' of erection or about to be so. Owners of property around the hill fronting Harley's brewery are busy burning and getting scrub cleared away, and Mr litter has completed an extensive addition, besides finding a limestone of superior tV n ich he has now tested and proved ■to be. b 0... The stone was literally alive when' taken from the kiln and watered, arid Was pronouncel by a gentleman of experipn£e to be the best he has yet seen got ©ut in this djstrjet. - " Muobeifa," Mr Burford's benefit, able acting; very superior sjnging, admirable scenery, and a crowded house made' the performance at the Theatre last evening" one of the 'rnost attractive and successful of the season. We are unable in this issue to notice the performance otherwise than thus briefly but gn opportunity of doing so will, n( doubt, Boon.ocgnr.. It is to be regrettec that this opportunity ig to occur this evening, but a sufficiently attractive pro gramme is promised. The usual fortnightly meeting of the .Borough Council was held last evening in the Town Hall; Present— The Mayor in the S-W w G °? nC 'J lo J? M ' Gr egor, Kennedy, Smith, Woolcock, Goates, Moore, andDupre. Ihe minutes of last meeting were read and confirmed, -Correspondence was read', and ™ V onve ™ation it was resolved that ' The Town-Clerk write to the Government requesting that, the wharf from Tainui to Johnston streetg be. handed over to the Borough Council." A letter was read from the .Kelson Board of Works requesting information as to the working of the Municipal Corporations Actiu this towD, as the inhabitants were anxious that it should be idopted_m Nelson. This had been replied So by the Town Clerk. Messrs Langlands t i ', Melbourne, wrote to the effect ;hatthe lamp-posts had been shipped" by the ihe Gleaner. Messrs Lloyd and Biick ap)Ued for the lease of a portion of the new vharf as a coal depot— grau^od ; to be dealt nth in a similar manner to other applica- i ions, and temporary accommodation to be aade by the Public Works Committee

The Clerk to the Bench wrote enclosing L 2 16s, the amount of fines levied under the Corporations Act. Mr Hildebraud wrote complaining that his private property was bein« injured by. shipments of cattle being landed thereon, and ib was referred to the Public Works Committee to fix the place where cattle be landed ia future. Mr Kennedy then moved the following resolution :— "That the Town Clerk write to the agent for Native Reserves, Mr Mackay, to request him— lst. In the event of this Council forming and making Tainui street, if he will give a subsidy towards that work, as hohasdone to other streets on the same reserve, viz., a contribution of one year's rent from the several sections fronting the said streets. 2nd. If there ia any covenant between him aa agent for the Native Reserves ancLthe Government for the making said street, that he will be good enough to furnish full particulars thereof to this Council." The Mayor seconded th!e' motion pro forma. Mr Moore suggested that the motion should stand oyer until next meeting, in order that the Town Surveyor should report the lowest cost at which a half-chain road should be made from town to the boundary-line. Mr Woolcock agreed with Mr Moore. Mr Kennedy was not willing to allow the question to etancl over until next meeting, seeing that this was his last sitting in the Council. Mr Smith thought they ought to have more information before them as to the probable cost qf the road, but as the Council was bound to" make the road sooner or later,. he supported the motion. Mr Coates said that the question should stand 1 over until the newly-elected members take their seats. He moved an amendment to that effect. ,f Mr Dupre secouded the amendment. The Mayor warmly supported the calling for tenders, which would be submitted to the new members of the Council. After a discussion, the amendment .was carried, and also a further amendment to the effect, that the Town Surveyor draft plans and specifications for thb work.— Mr Kennedy then moved :— "That tenders be invited for the formation of Tainui street and High street to the boundary of the Borough, on condition of an approved guarantee being given to the Council to supply the necessary money fori that purpose in three equal instalments onxdemaud, and to take the Council's bills for the amount so advanced at six, twelve, and eighteen months, with ten per cent added." The Mayor seconded the motion, which was carried. Mr Moore drew attention to the fact that this was the last meeting at which Councillor Kennedy would be present, and while regretting that that gentleman had not seen fit to offer his time once more to the electors, moved a vote . of thanks to Councillor Kenuedy for his past valuable services in the Council. Mr Coates seconded the motion. Mr Woolcock and the Mayor supported it. Mr Kennedy, in suitable terms, returned thanks for the vote, and after transacting some routine business the Council adjourned. But for the apparent imminence of an accidenj; to ;the Sarah and Mary after she left thtT port, there would have been but ,one topic of conversation in Greymouth yesterday—the regretted defeat of the Ministry. '« Unification " was at as great a discount as Westland Gold-mining Company's shares were a few weeks ago, and, in the estimation of a majority, the member for the Hokitika district was "much below par." The expressed estimate of the member for the fuller district would not bear quotation, The reason fqr this fntergsfc being taken in the actjon of two members ■yylio ipp not members for the Gpey <}JStrict>as due. no dQubt, to the unanimity on cgrtajn matters, whjch has recently existed betweeii the several cpn.sfcituencies on the West Coast. Otherwise, ceeclings, miguc do oorfsicierflu ail inrpenrfuenre on the part of the population of Greymouth. Towards evening there was an incident associated with this public feeling which drew forth a crowd into the streets, and much applause and laughter from the crowd. While the witches were walking round the cauldron in the play of "Macbeth" at the Volunteer Hall, the brass band withdrew from the building, and accompanied round thp streets two figures quite as weird-looking as any witches— the said figures, we are reliably informed, being stuffed with straw. The figures in question were surrounded by torch-bearers, and accompanied through a Gorge fog which considerably enhanced their picluresqueneas, along Mawhera Quay,, as jtar as the beginning, and the probable end, of the road and railway works. Here a large orowd very, 'soon O^SQinbled, and upon a spot which was really, if not technically, beyond the boundaries of the town and municipal bye-laws, the aforesaid figures -were set on fire They burnt much and smelt abominably, yet. the crowd lingered and laughed immoderately, especially as each figure fell from the.halter by which it was suspended. The spectacle seemed, however, to cause also much pain to the spectators, for they occasionally groaned deeply, and, on the mention of the names of two members of the House of Representatives, they groaned three times in succession after each- name. There was likewise cheering— three cheers being given for the member for the district, and three times three for " The Fox Ministry" of the past. Headed by the band, the crowd march§d down the street from the scene of execution, as perfect order being preserved as 'there was perfect goocf 'Uunjpt; This burning of effigies is the first that, Jias happened in Greymouth, but its perfection in details indicated the presence of a masterhand in the arrangement of , the preliminaries. The ■ representatives whose names were mentioned were Messrs O'Conor and White.:.. . ; J: .,; . ' , / ;.;'■, „;' ..,',. • The other day a. painful accident occurred at the Kurunui battery, by, which; James Smith, the engineer in charge of the battery, got his leg jammed off at thecalfibya large beam Of timber, . . His legg was literally jammed off, leaving the jagged bone and ghastly wound. , -■■ „, By theAlhambrai Dr Paley, $he Inspector of Lunatic Asylums of .Victoria^ has come to New. Zealand at the. request of the- General Government, to inspect and report upon ihe Lunatic Asylums of the Colony. Over L26,QOQ arrears are duetto pensioners in New South Wales undo* the.Superannuation Act. t«

xi. Xt , follow ingis addressed to the editor of the Nelson Colonist as from Bellamy's, Wellington^- «• Necessity has no law.* Sit— The .following; .was. picked . up . outside the House of Assembly here, together with some telegrams .from the West Coast. It is supposed to be a resolution .which will be the next^hing " tabled "in the Assembly ; but should it not be, it would be a pity if its suggestions were r lost sight of, I therefore ••«£ y«f *° give it publicity in your poorlysubsidised paper Yours, .&„.,' A Liok "New Larceny BUI. ' Mv Curt^'s famous Larceny Bill, so much lauded by his supporters as being framed by one hot of the Profession,' and entirely free from the tecbmcalties of the law, has been found on examination to have only one fault, which is that no prisoner could possibly be corivioted «™ it Ib is thought, that what m C si a ' Porm Jssive clause,' would greatly add to its efficiency j it will therefore be proposed by the Hon. Edward Stuff-hard, Seconded by the Hon. William ReynardT1. Ihat after the trial for any misdemeanor, on the verdiotof the jury has been given, and the senieuce of the Judge has been passed, should tho culprit object theret j, and , before any disturbance by discussion or otherwise be mado. 2. It shall be competent for i

the prisoner, by documentary evidence (statutory or not), to prove that he was at the exact period— deaf and dumb— nri both j —or neither. 3. ; To declare -upon his ihon.br '\ that he did not mean to act dishonorably, and would surrender any little trifle, he might by chance, have wrongfully obtained back to the proper owners. 4 That he states on oath that he > never. meant ..' for to go to.do^ it.' 5 That under the foregoing conditions evidence on oath of any witness or prOsecutor be believed, but that the evidence of the ' persecuted innocent ' alone be relied on ;. and further" that' it^ 'shoulcf b¥ 'pTocVaimed from the Pillory that hia pals do receive his report with satisfaction ; and that he has done no act. dishonorable to the profession, . nor derogatory to his conduct as a member of the ; ' House ?-^of Correction. '! •> ' \ ■< 'I Mr John White, at the close of his speech on the no-confidence resolution, made some remarks, during, which he was called, to order, regarding the Pre3S ! Association. 'Mr Vogeymmediately made an explanation of the speciHc' charge made By the honorable member for Hokitika with reference to the arrangements madefy him with Mr George, the manager of the Argus, for seeuriug the telegrams of the Australian Associated Press. When making that contract he expressly stated 'to Mr George that he was not entitled to make .that arrangement on, the papt. of> the Government, biit if 'they did hot take 5 it up, that he would in his private capacity accept the terma proposed by Mr George, and pay the LSOO per annum asked on behalf of the newspapers of the Colony. He considered that had ;he not done so, .he. would have been overlookinc; the interests of the Colony in allowing it to be excluded from the advantages which all the other colonies, were, to, participate in. The newspapers, in the Association, representing all shades of opinion, had expressed no great amount of, dissittisfaction with .those .arrangements. It ; was also propoped that s6'irie ? 'disfsatisfaction which arose fromthe exclusion, of the evening papers should be shortly abolished.