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Grey River Argus, Issue 111, 27 September 1866, Page 2

We are quite prepared to hear that Mr Moorhouse's Bill for increasing the representation of Westland in the General Assembly has been thrown out. The forces ranged against the measure are too .much for even Mr Modrhouse to overcome — the Ministry and the whole of the North Island members. The representatives of the North Island are loud in their opposition to any increase of Southern members, and the Ministry, anxious to conciliate the North, disapproves of Westland being more ad equately represented in the Colonial Legislature. The objection of the Auckland and other Northern members is intelligible — it proceeds not so much from an indisposition to give Westlaud its political rights, as a desire to prevent, any accession to the political strength of the South Island. But there ai'e other reasons which would no doubt influence some of the opponents of Mr Moorhouse's Bill, one of which is the aversion to admit the mining population to full political rights. To show how far this narrow-minded prejudice extends, we quote below a passage from a paragraph in one of the "Wellington papers, the "New Zealand Advertiser." After stating that Mr Moorhouse had obtained leave to bring in a Bill to increase the representation of Westland, and that he had declared the population to be about 50,000, and entitled to more than one member, the " Advertiser " comments as follows: — "If this Bill is carried, " Canterbury will obtain more vote in " the House, or more than it is entitled " to, the argument that there are such a " number of persons unrepresented being " a weak one s as those persons cannot ■" be looked upon as colonists having a " stake in the country, but a population "of the most migratory character. '' Mark the beautiful contempt with which the whole West Coast community is treated — " Those persons cannot be looked upon as colonists having a stake in the country." That is to say, a population of at least 30,000, Avhich in

two years has built and settled two large and flourishing port. towns, has opened up for the purposes of man a vast area of territory that was a desolate "terra incognita," and has contributed and is contributing a largely disproportionate share of the public revenue of the Colony " has no stake in the country !" Because miners are not farmers they are not to be considered colonists ! Who and what made Victoria what it now is ? We don't say it was solely mining or \ the miners, but they were the exciting causes. Gold mining I r!n^.s in its ti-ain a vast variety of pei-sous of other occupations, who, but for it, would never have established themselves so extensively and profitably. In a country where farming is possible agriculture is sure to follow rapidly on the heels of mining. Turn to Otago as an instance. The greater portion of the interior of that Province before the gold discoveries was little more known than the district of Westland. Where now flourishing farms and snug homesteads exist, six years ago was un visited and uLknown except by a few solitary shepherds. The gold discoveries gave an impetus to every other pursuit, and have resulted in accelerating the colonisation of Otago by very many years, and in establishing thriving.settlements and prosperous communities in various parts of the Province. Precisely the same sort of idea as that expressed by our Wellington contemporary was enter. tainedof the miners by the Otago Solons five years ago. Every demand for equal rights or privileges was met by the reply that the miners " had no stake in the country." Time wore away this narrow and mistaken^ idea, and the Government and people of Otago came to regard the mining community in its proper, light— as the greatest agent in the colonization of a new country. In the case of Westland the stupid mistake was committed by the Provincial authorities of looking contemptuously on the population, and considering the miners as persons " who cannot be looked upon as colonists having a stake in the country." But this erroneous estimate of the character of the population was soon made manifest, and the present administration recognises it as a sound policy to encourage rather than deprecate the growth and progress of the mining community. We should like our Wellington contemporary to describe what he means by "a stake in the country." Will he tell us what industrial occupations aie established in the metropolitan province of Wellington that are not equally established in West, land % Will he tell us by how much the buildings in the '* empire city" exceed in value those of Hokitika and Greymouth 1 Will he tell us by how much the Province of Wellington exceeds, in its contributions to the Colonial revenue the district of Westland? or by how "much the trade, and commerce of the Province of Wellington exceeds that of this district 1 We should be able pro. bably then to convince the Wellington people that they are not the only persons who have '• a stake in the country/ or entitled to political rights, and also to show that Westland in asking for increased representation is giving forth one of the most healthy signs of true colonization — a desire to take part in and be incorporated with the political system of the Colony.