RETROSPECTIVE.

West Coast Times, Issue 579, 2 August 1867, Page 7

RETROSPECTIVE.

(fbosi the west coast times, jtoy 25.) A. Session of Council that has proved in almost every respect unsatisfactory to this district, has been brought to a close ; and the members for Westland return to their constituents with feelings very dissimilar I to those with which in January last they came came back to Hokitika under circumstances of almost triumph. They brought with them then the prestige of labors appreciated both by their constituents and in the Council itself, and of work of great importance to their district actually done. They had a proud consciousness of power which the whole of the incidents of the session had naturally Inspired ; and they were justified in looking fbrwiflll to a new session as promising them a further opportunity of serving the Etr'eat interests they represented. We remember the hopefulness with which they spoke of the future on every occasion of their public appearance, As they put the base — they had established a footine in the Council ; their support had been sought by contending parties ; they had carried many important measures; arid by instructing the House in Westland affairs and obtaining many useful returns, had laid the foundations of other measures of equal importance, and of a more advanced character. They had obtained the promise of a Commission to adjust the vexed question of the debt, to report upon the Civil Service, to enquire into the management of local institutions, and to recommend a scheme for the future government of the district, of which constitutional responsibility should be a component element. Moreover, they were the precursors of that promised visit of the Superintendent j during which every - - thing was to be dohe to redress 1 grievances, correct anomalies, put a stop to the voice of complaint, and set the whole machinery in the smoothest possible working order. Immediately following their arrival amongst us, came his Excellency Sir George Gre3 r , who had complied with their request that he would defer his visit until they could be on the spot to grace his reception: They 1 r were 1 prominent figures in the welcoming ceremonials ; arid his Vice-royalty spoke very handsomely indeed >of the district and of the memberswho had it in charge. Very-preud men were they in those days ; very jubilant of spirit ; very conscious of what they had done, and very confident of power to do more. Well, they are back again amongst us after another session. And how do they return ? Very much more like sheep t'emiirig home with their tails behind them, than like conquerors with their laurels about their heads. In good Sooth, they have done very little — we use the word done in the sense of achieved. We are free to confess that it is not their - fault, but rather their misfortune. They took their <|>lace as bravely as ever.; as full of spirit and as well assured of victory. But they found the disposition of the forces completely changed, They were without allies. Their old friends had grown cold in their friendship, or gone over to the other side. Even those they had best served did not lose the opportunity of letting it be seen thttt their Service was no longer of any moment. As Usual, our members opened the fight with the discharge of small arms. They asked questions, gave notices of motion, dbtained returns. By this time parties ** had begun to shape themselves, or rather the tactics of the House began to be displayed. Westland found itself in a critical position for the first time, when the policy of the Ministry was disclosed — the main features of it being the amalgamation of accounts, under the pretext of a "forgiveness of the debt," and the seizure for provincial, railway, and harbor works, of two-fifths of the revenue. They were at once placed in a necessary position of antagonism to the Government ; but, in face of the very clear interpretation of the law,whichshowedthatthelandrevenue,out of which twoiflfths could be appropriated, was only the 1 •' surplus" which remained After all the cost of administration and Sublic works on the goldfields had been efrayed, Ministers abandoned their proposal to take L 26,000 away from us this year, and more or less, as the case maybe, each succeeding year, arid allowed their m morable Bill for indemnifying the Provincial Treasurer for a misappropriation of public revenues to lapse. Here, then, was the great point against which an attitude of strong opposition had been assumed retreated from by the enemy. There was nothing left to oppose, and the weakness of the political position was felt and had its effects. The desirability of maintaining the two accounts separate, and of adjusting the debt, was affirmed on the motion of Mr Ormsby ; but the Government, declining to act upon the latter part of the resolution, | and Mr Orcnsbj' declining on being challenged to" take any further steps in the matter, on the ground that he was not obliged to take Executive action — that subject lapsed. Wostlaud was thus left again without a position. At this point began the series of counter movements against the district and its members. The "Limitation of Patronage " Bill, introduced by Mr Travors, was an undisguised, although disavowed attack upon the members of the late Coniinissiou, and upon the Government who had (that g«ntlo man hold) by appointing them, rewarded political service in the past, nnd attempted to bribe it in the future. Mr Sheath's motion for a return of all moneys paid to members of the Council, was conceived in the same spirit, as was his subsequent motion — declaring it to •be dangerous for any moneys to be paid to members for expenses, except under warrant of the Speaker. Mr Wynn Williams' resolutions in favor of a practical casting off of Westland as an encumbrance, were withdrawn, on the ground that it was inexpedient to ' entertain the question pending the action of the General Assembly. It was pretty well understood, however, that had they been pressed, Mr Williams's resolutions would have been to an almost certainty carried. By this time, the feeling of the majority against Westland had settled down ; and everything on behalf of the district had to encounter a dead weight of opposition. It displayed itself in all ways. The item of interest on the overdraft,

which was placed by the Government on the ordinary Estimates, was struck out with a view to its . transfer to the Westland Estimates. When the latter were brought down, the sum of L7OOO was accordingly placed upon them, and earned in spite of protest, thus foreclosing altogether the disputed question of the debt, and fixing the whole liability of the over-draft upon this district. All consv derations of equity had now come to be cast aside. The temper of the House was unmistakably that of a general raid upon Westland. In a fit of hypocritical economy, the Eastland Estimates for lubhc Works were cut down. To be X consistent," tho EaHland members de« ?><»s on o.n enormpu.9 reduction, rUo, of

the Public Eoads item for the West Coast. Shortly after, they placed on the Supplementary Estimates a sum or sums amounting to £23,000, to atone f:>r the reduction in the case of the eastern side, but could not think of stultifying themselves by placing on the Supplementary Estimates the much more modest sum of L 9000! We need not in the present article further recount the history of the session. Not only in these larger, but in an infinitude of smaller matters the Westland members found themselves surrounded on all sides by enemies open or covert. Is it wonderful that they have been discoraged, and have relaxed in efforts that it was felt were useless ? (That theii' later tone in the Council has been that of remonstrance and "protest rather that appeal and argument ? That they have ielt no longer what they der'tainly did feel last session, that they were part and parcel of & House willing and anxious to do justice to' the district, and came to the conclusion that they were an obstructive element in a hostile camp ? In saying that they come beck to' us somewhat in the character of men defeated and baffled in most of the ends they have aimed at. We have no wish to detract from the real merit of their labors, or the real value of what services they have been enabled to render — nor indeed do we at all exhaust the history of a session, out of which political changes are certain to grow.