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Westport Times, Volume VI, Issue 993, 6 August 1872, Page 2

The scant, but withal, significant information to be gained from Wellington telegrams on parliamentary matters, indicates that the question of a new form of government for tho Western Goldfields must become involved among tho issues upon which the ultra' Provincialists and the Colonial Government will do battle. A coalition has been formed of those to whom tho preservation of Provincialism, is the safe guard of their political existence. Their preliminary tactics aro palpably evidenced in the telegrams to hand. •* A meeting of the Superintendents and Provincial officers having seats in the Assembly has been held." *« All tke Superintendents except Mr Orrnond were present." Mr Ormond, bo it remembered, being the only Superintendent acting in combination with the present Ministry. "A programme was drawn up, and presented to the Government with tho intention of its being insisted upon." " The chief feature in this demand is tho Superintendent of each province should be appointed the Government agent to carry on public worKs, uudn powo*o and ■delegations provided by the Public Works Act, and that the office of Resident Minister for the Middle Island should be abolished.'' To this the Government have responded with a distinct expression of refusal. Coupled with this declaration of political warfare, let us see what our Superintendent is doing, on his own behalf. Our telegrams tell us that, watching a convenient opening made for him by our Buller representative, he immediately fired his first shot, by giving notice of motion to the effect, " that any -alteration of boundaries of provinces, or foundations of new provinces, or introduction of new forms of government, wore undesirable except on some system generally applicable throughout tho colony." Read side by side with tho third telegram abovo quoted, the two combined bear but one signification, namely, that Mr Curtis will resist, by every possible means, the disintegration of his pet Province, having already allied himself with a league which, if successful in its objects, will give to the Nelson Government infinitely more power to work evil on the Goldfields than it now .posesses. Then again comes the rumor along tho wires, that the Nelson Superintendent has declared in parliamentarydebate, that the people on the South-west Goldfields are not unanimous in favor of separation. From tho quiet retreat of " Sleepy Hollow" also comes the feeble note of preparation. The ' Colonist' denounces tho threatened spoliation. The ' Mail,' which somo few days since waxed inanely facetious over petitions and petitionmongers, and had published an impertinent assertion that men among mining communities would sign any paper for a glass of liquor, now suddenly finds exceeding virtue therein, and says:—"A petition, the object of which is to protest against this iniquitous disintegration of the Province, is to be at once circulated in Nelson east and west, and it behoves every one who is interested in the welfare of the district to sign it, and to show in every possible constitutional manner his strong disapprobation of the rash step, to which the Colonial Government are about to give their countenance." Already, here in Westport, may be seen a worthy individual suddenly promoted to the office of Petition monger Extraordinary to the Nelson Provincial Government, moving covertly " where busy men most do congregate," and jealously guarding a mysterious document, to which he craves signatures, but the contents of which are kept a profound secret from all, or any, having aught to do or say in favor of the Separation Petition, already circulating throughout the district. Thus tho plot thickens, and events hurry on to action, while the people of the Buller district have but themselves to depend on. There is a suspicion—nay more—of traitors in the camp, and council; and it behoves us all to watch them warily. The last insane rave which they are industriously circulating, is a fair specimen of the means they use to work out their own unlawful ends. They raise a cry, not directly against separation from Nelson rule, but

against annexation to Westland, predicting innumerable ills to arise therefrom. Wilfully oblivious of the fact, that the moat ardent Soparationists are as adverse as themselves to sharing the responsibility of Westland's present pecuniary indebtedness, and that all they ask for is separation, pure and simple, from the Nelson Province, and such a defined form of now government for the entire West Coast, as shall seem most expedient to the General Government. Westlaud's debt must be a matter for special legislation. On the question of Separation, let the Government take a plebisvitum, and the result will be an overwhelming argument in it's favor.