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Grey River Argus, Volume XIV, Issue 1708, 24 January 1874, Page 2

The Westland Begister of yesterday.'contains a most curious production in the shape of an article upon the recent public

meeting at Greymouth. It is quiet evident that the revival of public spirit here is not acceptable to the writer. After endeavoring in a mild and inoffensive manner to pooh-pooh the whole affair, and speaking of the resolutions as "truly a most lame and impotent conclusion," our contemporary with singular inconsistency hints that it would be perhaps as well if Hokitika would wake up a little. It says : — 'f-No inhabitant of the Pro- . vince of Westland begrudges the sister town the development of her coal-mines, the construction of her railway, or the protection of her river banks ; but, if it begins to be said that these are but initial items of expenditure which, though not useful in themselves, are intended to lead up to some unknown outlay which will thus have been made indispensable, we of the south may relax our hitherto modest silence, and say something about our river, wharf, and bar. We feel, we confess, half suspicious that it would have been better for the two towns for Mr Harrison to have remained at Wellington, where, antagonistic as his action has sometimes been to Hokitika, he was, comparatively, harmless." Here speaks out the bitterness of jealousy of the public expenditure going on here. We need not notice the rest of the article, further than to give a flat contradiction to the following paragraph : — " One little matter our memory serves us to correct Mr Harrison upon, which is the £30,000 he said had been set apart for the Randall's Creek race. No such sum, or any sum, was set apart for such a work." The best way to answer this is by quoting the words of the resolution of the member for the Grey Valley, which was passed in the House on the 30th July :— " That out of the sum of £300,000 set apart for water supply on the Gold-fields, there be appropriated the sum of £30,000 for the construction of a water-race from Randall's Creek, as recommended by the Provincial Council of Nelson." This resolution was^ carried without a division, and if it does not mean that the money was set apart for this work, we fail to understand the meaning of language. And we have good reason to know that this amount is considered by the Government as held in reserve, to be expended upon the race, should it be found after an examination of the country to be practicable.