A NELSON VIEW OF THE LEAGUE MOVEMENT.

West Coast Times, Issue 603, 30 August 1867, Page 4

A NELSON VIEW OF THE LEAGUE MOVEMENT.

(PHOM THE EXAMINEE, AUGUST 17.) The Separation movement in Westland, which we have already at various times brought under the notice of our readers, has at length assumed shape and consistence in the form of a petition to the' House of Representatives. The petition is lengthy, and drawn up with much care and elaboration; and it may fairly be taken as containing a complete summary of the grievances,, ■whether real or imaginary, under which Westland believes herself to labor, and upon the ground of which she believes herself entitled to ask to be constituted a distinct province, under the New Provinces Act, 1865. Upon the first view of the matter there appears to be no good reason why (unless the New Provinces Act is to be regarded as a dead letter) Westland should not, as well as Marlborough or Southland, become a new province if its inhabitants so desire, But there is one marked distinction between the case of Westland, and all former cases in which new provinces have been constructed. That distinction is that Westland is essentially a gold-district, that its prosperity is based upon gold-mining, and that there consequently arises a serious question how far it possesses those probabalities of permanence which alone justify the erection of it into a distinct province, however completely it may fulfil all the other conditions required by the New Provinces Act. The promoters of the movement seem to be aware that this consideration may prove an obstacle to their design, and they, therefore, labor by their arguments to weaken the force of it, but, as it appears to us, not very successfully. The petition, which, as we have said, is a long one, sets forth the boundaries of Westland, being on each side the dividing range and" the ocean, and on the north and south the river Grey and the province of Otago, But, as our readers are already aware, these limits include a community which is decidedly averse to the movement. The people of the Grey district agree, it is true,. in desiring Separation from the Province of Canterbury, but they have no wish to form part of the proposed Province of Weatland, believing that their interests will be far better secured by annexation to Nelson. The Grey papers Shave already pointed out, what indeed must be sufficiently obvious, that by pressing on the project of forming a new province "which shall include the Grey district (whether the people like it or not), the Hokitika separationists are only weakening their own cause and defeating their own purpose. It is not likely that a new province will be formed unless the inhabitants of the district arc pretty unanimous in wishing it, and a counter-petition from the Grey would inevitably defeat the project. After enumerating the reserved towriships and the navigable rivers of the district, the petition proceeds to estimate the population of Westland at 50,000 persons. We were certainly not prepared for such an announcement as this, and we should like to have some better evidence on the subject than the mere statement that the estimate is the result of due enquiry. We have not any authentic account to which to appeal upon this point, nor are we aware that any reliable estimate has ever been made. We cannot help, however, very strongly suspecting that the population of Westland has been greatly overstated by the petitioners. If their estimate had been intended to apply to. the whole of the West Coast Gtoldfieids, including the Buller, it might have passed without question; but until we are better informed, we shall remain very sceptical as to the population of Wesclantt being 50,000. The petition further states, that although gold-mining is the most important industrial pursuit in Westland, it has ceased to be the only one. The diggings have stimulated manufacturing enterprise, and a good deal of land has been brought under cultivation. We do not at till doubt the latter part of this statement, but what would be more to the purpose would be to know how much laud would remain under cultivation if there were no diggers there to consume its produce. But with regard to the manufacturing enterprise, we should certainly like a little fuller information. In considering the permanent resources which Westland possesses, it is very important to know upon what manufacturing industries she can count in case of the failure of gold-mining, A mere statement that there is manufacturing enterprise is very unsatisfactory, and we suspect that if there was much in. this way to boast of, the petitioners would not have failed to sot it forth with due pomp and circumstance. It is true that we have a reference to the coal seam in the vicinity of Greymouth, and to the probability that- this will give rise to great industrial operations ; but besides that thisis only stated as a probability, we have seen that the Grey wishes to be annexed, coalseam and all, to the Province of Nelson. The remainder of the petition is chiefly occupied in recounting the wrongs which Westland has sustained at the hands of the Province of Canterbury. And here we are decidedly of opinion that the western part of the province has made out a case, although we might shrink from adopting all the conclusions of the petitioners, who unhesitatingly accuse the members of the Provincial Council of deliberate and settled hostility towards Westland. Still it does appear that the interests of that district have been very much neglected, that its just complaints have been treated with indifference, and that the only remedy on which itff inhabitants can depend is to Obtain in greater measure the management of their own affairs. But whether this will best be done by constructing a new province seems to us extremely doubtful. Whatever latent resources capable of developed Westland may possess, we Are entirely unconvinced that she has as yet anything to rely upon except the gold&elds, We think that the mere

possibility of the development of new resources of wealth is not enough to Warrant the construction of a new province ; the resources ought first to be demonstrated, and tne permanent industries established. . The rejected Local Government Bill would have gone a great way to meet the circumstances of communities which require the management of their own affairs without being encumbered with, a full Provincial machinery. We do not say how far its provisions might suit the people of Hokitika, but it is well worth their while to consider the point, since they are not likely to be made a new province this session of Parliament, whereas they are pretty sure, sooner or later, to be called upon for an expression of opinion upon the main principle of the Local Government Bill. The question is not at an end because the Bill has been lost. If anything in the political horizon is certain, we believe it to be that the outlying communities will demand the right of self-government with an increasing energy - which cannot be ultimately resisted. But the advantage of making Westland into a new province we must regard as " not proven "" — at all events so long as the Grey people desire to cast in their lot with us.

papeio,