West Coast Times. FRIDAY, AUGUST 17, 1866.

West Coast Times, Issue 281, 17 August 1866, Page 2

West Coast Times. FRIDAY, AUGUST 17, 1866.

We are not aware whether any .personal communications have passed between the lately elected members of the Provincial Council for the Westland district and Mr Moorllouse, the Superintendent of the Province, since the visit of that gentleman to Hokitika. Certainiy there are no visible signs of any change in the system of administration on this coast ; and for all the practical benefit that has thus |ar resulted, the office of the Chief Magistrate of the Province might just as well have continued to be filled by Mr Bealey, as by Ms popular successor. Westland remains just as much as it has ever been since its birth, ail " outlying district" of Canterbury. - Month after month' rolls by, and still there continues the same system of irresponsible and secret administration ; ,th e same exclusion pf the popular element from the local government the same withholdmerit of reform in every department; that have been the cause of complaint for months past.' These months of deferred hope constitute an age .in the history of a goldfields' community such' as this. It was never dreamt tliat the election .of Mr Moorhouse ; would be so destitute of practical fruits, or that these fruits would be so .long delayed. The promises made by His Honor, when he sought the representation of the district in the General assembly, were, of course, understood to be contingent on his appoiutine.rit.to the superintendeucy. But his return as our member was quickly followed by his election as Superintendent} and all the conditions seemed to be .realised that were to the fulfilment of" the pledges he made, and the realisation of the future he sketched out. When Mr MoorJiouse paid his second visit to Westland,* and received here such an ovation as is only on rare and special occasions offered •to a public man, he excited to a high pitch the expectations of the people — the more so that there was a studied reticence in his promises, which conveyed the idea that they meant 'more than their words expressed. He professed his regret at the necessary delay in convening the new Provincial Council, on account of the-"presence of many members of it in the General Assembly j but he endeavored to reconcile the people, to this delay, by an assurance that during the interval the members for tho district would be taken into the full confidence of the Executive, and .thus placed in a position to exercise a 1 substantive influenefc upon the adiriiffistrationv of affairs that would do much to atone for the absence of a more regular local authority founded a representative basis. This- assurance was hailed at the time with loud plaudits, as a guarantee of a new state of things. We are not aware that any step has been taken to give practical effect to it ; tnat Mr Sale has called any of the Westland members io his councils ; that the Provincial Secretary has held 'any communication with them on affairs materially affecting .the district* or that his Honor has issued any instructions to either, to depart, under the new circumstances, from the old autocratic system. Mr Moorhouse promised the appointment of a Mining Commission to report upon the working of the Goldfields regulations within , the district; and a placard issued from the Commissioner's office, announced that such a body had been constituted. , But no intimation was given of i the names of the gentlemen constituting the Commission. Its appointment,' so far as we are aware, has never been gazetted, or even advertised. The placard invited miners to tend B in suggestions before ' a certain date. Suggestions to whom ? What confidence could be placed in a body, the very personnel of which was concealed ? Mr Moorhouse said it was his intention 'to nominate ' Mr bale, Mr Aylmer, and a " digging friend of his own." Who is this mysterious gentleman ? It was understood to be his intention to add to the Commission the n:me of Mr Barft', a most proper appointment. As a question of fact are Mr "Barff and Mr Moorhouse's digging friend on the Commission ? ' Is the Commission 'at work, and getting on with its' report ? Are witnesses beings examined before it? If it is doing anything at all, of a verity it is pursuing its mission in the dark ; and can not be cited as affording any illustration o£ departure from that secret, ■silent, and mysterious system of administration, by which the thirty thousand people of the West Coast have hitherto been governed. We regret to say that the records of the proceedings of the General Assembly contained in the Wellington papers, have not yet associated the name of Mr 'Moorhouse with any. discussion arising upon Westlund affairs. It is tiue that the Assembly debates are most imperfectly reported/ But we find Mr FitzGerald pressing the Government as to their intentions with . reference to the introduction of a declaratory law on the subject of the qualification of goldfields members ; and we find further a bill iutrpduced to amend the law of registration — two §übjects which were forcibly brought under Mr Moorhouse's attention during, his late visit. We had . hoped that long before this a measure would have been carried through the Assembly, removing removing tho difficulties thufc exist iv th» osUblUhm*nt of wunioipal iwviui*

tions in Hokitika. In fact, on many points expectations were raised, which we very much regret to say have thus far failed to be realised, and the longexpected time has still to be waited for, when Westland will enjoy something like au active share in the management of its local affairs. At present it is as much as ever subject to ai£ authority which . it has no part in creating, aud whicli it htts no part in controlling. This waiting work is very wearisome. When will the change come ? When will the dawn of a new day open ? When shall w,e first begin to learn from actual experience, that Mr Moorliouse is not Mr Bcaley? How niany suns are to rise and set — how many moons to go through their monthly course — before Westland is to be alloy» p ed to have its first taste of the luxury of feeling that it is a selfgoverning people,?