THE Grey River Argus. PUBLISHED DAILY. MONDAY, SEPTEMEBER 30, 1872.

Grey River Argus, Volume XII, Issue 1301, 30 September 1872, Page 2

THE Grey River Argus. PUBLISHED DAILY. MONDAY, SEPTEMEBER 30, 1872.

MONDAY, SEPTEMBER 30, 1872.

To many of our contemporaries throughout the Colony we are indebted for their honoring us by occasionally quoting from these columns expressions of opinion upou passing subjects with which, in our comparatively Becluded situation, it is only possible to write at a considerable disadvantage as regards lateness of information and acquaintance with prevailing public sentiment. The circumstance is, at least, an acknowledgment of friendly consideration on the part of metropolitan journalists towards their provincial brethren. As a set-off to this source of satisfaction, thero prevails on the part of some other journals, in situation though not in spirit metropolitan, a practice which is fortunately not generally characteristic of the profession. That is a disposition to attribute to contemporaries an aptitude to bo "purchased," to become, in the hands of aparty,and for base purposes, mero "instruments," as the member for Hokitika would terra it, or, according to the much mixed metaphor of another West Coast member, to "blow the trumpet" of a Government as "hireling literary hacks." The papers which indulge in this descriptions of dirty insinuation are the "foul birds" of the profession, and pre-eminent among these is a paper called the Post, published in Wellington. It is the paper which avowedly represents the sentiments and sympathies of the party now in power, and in that character it has lately ventured to deal with questions affecting this district — dealing with them, we may presume, in the spirit by which its party is animated. As an indication of that spirit, and as an illustration of the mean conception which, as a result of its own meanness, it is capable of forming with regard to contemporaries, we quote from the Post an article which recently appeared in its columns. It is an article which, we have little doubt, will amuse our readers by its ignorance of the geography of the country and the impudence of its personal references, as much as it will astonish them by the disposition which it displays, as the organ of iis party, towards an object in which the residents of the West Coast are universally interested. Tt is as follows :—

" A great deal has been said during the present session of Parliament respecting the 'unification' of the West Coast Gold Fields — that is adding part of the Province of Nelson to the County of Westland, and forming a new province or county— a proceeding which would neces- 1 sitate fresh appointments, and throw open various good billets for competition among some of our prominent politicians. The centre of the agitation in this direction is Greymouth, which aspires to be the, seat of the new projected Government, to the prejudice of Hokitika. Greymouth newspapers advocate ' unification ' with all their might, and Greymouth residents forward petitions in support of it to the Assembly, the signatures to which are computed by the yard, and whose length is only paralleled by their informality. It has been remarked, too, that a singular unison of feeling exists between the ' unificationists ' of Grey Valley and a party in Wellington. Whenever a new note is struck by the Grey River Argus, it is immediately echoed by the Wellington, Independent, and vice versa. At times telegrams from Wellington, pub--1 lislied under the heading of the Press Association, of which the directory is closely connected with the Impendent, have given the duo for the utterances of the Argits, which have again been echoed by the liidepcndent. Posßibly the Independent hopes to derive some benefit from the appointment of a new chairman or j superintendent, which may account for its zeal iv the cause of unification. The principal — nay, almost the sole — reason adduced in favor of the projected change is the misgovernuient of that part of the gold fields which belongs to Nelson . Sins of omission and com mission are charged against the Superintendent and his Executive almost beyond computation ; but it is noticeable that however plausible these charges appear in thy

columns of. the Argus or the Independent, they melt into thin air whenever they are examined. The latest instance was a sensational telegram published a few days ago respecting the lock-up at lleefton, and a more sensational paragraph written upou it to clinch the impression. The horrors of this naw 'black hole, as related by the Independent, reminded one of the story of Ugolino iv the sea of everlasting ice, after ho had wiped his bloody lips on the scalp of his murderer, and the Superintendent of Nelson was elevated to a place beside Surajah Dowlah. But what aro tho facts, as related by pooplo who have no special function for ' unification?' Simply that ten or twelve people happened on one day to be conlined in the lock-up — a circumstance that never occurred before— the usual number being two or three, and often one. The public to whom the 'black hole' story was addressed know too much of the fluctuations of digging populations, to suppose that any Government could spend money in erecting large permanent places in which to lock up prisoners, in every locality to which a ' rush ' might ill a few hours bring a large number of diggers, and from which a panic might cause them to travel, as quickly. As a matter of fact, instructions have been issued to increase the gaol accommodation, and, as a proof that this step was not required earlier, we may remind the Independent that the permanence of the Beef ton diggings has not yet been sufficiently proved to induce any bank to establish in the township an agency. Ii is quite possible that the Provincial Government of Nelson may, like all other Governments, be chargeable with faults, but for all that it will require a great many sensational paragraphs to bring about the change which the Grey Rivet Argus and the Independent desire." A more complete " comedy of errors," if comedy it can be called, than is contained in this article, it i 3 scarcely possible to conceive. Plot and counter plot, according to this account, would seem to be the sole object and aim o: two journals which are as distinct, a! regards proprietary, editors, and com mercial management, a3 the Post is dis tinct from the North Pole— simply becausi there is agreement upon a subject regard' ing which everyone acquainted with it ii agreed, and the Wellington Independen eminently, though not exceptionally, ex hibits that acquaintance. But where tht comedy comes in is in attributing to tin Argus the JReefton telegrams, as if Reef ton were a mere suburb of Grey month ; the fact being that Beeftoi enjoys its own telegraphic communica tion, its. 'own telegraphic agency, an< a population quite intelligent enough t< know what, in the shape of prisoi accommodation, is unfit for man, anc only fit for beasts, as the local gao seems to have been. And as to the "sen sational" paragraph, however much it ma; deserve that description, it was the con tribution of a reliable and authorise! correspondent who, we imagine, cares a much about the Independent or it opinions, or its collusion with the Argus as he cares about the Post— and that, w have good reason to think, is iufinitesi if it faithfully described facts, and that i nially small. It was a communication whicl could not be otherwise than sensational did so there is abundant independent cvi dence to prove. There is confirmation o that evidence in the very circumstance o tho Nelson authorities having alread; undertaken tho erection of the much re quired addition to this too truly de scribed place of " durance vile," thougi even in these additions, according to al accounts, there is still further confirmatioi of the Nelson Government knowing "hoy not to do it." As, however, the Post remarks are equally applied to the liule pendent and the Akgus, we Bhall leave t< our elder brother the reply which the^ require, and that reply has already beei made in these words : — 11 By the same cut-and-thrust style ir which it has been accustomed to dea with persons and subjects generally, anc by a careful reference to some book o i quotations, as becomes the ' best-writtei j journal ' in the Colony, the comments oi this journal and the Grey River Argus. regarding the gaol accommodation a1 Reefton are dealt with ia a manner satis factory to the writer, if to no one else This new champion of Nelson inertia anc horse-leech greed, disposes of the matte: in an off-hand manner by saying, ' As ; matter of fact, instructions have beei issued to increase the gaol accommoda tion,' but it jesuitically adds that thai accommodation could not have beei wanted before, because a bank had noi established an agency there. Profounc reason ! As if a township with thousand; of people, with a newspaper as large at the Post, with a large floating population, and a larger percentage of evil chasracters than can be found at anj other part of the West Coast, were noi better guides as to what was wanted than the movements of any banking agency. Il is absurd to say that a gaol was noi wanted at Reefton before this. The facl that the Nelson Government promised eight raontha ago to provide more efficieni gaol accommodation shows that it was wanted. It was also well known to Mi Curtis that Reefton, sharing the fate oi many new rushes, has long been infested with a nest of the most villainous characters. It is surprising that a journal whose suggestions regarding tho care, treatment, and punishment of criminals are usually so sound, should ridicule the case of the Reefton gaol. No one knows better than. the Post that suitable accommodation for a digging township does not necessarily mean the erection of one of those magnificent and well appointed gaols to be found in old cities. It is to be feared that the Post has at length undertaken the impossible task of serving many masters."