MEMBERS OF COUNCIL AT HOME.

West Coast Times, Issue 601, 28 August 1867, Page 2

MEMBERS OF COUNCIL AT HOME.

TO THE EDITOR OF THE WEST COAST TIMES. Sir— l suppose it is the proper thing for members of the Provincial Council, when they return to their constituents, to magnify as much as possible tho services they have rendered to tleir districts ; and their admiring supporters of course cheer them to the echo for every exploit they relate. Some times, however, the actual facts of the case are somewhat over-stated by these gentlemen. I saw it reported in the " Grey River Argus," some little time back,' that on the carrying of Mr Travers' amendment on the proposed Land Regulations forbidding theminertherightof entry on purchased lands, "the whole of the Westlaud members left the House in a body, headed by Mr Whall." I have a letter in my hand written from Christchurch, by an intimate friend at the time, in which he gives a very different version of the affair. He wrote tome — "On Travers' motion being carried the whole of your members left the House, according to a previous agreement between them, with the- exception of Mr Whall, who, much to the anoyance of his colleagues, stayed behind to make a speech on the subject, and entirely destroyed the completeness of the demonstration." I notice in the report of Mr Whall 1 s speech at Greymouth on Friday last, reported iv the " Argus" of Tuesday, that that gentleman is made to state that on Mr Barff moving his resolutions "on the subject of Separation, he (Mr Whall) succeeded in shelving those resolutions by moving the previous question. Now, the newspaper reports at the time stated that it was Mr Bright who moved the previous question, and, if I remember rightly, Mr Barff made the same statement somewhat reproachfully against Mr Bright at the meeting at the Empire. All our members I believe have done well for the district, and none of them are. liable for censure for having neglected his duty. Why then should every man on the occasion of addressing his own special constituents, be fuilty of the weakness of trying to make imselfthe hero of every 'occasion? t am, &c., * . Jones.