MUTUAL IMPROVEMENT ASSOCIATION.

Akaroa Mail and Banks Peninsula Advertiser, Volume 4, Issue 341, 24 October 1879, Page 2

MUTUAL IMPROVEMENT ASSOCIATION.

A took place on Tuesday ] * The 3?«ft.TPrQSdeHIJ Mceiined the! chair, ' ancU there rvaas El?iair\aticpilEpce. Ij --- f i proceeded toffiMziffifi pebate ; *1 great mn&Talerp were intelligfiacß] arid Etje ffcjlsijs<j see proposed lip)i{aii||igif|jth|jrani| ife^!? 8 Hkely t6 these GPfra % epitJßfc . ie had lprt< of huof representation as much N le, and 1 >give n j v.ote» Xo - ey¥Sfrw m ™\ , riot , 1 shown itVs6sgfeSßion by ' the'colAiniSsioiv'ofwielwne. tp woman Suffrage, he utterly failed jW iy one©lS^lfetof 18, ! 1 race I iisfranchisedT ' TiVtreSieved their-irffftter cc, as a I ..:\difllja would be__exercised on thj side ofr gocfa^^rrM^ wcjnjeii| had| an-f especial i 8 ' 5 or : :law|B\relaftM ~|oy|narria;ge, inhVritariceredilcation, atfdF fee 'would add the regulation of the liquor traffic. Eleck tbral districts ehould be large, and repre-. aentation should be proportional to popu T jatioifc * f He favored) triennial Parljajbents and payment of members, but disapproved of vote by ballot. ■" ; Mr M'Gregor considered the franchise; not a right nor a duty, but a privilege. He thought this privilege should go hand, iv hand with services rendered, viz., cpl}-; tributions to the necessities of the State. Ho did not mean indirect payments fuch, as the duties on beer and tobacco, but that , a man should prove himself a citizen , by having a homestead, and his name inscribed on the rate roll. Many had cotne, here and hew^^ie™ B6l^B *?^"^^ llo,l ??fe the " forest primeval," and it was notj juat that they shpuld, be,overrun tribes, poßsibly I fr6m''anb'tfceJ- i colony, i He disagreed with the doctrine propounded: by .ihld oJJener as to representation being, proportionate to population. It was one 6f the pet theories, of the political sect to bis friend.beloliged. He considered interests should ,be,represented.' As to the '" seethrng-mdss of WhidH'Mr. 1 Wiggins talked, that sikjjlj , meant, anaijchy., Hβ agreed,with Mr fwjgr gins as'to':#/bVils ? («'thJ h>llot| kit. fhduglit paytnertt- of inemberaJekogatory; to the dignity ; of CParliameiat.:': /. < r ! '' l ; Mr Si Watkins totally disagreed! with' the opener as JtOiWATOWi not t thatj he considered .inffrjtor ,t<f men,;/M$ because f tbough,t. they ,had a higher mission in the.trairiing , 6f thpit children. , The President disapproved--cfl Mr Wiggihs' theories.. :; If ;these latg electoral; districts equal in ■ population ,-were; constituted, ail the esprtt de, "various localities would cease to exist. The hard and fast line might cut a borough in two.

The great mass of humanity referred to by Mr Wiggins were easily led, perhaps to their own injury, by some man with a plausible tongue. He the, of America as a shocking.fetemple;;'of >ih& evils arising from univerealsof&agp. With regard tor woman Bs£raj#,' Johnj who had once had since a powerful speech ;ft. He ;<considered women were, treated with; exceptional favor ; in jjf"'Jttfeybad the sufErage theji m^%WscKbdjsaddled'. with certain duties whiefi they now,. caped. Mr Nicholls referred to the Victorian electoral system, and thought property should have some consideration in an ejectoral system. After a few words from Mr Wiggins in reply, a resolution embodying his opinions was put'and lost, and a counter - proposed by Mr M'Gregor, was carried almost unanimously. The 'resolution was to the effect that every male of the age of roll, and wh6"*Was r "Tegietered* should be entitled to the franchise. The meeting thdn adjourned till Tuesday, November 4, when a debate will take black <Si fWnijl Tenure,"'to beiopeneddb^ , ■ Mr Nicholls. ! ' " •'' ■:: ! .