SEPARATION OF WESTLAND NORTH FROM NELSON.

Westport Times, Volume III, Issue 477, 13 March 1869, Page 2

SEPARATION OF WESTLAND NORTH FROM NELSON.

PUBLIC MEETING. We conclude our report of the proceedings at the public meeting, held on Tuesday evening, " to consider the advisability of petitioning the General Assembly to constitute Westland North a County, and endow the same with a local Government." Mr W. Pitt, in proposing the second resolution (appointing a Committee,) said it gave him considerable pleasure to take part in the proceedings of the meeting. There was, however, little left for him to say on the subject which they had met to consider, because by his friend, Mr Tyler, it had been thoroughly and well exhausted. Still he thought it right to intimate that he did not propose the resolution in a merely formal way, but that he did so because he was much impressed as to the absolute necessity of some means being taken to avail themselves of the undoubted right they had to direct the expenditure of their own revenue.— (Hear, hear.) As Mr O'Conor had said, it wasthepeculiar privilege of all British colonists to manage their own affairs. It might, in the opinion of some, be presumptuous on their part to assert that privilege, but it had come to them, as far as they could go back in history, that people emanating from that little corner of Europe—Britain—liked to manage their own affairs, and had the right to do so. With regard to the exercise of the right here, he thought that, accepting the figures which Mr Tyler had taken so much trouble to prepare as being approximately correct, they most certainly showed an enormous disproportion between their revenue and the amount which had been expended in the district; and be was sure that it did not require much argument by him to demonstrate that if the inhabitants of this district had the expenditure of their revenue, they could do with it a great deal better than the Nelson people could possibly do,apart altogether from, the consideration that the Nelson people took a large share of it to themselves.—(Hear, hear.) He scarcely needed to repeat what Mr O'Conor had said, —that, however much they might like the Nelson people—however kind, hospitable, or genial they might be—they were a long way from being the sort of thing which a gold community required as the elements of government. They were like a great many worthy people who lived in nice quiet places—they were a great deal too slow for the habits or necessities of a community like this.—(Hear, hear.) If they were to be tied down to proceed at the pace at which the Nelson people did, the district would soon become a " sleepy hollow," like many places resembling Nelson itself. One of the great difficulties with which they would have to contend, in promoting this agitation for a change, was to obtain the cooperation of the inhabitants of other places; for here they were all unanimous. There, unfortunately, always arose, in connection with such questions, some little local jealousies. These obstacles they must endeavor to overcome as far as they possibly could. With regard to Greymouth he was inclined to think that its inhabitants would do all they could to secure for a county of their own the valuable portion of the district comprised in the Grey valley. But he believed that that was a matter which would easily be got over. He believed that the people of the Grey valley—and he spoke from information—would have a strong desire to remain in connection with this district. He had been told, on the authority of those who knew well about such matters, that from Westport they could supply a large portion of the Upper Grey district at prices considerably cheaper than could be done from Greymouth; but this they could never do if they were to have public works carried on as they had been during the last twelve months. —(Hear, hear.) If they had the management of their own revenue, and judiciously expended it, they would be able to avail themselves of this trade, while opening up to the miner country which was probably of a most valuable character. This had been explained to him very fully the other day by one whose opinion he valued, and on looking at the map he found that it was a very possible achievement. A comparatively small expenditure would make Westport the market for an extensive district with which it had not at present any connection, in conse-

quence of the absence of the most ordinary facilities for carriage. If they had the command of their own revenue, such a work, he believed, could and would be carried out. There was a variety of other advantages which would be derived, and which must readily suggest themselves. He did not care whether they had a revenue of the surprising amount which had been demonstrated by Mr Tyler to be now produced by this district, or whether it was only half that amount. Whatever the amount a vast deal of good might be done if they had the management of it themselves. —(Hear, hear.) One chief argument against them, in advocating local selfgovernment, was that as a community they were so migratory. There was, no doubt, some truth in that, but it was not so much a necessary and ordinary condition of things as the result of neglect in providing inducements to them to become settled. Now was the time to make provision for the permanent settlement of the district; and this could be better done by themselves, as they were most interested in its accomplishment, and understood how to attain it, than by being left to persons who did not understand their wants, and who did not appear to have much sympathy with them. —(Applause.) If the place were to become permanent, , they were surely the persons who would best promote that, both in the interests of themselves and those who were to follow. If, on the other hand, ifc was not to last, they were still the persons who ought to dispose of the revenue, for it must be obvious to every man that the expenditure of the large balance of revenue alleged to be spent or treasured up in Nelson, should rest rather with those who have the energy and pluck to come here, and to undertake the development of the district.—(Hear, hear.) Taking it in either aspect, their claims could not be controverted.—(Hear, hear.) In speaking on the subject, he of course spoke on the assumption that the figures which they had justly heard read were substantially correct. He assumed them to be correct, but at the same time it was very desirable to have everything done with accuracy and order. Everything should be done in reason. He had very great pleasure in proposing the resolution entrusted to him, because it provided the means of ascertaining the truth of all these things, of thoroughly considering the question, and of preparing the necessary petition. His nature was not to seek to change the existing order of things. He was a little conservative in his disposition, but in this instance he left well assured that a change would be productive of beneficial results. He would not, at that late hour, longer detain the meeting, but he hoped that on the meeting separating, each person present would take home with himself the question, and not rost satisfied with merely appearing there. He hoped that they would make it really a question of thought, and of action, if the consideration of the question justified them in acting, so that the benefits derivable from the change in their form of government should be at the earliest possible moment secured to the district.—-(Loud applause.) Mr Joiisr Muneo said that, from the manner in which the subject had been treated by previous speakers, there was very little scope for any remarks from him in support of the motion the adoption of which he begged to second. The public of this place, some time ago, smarting under the neglect or inability of the Provincial authorities to assist then against the disastrous effects of the river encroachments, had met together in order to devise some plans for their safety and self-protection. He had taken an active part at that meeting, with the hope that, from the extreme circumstances of the case, an agitation would have been started for the same object as they had that evening met to discuss. But, finding the subject not so popular then as he had had reason to hope, he reluctantly uccepted the formation of the Progess Committee only as the next best step, believing that a very short experience of that body would establish the fact that, as a means of effecting any immediate benefit, it was insufficient, possessing, as it did, neither funds, authority, nor legal standing of any kind. He thought then that the members would either resign the honor conferred upon them, or, as they had now done, call their fellow-townsmen together to ask them to support their endeavours for the establishment of a body with proper authority to receive the revenues of the district, and to administer them for its benefits generally. So far the Progress Committee had been active and unremitting not only in drawing the attention of the Government to the requirements of the district, as a part of the province deserving their attention, but also in collecting valuable information and many important statistics as to the present and past revenue from ths South-west Goldfields. By these it had been ably established that a much larger revenue had been received from this place than at the port of Nelson, while the expenditure on the district had been grudgingly given and very injudiciously expended.—(Hear, hear.) Or if it were true, as had been stated by the friends of the present Government, that they had received even more than they were entitled to, all that could be said was that the money must hare been foolishly frittered away.—(Hear, hear.) He apprehended that the only public work! in the district worthy of notice wert

the result of private industry. The only wharves available on the river were the result of private enterprise, while the ghastly parade of shaking piles at the least accessible part of the river was a fitting monument of Government care and economy in the expenditure of public moneys.— (Laughter.) So also, if they looked at the Orawaiti and the Nile rivers, they saw that private pluck and perseverance had provided for the public convenience. Even the track to the Caledonian Terrace was first made by private money, and for a long time was allowed to exact one of the most iniquitious taxes ever heard of in any place. Now although this was all very commendable and praiseworthy on the part of bridge and wharf builders, they had all either directly or indirectly to pay the piper by an excessive wharfage or pontage, while they must be convinced that, had the Government been more liberal and judicious in the expenditure of public money, these conveniences could have been had without being such a tax upon the settlers of the place. In fact if they excepted what works, or money, had been foolishly squandered away on wharfage and river-protection works, he did not see anything the Provincial Government of Nelson had done but support a staff of representative officials.—(Applause.) Such were a few of the facts which attracted the attention of the most casual observer, or the most indifferent member of the community. Still all complaints and remonstrances were either treated with contempt, or by an outward show of deep concern, with little or no actual or active interest.—(Hear, hear.) All this time they were in daily possession of facts establishing the success of selfgovernment, as represented in the Westland County Council—a body endowed with authority, with legis lative and administrative functions, sufficient and effectual, as far as the local concerns of the place required. Their action in respect to the late rush to the Greenstone, the energetic measures which they adopted in taking advantage of the discovery in that district, the prompt and business-like manner in which they had effected a moderate but necessary loan, to enable them at once to carry out public works for the permanent benefit of the county, established beyond a doubt the advantage and desirability of such institutions in any important district remote from the seat of government. As had already been stated by MiTyler, the first and most important reason for separation from Nelson was the insufficiency of representation and the too obvious objection to any increase of representation for the South-west Goldfields in the Provincial Council at Nelson.—(Hear, hear.) It had now been very generally admitted by all classes of politicians that repre■entation ought to be in proportion to the produce of the taxation, taking into account the population of the district for which it was sought. A comparative statement of the revenues of Westport and Nelson had already been placed before them, along with quotations from the censusreturns. These were enough in themselves to satisfy any one that five members for this district was neither a reasonable nor just proportion of representation, and more especially when two material considerations were kept in view:—First, thatthe five membersmust either be men residing in Nelson, or else men who have very little binding interest in the district. The first had invariably been looked upon as no representative at all, and the last description of candidate had been accepted as " Hobson's choice." Indeed it had always been his opinion that they might have been just as well without any representative at all, as to have the responsibility of retun ing some of the gentlemen who had appeared for this district in the Provincial Council of Nelson. The second consideration was that, notwithstanding this misfortune that men of ability and integrity, with large interests in the district, could not afford the time (never very short) wanted by the Council sittings, even I if they could do so, our members would go there only to find their interests at variance with the interest of nearly every Councillor for the Nelson neighborhood. Mining and agriculture had essentially different aims and objects, and their members not being numerous enough to affect a division, naturally would find themselves in a contemptible minority, with no more influence in the Council than if they had been aliens to the country. (Hear, hear.) He considered further, that a form of government such as a County Council was more desirable and practicable for this district than a Provincial Council. The subject of Provincial institutions had been so thoroughly canvassed during the past twelve or eighteen months that it would be a waste of time for him to occupy their attention either with an elaborate account of its origin and its objects, or how far it has answered the purpose intended by its originators and present champions; but a single example of its modus operandi was fresh in his memory. [Mr Munro related some circumstances in the early history of the Provincial Council of Southland, illustrating how a Superintendent could, by arbitrary action, invalidate any proceedings or resolutions of the Council. He continued] —Now whatever might be the objections urged against Provincialism, he considered that these arbitrary powers of the Superintendent the most objectionable. What had they to expect from their Superintendent, Mr Curtis, possessing discretionary powers like those he had

quoted, with all his insane and visionary ideas about railways, docks, &c, and at the same time holding the opinions he had expressed of the people of the district, —that they were naturally migratory and wayfarers in the land, with no real bona ,fide spirit of settlement in them. He left the meeting to imagine. He did not feel at all sanguine. Let them place in contrast to the circumlocution of Which he had just given an illustration the prompt and simple method of the Westland County Council.the members of which are elected by the inhabitants of the district for which they act, and its public affairs decided by a majority of its members, before the eyes and within the hearing of the constituency. The comparison was truly odious.—(Hear, hear.) If they even granted, for argument's sake, that the mining population of this district deserved the character imputed to them by the Superintendent, which of the two forms of government was most suited to the circumstances of the case ? Certainly that which could act at once and most effectually for their benefit and necessities, rather than with the uncertainty and red-tapeism of Provincial circumlocution.—(Hear, hear.) It had been argued against the county system that it would increase the local taxation. He did not believe it would do more than enforce the taxes they were justly entitled as a community to pay for local and municipal management, and he apprehended that if it did increase the taxation it would also correspondingly increase an expenditure in the district—an end equally desirable. Besides they Would receive in exchange for local taxation the satisfaction of seeing to what purposes it was devoted, and a voice as to the expediency of all public works. Indeed if they excepted those local taxes which as a community they are expected to pay, he submitted that a much larger amount of money would be at their disposal from their just proportion of the public revenue of the port, than it had ever been their good fortune to receive. No doubt they would have to engage a staff of officers necessary to the proper conduct of public business, but if the Provincial Government of Nelson with the same revenue could afford to maintain a staff of officials, and apply the surplus for the interests of Nelson city, surely here they could equally maintain suitable officers, and apply such surplus as a judicious economy might allow them, for such public undertakings as the community might think advisable. They inhabited a country the resources of which had been the constant talk and boast of the same Superintendent and of all the scientific men whom he had sent from time to time to spy the land. Surely they had sufficient ability among them to deal with the proportion of public revenue which would be due to a County Council, rather than see it squandered on the chimeras of an obstinate and unfriendly Superintendent, with his everlasting schemes for the special benefit of Nelson. Sui'ely they had sufficient administrative ability amongst them to apply such money to purposes which would develop industries which might eventually not only encourage population, but the permanent settlement of the district, so that in time, perhaps, the migrating population, with more certain employment, greater comforts, and less directtaxeson their labor, might be able to redeem their good name and at the same time prove upon whom rested the responsibility of their being now migratory and a rabble of wayfarers. He had purposely refrained from speaking of the great political privilege they should enjoy from having the liberty of self-govern-ment. There was something really good and great in the people having the power and ability to govern themselves, but he was sure that from what had been said that evening, it must appear evident that they desired to obtain the right of self-government, not from any vain ambitionjto exercise the authority, but that what they claim was the just demands of a district neglected and suffering materially under the systematic indifference and insult of those who, by the constitution of the country, had been placed over it. —(Applause.)