THE Grey River Argus. PUBLISHED DAILY. WEDNESDAY, OCTOBER 16, 1872.

Grey River Argus, Volume XII, Issue 1315, 16 October 1872, Page 2

THE Grey River Argus. PUBLISHED DAILY. WEDNESDAY, OCTOBER 16, 1872.

A meeting, the numbers and importance of which are not indicated in the report given, was held in Hokitika on Monday evening, for Ihejjurpose of protesting against what is there called " the dismemberment of the County" by the proposed extension southward of the boundaries of Nelson. Province. The principal speaker seems to have been Mr Barff, and the information which he placed before the meeting, more than his protestations against the proposed extension, appears to have been sufficient to bring the meeting to a somewhat abrupt termination. According to the report furnished by our Hokitika contemporary, Mr Barff stated that since the meeting had been convened, telegrams had been received from Mr John White, addressed to the Mayor. They were all of that day's date. The first was as follows:— "Shephard's Bill probably be dropped. Certainly shall not pass. West Coast members interviewed Yogel, at his request, Saturday. Shephard present. Yogel favored Bill. Would try pass it, if West Coast members agreed. Harrison supported Yogel and Shephard. Announced my intention of offering every constitutional opposition to Bill. Tribe, Lahtnan, O'Conor also opposed." So far as that telegram disclosed the state of affairs (Mr Barff continued), the danger of the Bill passing did not seem to be great, but the second telegraphic message seemed to indicate that Mr Yogel had determined to push on the Bill, despite the opposition of some of the West Coast members. It was as follows :— " Yogel announced to-day he would bring down proposal during present session that L 50,000 out of Railway Loan shall be spent on public works in Westland, and i6l),000 on Nelson South-West Gold Fields. Expenditure to extend over two years. Interest and Sinking Fund to be charged on completion of works." The third telegram had been received only within a few minutes before the business of the meeting opened, and ran thus : — " J ust seen Shephard. He will withdraw Boundaries Bill." It would thus seem, said Mr Barff, that there really was an end of the matter. Still, as the meeting was assembled, and as there could not be much reliance placed upon a vague statement from Mr Shephard, such as was contained in the message, it might be well to pass the resolutions which had been drawn up. He, however, left it to the meeting to decide what should be done— whether to pass the resolutions already prepared, or to adopt a single resolution protesting against the dismemberment of the County, and expressing satisfaction that the Nelson Boundaries ' ! BUI was abandoned. There followed a ; discussion which is described by the Times as being "of a personal and desultory character"— the division of opinion being as to whether the meeting should proceed with its purpose, or take it for granted 1 that the matter had already been decided. To a motion affirming that the resolutions prepared should bo considered by the meeting, two amendments were proposed, eaca briefly embodying a protest againßt any legislation " tending, to the dismemberment of -the County," but "after a stormy discussion," it was agreed to give a preference to the resolutions which had been, prepared beforehand, and they were

carried without dissent, and, as far as appears, without any attempt at discusBion. They were as follow : — .1. "That this meeting earnestly pro- 1 tests against the dismemberment of the County, as proposed in the Nelson Boundaries Bill, recently introduced in the House of Representatives by Mr Shephard, and is of opinion that the annexation of a portion of Westland to the Province of Nelson, would be highly detrimental to the best interests of the County, and a death-blow to local selfgovernment in the district." 2. "That in the event of Westland losing that portion of territory which lies between the Grey and Teremakau rivers, the revenue of the remaining part of the County would be insufficient to defray the ordinary departmental expenses, as only a trifling reduction in the staff of County officers would be practicable." 3. " That this meeting begs to call the attention of the Government to the fact that the dissatisfaction existing upon the Nelson South- West Gold Fields is entirely the result of the misrule of the Nelson Provincial authorities, and that the extension of the boundaries of the Province of Nelson would only aggravate and multiply the evils complained of." 4. " That this meeting further calls the attention of the Government to the extensive and costly public works which have been constructed or are still in the course of construction in the Grey Valley by the County Government, as a proof that that portion of the district has received fair consideration at the hands of the Council." - 6. " That the foregoing resolutions be telegraphed to the Hon. the Colonial Secretary, the Hon. Mr Yogel, the Hon. Mr Stafford, and the member for the district." Of course, if the Boundaries Bill is to be withdrawn, as Mr White's last telegram would imply, the resolutions thus passed are only useful as once more expressing Hokitika's objections to any change from the present anomalous government of the Coast, except that change to which approval was given—-"unifica-tion"—and of such expressions of local feeling there has been such abundant record that this "last appeal" was scarcely necessary. It follows that, if the Boundaries Bill is to be withdrawn, and at this late period of the oesnion, any expression of public feeling in the Grey district would be equally a work of supererogation. Any , expression of feeling as to the desirableness of this or that would, so far as concerns the current session, prevent nothing and achieve nothing. It is obvious, from our daily record of Bills " discharged from the order paper" that a wholesale "massacre of innocents " is one of the sequences of the party struggle which has occupied greater part of the session, and any protestations now would begin and end as protestations. It is well, however, that the West Coast constituencies should realise upon whom rests the responsibility of. these successive massacres of the interests of the West Coast, be these interests considered either from a local or a general point of view ; and if they endeavor to realise this we think they cannot but shoulder the responsibility upon those of our West Coast members who live in a state of "constitutional opposition" — who will neither dance nor hold the candle. Hitherto the aphorism applied to man, as compared with higher powers, is that his prerogative is simply to propose. To suit the circumstances in these parts, there would require to be an extension of its application — the desire to oppose being in inverse ratio to the ability to propose.