THE LOCAL GOVERNMENT OF WESTLAND.

West Coast Times, Issue 145, 6 March 1866, Page 3

THE LOCAL GOVERNMENT OF WESTLAND.

(From the Press, February 24.) From extracts which we quote from the newspapers, both at HoLitika and Greymouth, it would appear that the views indicated in this journal as to the best mode of governing the West Coast populations are likely to be received with approval. They do not want separation from Canterbury for its own sake. They talk of it only as a means to an end— a means, however, which they must use if they can get the end in no other way. Thay are fully aware of the evils of separation, and of the burdens it would impose upon them. But they say that they must put up with all these inconveniences unless they can get what they want in other respects; and what they principally want is the expenditure of the funds of the goldfields in the manner they like best. The demand does not seem to us at all unreasonable, and therefore we sketched out briefly a few simple measures which we thought would go far to meet the real wants of the West Coast population. Now that the matter has been taken up by the press, we would venture to suggest to our friends on the West Coast that their Members — of whom they will have five in the next Provincial Cotfncil — should come over with a reasonable and well-considered proposal to lay before the Council and the Government ; and we may express our conviction that if they do so, and, instead of running amuck at everything on this side, get their plan well discussed in a give-and-take spirit, no difficulty will be found in making such arrangements with regard to the public expenditure as will be as really satisfactory to all parties as any human arrangements can ever hope to be.