West Coast Times. SATURDAY, AUGUST 3, 1867.

West Coast Times, Issue 580, 3 August 1867, Page 2

West Coast Times. SATURDAY, AUGUST 3, 1867.

To those who hesitate about joining the movement for Separation — and it appears that there are some of the class amongst us— we should like to put the question — What are the advantages at present resulting to the district, from its connection with Eastland? The mischief is patent enough of being under a Government that has no sympathy with us, and that finds it an excessively difficult task to adriiinister our affairs With anything like satisfaction to the public, however honest may be its intentions. And in the face of this fact, there must be some reason, some lingering idea which has not yet found utterance, that operates with those who hold themselves aloof from the present 'movement. If we ask, Does Westland enjoy any advantage now, which .it would not equally enjoy if it were a self governing province ?— no answer is possible-, but a negative. Those who think the road v boon worth all the money it has cost, or is likely to cost us, may be assured that it will be kept open for the convenience and profit of the meat breeders of Eastland, whether the dividing ranges make the boundary line between two distinct Provinces, or is left as now, the boundary between two districts of the same Province. The hon. membcv for Geraldine, Mr Ormsby, lately put a motion on the paper to the effect that it was not desirable) that the road should any longer be maintained as a coach road. But this was only one of the many playful wa)'s to which the Eastlaud members resorted, to hint to us that the less they had to do with us personally, the better they would like us. It was not within their thoughts that Westland, as a market for their cattle and sheep, should be closed against them, and that they should be reduced to the necessity of boiling down, whilst there were fifty thousand hungry mouths to be fed on this side. They are too' wise in their generation for any such device as that.

That -we derive any special benefit from having the administration of our affairs directed from a distance of a hundred and fifty miles, is a proposition which will require special evidence to sustain. The men to whose hands are confided the reins of government are not of superior intelligence or wisdom, or of superior business aptitude, to the average business men of this side. None of the officers of Government have been specially trained to tlie public service, except in a sense that applies equally to our own departmental servants. If we take the higher officers, and even the Superintendent himself, it may be affirmed with safety that they do not better understand the requirements of the country than men on this side do. For Mr Moorhouse we have an entire respect as a very able man, with a far-sighted eye and large and, on the whole, liberal views. But facts have clearly proved that this gentleman, with all his practical sagacity, has failed to appreciate the temper of this people and to understand their urgent requirements. The consequence has been that he has proved himself unable to retain and consolidate the confidence he so easily won. His Honor had never before ruled in a country where vigor and promptitude of action were so imperatively required that even a brief delay wus tantamount to suspended animation, -which, prolonged, means death. We have not derived from the fact of our belonging to a State, of which he is the chief, any benefit from his accredited firmness of purpose and determination of will. If we look back upon the whole history of the district since Mr Moorhouse was elected Superintendent, wo fail to discover any traces of the presence at the head of affairs of a man of vigor — fail to recognise any change that has come over the system of government in Westland since the quiet jog-trot days of Mr Bealey. As of his Honor, so of his advisers we may say that we have the highest respect for them as gentlemen not only of the best and purest intentions, but of great capacity for hard work and of very honest application. They certainly make grievous blunders occasionally, as when they introduced their celebrated Indemnity Bill, setting forth in a lengthy preamble all imaginable high crimes an*d misdemeanours as committed by the Treasurer, which it was quickly made apparent that honest gentleman had never been guilty of ; as when, in connection with this Bill, they propounded the scheme to seize L 26,000 juujually of_ our revenue ; or as when they walked in a fit of blind fatuity into the wrong lobby on Mr Hoos' motion for a responsible minister. But, notwithstanding these aberrations, ' they showed themselves on the whole well inclined towards Westland, and voted with our members on all the divisions on the Estimates, and on the Land Resolutions. But the whole of the premises being admitted, cau special acl- | vantage be shewn as resulting from the necessity of sending law questions affecting' the district to a Provincial Solicitor in Christchurch, or of referring all matters of -detailed administration to a Provincial Secretary in the same distant capital? We fancy not. It is true there is a telegraph, which although now temporarily disabled by the recent tempests, has for months past been in capital working order ; but those who have had the opportunity of intruding into sacred places and understanding mysteries, know that the fate of telegrams received in very busy momoraents, is very like the fate of letters

by post received at the same time. They have to be tabled until the immediate subject on hand at the moment is disposed of— and that may not be disposed of until a great many clerks have been sent for, a great many documents searched for, and previous memoranda referred to, and a great many minutes taken down.- Pei-haps, meanwhile, a dozen gentlemen from the country are cooling their heels in the ante-chamber, having sent in their cards to the Minister with a polite message, that they desire to see him for " One moment only," and received the delusive .reply " Immediately." _ Then the telegram ilself requires^ before it can be answered (if it be of any importance) to be sat upon by a Board of Official Referees. It probably becomes the parent of a progeny of telegrams, and the chances are very considerable that it ultimately becomes lost altogether. As to correspondence through the more ordinary channels with the Government offices at Christchurchv we Should like to hear what they have to say who have had occasion to write to my lords. Have they ■ had to wait for replies ? If so, how long ? May we venture to mention months ? Perhaps the Hokitika Municipal Corporation could furnish a little information on this subject. Some will impute .the delay to want .of business habits ; others, to 'careles&nteSs and neglect, more or less wilful. We feel justiiled in saying that neither word defines the true cause. The responsible heads of departments in Christchurch — there are only two of them — are very hard-worked. Every day they are sorely pressed with business in various forms. And Westland does not hold the first place, as here it is thought she ought to do. There are districts represented by thirty-nine clamorous members*, there are any quantity of road boards, with fussy chairmen; there Are deputations and interviews, and sub-departments waiting for instructions ; and altogether , t if Mr Stewart and Mr Williams were the Hercules of politics — which they are not — their powers of work would' still be limited; and if one set of business has to be postponed to another, naturally that is laid aside which belongs to an outlying district a hundred and fifty miles away, aud is only represented by a letter and an open envelope lying on the table, on the other side of which, perhaps, eager men are iv presence, telling the Minister a bit of their mind.

We shall examine what weight is attached to the objection that the present system of Government is departmentally cheaper than a separate Provincial organisation Would be.

There was no business transacted at the Municipal Council last night, in consequence of there not being sufficient members present to form a quorum. Those present were his Worship the Mayor"; Councillors Shaw, Cummifig and. Anderson ; and after waiting tVio usual time, hia Worship adjourned the meeting until Friday evening next.

Tlie escort under tho charge of Sergeant Wilson, arrived from Ross yesterday afternoon, with llOOoz of gold for the Union Bank.

The adjourned inquiry into the cause of death of a seaman (name unknown) , who met with his death on board the brigantiue Clara, and whose body was brought on shore by the steamer Yarra, was resumed yesterday afternoon, at the Post Office Hotel, before Dr Beswick, coroner. The inquest had been previously adjourned for the attendance of witnesses from on board the vessel, but during the late gale she put to sea, and has not since been seen. As there was no evidence how deceased came by his death, except what had been previously stated by Captain Nichol, of the Yarra, that ho had been told by the cap. tain of the Clara that deceased had fallen from the maintop on to the deck, the jury, under the direction of the Coroner, returned a verdict — " That there was no evidence to show how deceased came by his death."

The galo which occasioned some damage in the environs of Hokitika on Tuesday last, played similar hnvoc at the Buller. We are informed that at Westport a largo house was blown dowu, and tho windows of sevoral ofjhers were, dashed iv by tho force of tho

The " Grey Kivcr Argus" takes up the cry oJ Separation, and wo notico by an advertisein ont in that journal that a public meeting is to bo held this evening, for the appointment ol a preliminary committee for "promoting tl c Separation of the Grey District from tho P 'ovinco of Canterbury." The Nelson Council have voted tho sum of L !4,000 for roads and public works on the West Coast. The Government asked the Council to vote the amount sK down for ■public works on the goldfields in one sum, as it would bo unwiso to adhere to the apportionment of this sum a3 set dowu on the E dimates, because the strictness of the Audit A;t allowed only of Expenditure of money on th c work for which it was voted, and if the sf eciGc votes were passed, and from change of population the works were not found necessary, it would not be in the power of the E: cecutive to spend the money on any other work which a new rush might require to be immediately spent, which they could do if the amount was voted in a lump sum.

The " Grey Argus" has a weather local which we extract : — On Monday the falling barometer clearly indicated that bad weather of some sort was impending,* the mercury indicating a pressure of 29.32. And. sure enough on Friday the heavens became overcast with a confused mass of storm tossed clouds, whose serrated edges marked the existence'of a stormy SE. wind, which descended with full ,forco in the evening, and raged in fierce and fitful squalls all night. We do not remember the wind to have been so strong here before, but being unaccompanied with rain, it did not do much damage. Several chimnies were blown down, a good many trees up-rooted, and the whole front of a portion of tho Alliance Hotel was carried away. The tide was unusually high and the surf very heavy along the beach, and burst over the bank in places.

Afire.whioh by the merest accident was not attended by the direst consequences (says the

" Grey Argus "), occurred yesterday afternoon,' at a cottage in G-resaon street) in the immediate vicinity of the Belfast Hotel. Luckily smoke and names were observed proceeding through the roof by Mr Gamble, who lives ileit door, and Who rushed to render assistance. By the aid of a carpenter named Martin Codyer, who was at work on his promisos, and with the water from a well recently sunk in his yard, tlioy succeeded iii extinguishing the flames before any important damage was done. Had it not been for their prompt exertionß, the fire; driven by the strong wind that was blowing at the time, would infallibly have destroyed a considerable, block df buildings, and probably life would have Been lost, as on entering the cottage, which is inhabited by a Mrs Guy, her two children (littlo things of some six or seven years of age), were found quite alone in the place, and apparently too much frightened by their danger to make any attempt to escape. It was said that these two infants. are habitually thus left alone in the house bj' their mother. No cause ifor tho outbreak <$f tho fire has been assignod.