THE Grey River Argus. PUBLISHED DAILY. SATURDAY, APRIL 5, 1879.

Grey River Argus, Volume XXII, Issue 3318, 5 April 1879, Page 2

THE Grey River Argus. PUBLISHED DAILY. SATURDAY, APRIL 5, 1879.

The Hon. Mr Gisborne posseses the suaviter in modo to an extent not often realised by politicians —certainly not by those of an active type— and it is no wonder that his periodical interviews with his constituents are mutually pleasant. The compliment paid to him, — a stranger in the district, and unacquainted with its special local req/airemente, — in electing him over the heads of local competitors at a time when he most desired a seat, has not been forgotten, and since that period Mr Gisfciorue has not neglected to pay hia respects to hi 3 constituents during the recess. His speeches on his last visit appear when one reads them to emanate from someone born and nurtured in the district, so skilfully did he make purely local concerns the burden of his utterances. The never ceasing question of the Mikonui race, which appears as far from solution now as at any previous time ; the insufficient expenditure in public works on the West Coast, and tne necessity for insisting upon justice being done, were subjects upon which a representative of Totara cmild dilate for ever and never exhaust the patience of his audience. " Mikonui" is the shibboleth down south, and everywhere else on the West Coast the grievance, of unfair expenditure is equally felt. Unfortunately, although " Mikonui" was the cry at Mr Gisborne's election, and has been liis stalking horse ever since, the realisation of the h opes of the Boss people is still in the distant future. The Government will give the £20j000 already voted, but only upon certain conditions, none of which as yet appear to have any prospect of being complied with, but they decline to do more. Representing the voice of Parliament, the Ministry say — " Construct the tunnel part of the race by means of a public company or otherwise, and the money is yours, but without some guarantee by your sharing the risk we cannot let it go." No doubt it has been very dispiriting to the old Ross residents to wait year after y&r for the construction of a work which they believe will restore the pristine prosperity of the district, and it must have been a difficult part for Mr Gisborne to play to encourage '< the hope that the Government, with its costly experience in the cases of the Waimea and Hochstetter races, will enter blindly upon another undertaking of the kind. If ardent advocacy and persistent application could have induced the Government to construct this work, it would have given way long ago, but the time has gone past for that, and the decision of Parliament last session may, we think, be regarded as final. Mr Gisborne tells hi 3 constituents that the objectionable condition which prevents the liberation of the £20,000 was imposed by some mistake or other which may be rectified next session ; but we are afraid he is deceiving himself and them by supposing anything of the sort. The fact is the Government and Parliament are sick of these waterrace schemes. There is not one of them which has by a very long way reached the expectations formed of it. They may possibly pay the cost of management, and that is all,— as for increasing the population, they* have not influenced the ten- ' dency of miners to leave the Coast in the slightest decree. However, it 13 a pity to disturb the dreams of our Ross neighbors, and we will say no more on the Bubject. On the subject of public expenditure on the West Coast, Mr Gisborne approached a wider field, and one upon which each and every resident on the Coast can meet him. The glaring injustice done to this part of the Colony in the division of the expenditure of the money borrowed for public works has been reiterated so often as to almost become a trite subject, but Mr Gisborne was right in again raising the cry, and calling upon the West Coast, through its members, to make common cause in insisting upon ■justice being done. It is not aa if there were not necessary and useful works to be done that would assist in developing the country and settling the paople, and which, if commenced some time ago, would have prevented the drain of population that is going on, and being actually

encouraged by the Government. There are works already authorised that would have profitably employed all the spare labor in the district, and yet we have the curious contrast — the Government actually offering a premium for able-bodied men to leave the Coast. Mr Gisborne'a remedy is exactly that we have on many occasions indicated, and that is an unflinching banding together of the Wesc Coast members for the purpose of obtaining justice in this respect. Other questions can afford to wait, so far as We3t Coast constituencies are concerned ; but if i they have to wait much longer for their fair share of expem iture, there will be very few persons lef i to enjoy it when it comes. Never was there •■<■ better opportunity for effecting such j int action than the present time. ParL ment is on the eve of meeting, the po deal atmosphere is disturbed, currents ;>. :e blowing in every direction, and no c le can be sure of what is coming — a cl: mge of Ministry or a dissolution. In any case, a tew men banded together in a ?ood and justifiable cause have an opportunity of making themselves heard and felt that may not occur for Souio time. We ahould like to see Mr Gisborne have the courage of his opinions, and, putting himself at the head of the West Coast members, use that influence to which his experience aud position entitle him, to wring from the Government and Parliament that fair modicum of justice for the West Coast which he admits has been withheld from it. We need not refer particularly to Mr Gisborne's other utterances, aa they are simply a replicate of those expressed by him in Parliament. He is in favor of extended suffrage, of a readjustment of taxation, and would vote for that compromise in the matter of education contained in Mr Curtis's Bill of last year.