ABOLITION RESOLUTIONS.

Clutha Leader, Volume I, Issue 12, 24 September 1874, Page 3

ABOLITION RESOLUTIONS.

As memb?r9 of the House of Representatives have commenced to address their constituents upon the legislation of the past session,' the- feeling of the various con. stitueociea upon the subject of the famous provincial abolition resolutions is being elicited. To all appearance the point W have Irom the fi -st contended for, viz , that the constitutional rights of the people have been inlringed— that their voice ought to have been taken before any such resolution was passed — is being fully endorsed by the country both north and south.

Mr. T. B. Gillies addressed his constituents st Auckland on Wednesday la^t week. His speech was occupied chiefly with a review of the business of the session, and a recapitulation of the measures introouced and their results. He spoke strongly regarding the acfion of the Government relative to tbe abolition of the Northern Provinces. He attributed their introduc tion to the Hon. Mr. Russell. He said he was favorable to the abolition of provincial ism, not because of any inhennt defects, hut because it acted as a buffer between fc*-e G >verument and the people, and prevented the growth of public opinion. But th> y must have all the provinces abolished or none. Tbe G>ver.iment had no right to alter the Constitution without an appeal to the people. If the electors were orepared to forfeit their constitutional rights he would place his resignation in th-ir hands. The meeting was enthusiastic, and a unanimous vote of confidence was passed.

Mr Rolleston, M.H.R, addressed his constituents at Avon district on Friday evening in a speech of two hours' duration The principal part was devoted to aresume o! the Acs of the General Assembly from 1872 to 1874. He did not enter into the question ot the Abolition of Provinces *o fully as was expected. Having reviewed the General Assembly business since 1872. he said he 'much regretted that Mr Yogel was about to leave for England at a time when his presence in the Colony, conei.ier ing the vast undertaking the Colony had emharked in, was absolutely necessary — (Loud cries of "Hear, hear") He-pro-•.•■e<-ded to contrast the con'ributions of th:-* North and Middle Islands to the General *tid Customs R venue of the Colony, and pointed out that the contributions nif Can'erbury and Otago to the Custom* Revenue were nearly equal to the contributions of the rest of the Colony. He cupplained of the threat of a dissolution held out la-<t se-<---"iou by Mr. Yogel, ,in the event of thHouse not agreeing "with his proposals of the abolition of tbe Northern Provir ce^. He maintained that this was a most unconstitutional threat for a Minister of the Or wn to make use of, b-ciu«e no doubt it bad a very considerable influence on the minds of many honourable numbers who were perhaps under the imp- ession -that i hey did not possess the confidence of their ••onstituencies, and that if they went to them for re-election they would be deferred. Respecting tbe abolition of the Northern Provinces, he thought such a question wa« most inopportune, and that tbe people had elected the members of the present General Assembly on a totally different platform For the main part the members had bi en elected by the people to support the Go vernment in its scheme of Immigration and Public Work v and it was unlair to the people of the Colony, when there was only one more session of the Assembly unexpired, to a*k the House "to agree to a proposition whiuh would have the effect of *ipinjr out "the iustinitions of a portion of the Colony. He had frequently declared that he was no" ultra-Pnnin-cialist. If the people expressed a desire that there should be a change in the Constitution, and if they expressed it m an v: misptkeaWe manner, he for one would most willingly aj>ree wi'h tbeir desires, and do his beat for a new order of things ; but he maintained that the people of th- Colony had not had ao opportunity to do this, an) until 'hey had he was cleirly of opinion th-it such a proposal as that made by Mr. Yogel last session was most inopnor'une.

At the conclusion of the speech a vote of confidence in Mr; RoUestou was uuaui mously passed.

A writer in the ' 0 ago Daily Times' concludes a series of a'tieles as foil > waif it be desired to altt-r the svafem of Government under which we h-ive hitherto lived, let it be done ouenly, holdlv, and at once; let not the Cmtral Government create for if self a territorial estate, contrary to the Constitution A.C', t>y absorbi-'" forest lands, and by illegal lea«es from Native?. Let the Colonial Government taketb<- whole debt — approaching t» twenty mdlions -■ aw) with it the Provincal estates : let it under take to impose tax s to meet the con-eq v nt obligations ; hut before enacting a^y ne « law, and before an appeal to the constifu encies, let us take st--ck — let u« minutely ascertain bur assets and liabilities, our i come and expenditure — and when suo vetting ihe old inundations Ml the people that 'hey shall have power and taxe»; that the Crown lands — the people's inheritance — shall not he peopled, but sold in large blocks of tens of thous mris ot. acres, to m« et the necessities of a lavish expenditure no longer provided for by confiding British money-lenders I commend these con siderations to the attention of the colonists of New .Zealand.. I ask for them a fair and honest investigation. If the people desire that the whole system should be changed, let it be so : but let it not. be done in the dark, 'hy surprise, by arraying North against S mth, by throwing down without building up ; and if having once tor all unmistakeably declared tor the change, let all combine loyally and earnestly to make that change final aud perfect.

Mr. Yogel addressed his constituents in tbe Choral Hall, Auckland, on Monday evening. There were about 2000 present. Referring to the abolition, he said the reason for combining the resolution" brought down by him, was that when the Government announced their intention to abolish the Northern Provinces, the Superintendents assumed a most hostile attitude, one sa<, ing " that means loss of land revenue,'' and another said, "It means removal of the seat of Government to Cbristchurch." The Government could not. be constantly contradicting such misstatetn nts, and they deemed it neces ary to state generally what the*? meant. There waa no probability of the seat of Government being brought back to Auckland, aod it was idle for anyooe to believe otherwise. At a meeting held in his house, at which 45

members were present, --it was suggested that a vote for Government buildings would determine the question of the (Seat of. Government, without forcing/the sup* porters of the; resolutions rate, a direct expression of opinion. That was the general feeling of the meeting.' With regard to tbe land fund, he did not think Mr Wood's version of the caucus was correct. When the Goveaument proposed the third resolur tion, affirming the Compact of 1856, they meant it was not possible to alter that Compact. Should it ever be reversed — even if no such Compact existed, it would not be desirable to mix the land revenue with the Colonial revenue. He believed a change in the constitution of the North Island would soon he remarked by tbe South Island with envy, and the time was not dis ant when the Middle Islaad would say, •* That is what we want." Apart from the agreement of 1856, -it would have still been a statesmanlike policy for the Govern* ment to propose to secure the expenditure of revenue from laud upon works within defined areas. With • reference to Mr O'Korke, he re- asserted that the Government were unaware of that gentleman's intention to resign, although he knew he did not sympathise with tbe resolutions. Still, he did not wish anything to be said, or to be taken as reflecting on Mr O'Rorke or the course he had pursued. The members who voted against the resolutions were an extraordinary combination. Mr Gillies opposed them merely because he (Mr Yogel) proposed them. Mr Gillies saw so little to support in anything he (Mr Yogel) proposed, that if he brought down a motion stating that Vl r Gillies was a most excellent and estimable member, and an amendment was proposed, he believed Mr Gillies would vote for the amendment. It was quite certain that either Mr Gillies was right and Mr Yogel wronsr, or he (Mr Yogel) was right and Mr Gillies wrong. Either the whole Public Works, Immigration, and Peace Policy was a mistake, or Mr Gillies was wrong. Mr Gillies had repeatedly made attacks upon him, but he did not wish to make any retaliation there. It had been announced by te;e;»raph that a caucus, at which twenty eight were present, was opposed to the resolutions. It was held after the passing of the resolutions, and yet in reality only 18 members were there, and 10 persons were picked up out of the streets in order to mike the number appear large. No matter what was the opinion of that meeting, the country had endorsed the resolutions by an enormous majority. That meeting he assumed, from the demonstration made by it, was favorable to the abolition of all the Provinces. It was a mere matter of prejudice to object to rrc ive g od because only one part of 'he colony required such legislation. In passing those resolutions, the Government c -ntemplated gMng the North the excellent institutions of the South. No one C"u'd lail to admire the institutions and education system of Otago, and it was to give the North these excellent institutions in place of its present disgraceful institutions that the Government desired the abolition of the Provinces. The outdistricts would never be prosperous until r al local government was substituted for the prtseut scheme.

A telegram inonr Dunedin contemporary says the speech during delivery was frequently interrupted by demonstrations of disapprobation, which prevented the speaker proceeding, and sometimes by applause. At the close there were loud eries 1 of '• Rees, Rees," ami after waiting some time, the Chairman said as no elector came forward, he declared the meeting at an end.

iMr Rees, banister, jumped on the platform, and eaid he intended to speak. The Chairman said he wa not an elector..

Mr Rees (with an Hectoral Roll in his hand) sair 1 he was.

A trreat tumult arose, the Chairman and Mr Yogel essaying to speak, and being stamped down.

Ul'imntely Mr Yogel obtained a hearing,* and paid he had called the meeting of the City Ea*t electors to explain his views, and not to hear Mr Rees speak. He wished them good night.

The Chairman then vacated the chair, and, with Mr Yog 1 and others, retired from the platform amid prolonged howling

Mr Ref-8 then commenced to speak, and the meeting was about to elect a new chairman, when some one extinguished one chandelier. This caused coniusion. Mr Rees proceeded amid much applause, to say t at the action that had j>.>st taken place wa* most disgraceful, What would the people of Sydney and Eng'aod say when they heard how Vouel had left a public meeting in the <'olony ? Fancy Mr Glads.'on,* afraid to take an exnres-ion of public opinion on his actions at a meeting called to ventilate frs viw-*. He would -not detain them, but wo»»ld take f he sense of the meeting. Were there six electors of Auckland Oy East who approved of Mr Voiiel'sgacttrin or considered bim worthy of their confidence ?— (Loud cries of " No, no ")

The meeting, after cheering Rees, gradually di.-spersed.

In consequence of" a requisition to the chairman ot the Highway Board of the town o ; ' Oiehunga, signed by 28 rate payers of the highway district of Onehunsa a public m- eting was held on Monday evening in the Choral Hall for the purpose of considering the resolution? passed by the Hue of Representatives for abolish rag the Provinces. Mr. G. Codlin occupied tbe chair. Mr. Eastwood was the principal spiaker. He moved :— -'•* That in tbe opini- nof f his meeting, the proposals emb died in Mr Vogel's resolutions for abolishing the North laknd Provinces, while confirming tho-e of the South, are unjast and impolitic." The resolution was car ied, together with the following : — '• Tnat the best thanks of the electors of Onehunga are due to the Hon. George Maurice O'Rorke for his services as their represeiitative in the General Assembly held at Wellington.'" — ', Thames Advertiser'

To use a homely simile, sauce for the goose is generally c. ns'dertd to be sauce for the ganber; but it must be borne in mind that the sauce is not applicable either to,the male or female bird until the same h cooked. In this Islaod that process seems to ba complete, while a few more turns are still wanted to render the South a fit subject for the like treatment.

One comfort, however, remains to those who seem to resent the restriction of the North Island ; they may reasonably indulge the hope that when

the entire measure of the Government for. the alteration of the present constitution of the Colony comes before Parliament and the country, it will probably be found to embrace the whole of New' Zealand. That the Southern Provinces should be permitted to continue to' administer the landed, estate which remains to the Colony, is out of the question. We learn Irom Mr. Yogel himself thaj; local appropriations of land lor the purposes of endowment will be required under the new land system, and we know that the territory of New Zealand, whether provincially apportioned or not, must be taken into account when reckoning with the public auditor. — * Thames Advertiser.*

Mr. Reader Wood met his constituents at Parnell, for the purpose of explaining the part he had taken during the session. In the course of his speech he made reference iv the following terms to the meeting of members who supported Mr. Vogel's resolution for the abolition of the North Island Provinces : —

He would now come to another phase of the matter-— to a new region, where reporters were not admitted, and where telegraph wires did not flash. Immediately after tbe resolution was passed, the Pre* mier sent a circular to every member who voted for it to meet in.consultation. They met, there being forty-five or forty-six present. Mr. Yogel stated that he wanted to confer witbthem as to the future- action to be ; taken *in reference "to this resolution. He (Mr. Yogel) said that he understood that some members had voted for it on one ground, and some on another, and he wanted to know whether those he had invited to confer with him were unanimous in their views on the general principle of the resolution, in order that the Government might be able to judge a* to its future course. He (Mr. Wood) spoke amongst the first of them, and he would tell the meeting what he did say. He told Mr. Yogel and the members present tbat it was well known the interest he had taken in this question, and had done all in his power towards the abolition of Provincial institutions. He stated to them, at the same time, that this seemed to be the first step on the part of the Government in that direction, but it seemed to him it would be equally clear to everyone there that there were two subj cts in the resolution which must go against the grain. One was the confirmation of tbe seat of Government at Wellington, and the other was the proposal to confirm the Compact of 1859. He absolutely refused to be a party to any other portions of the resolution.—(Cheers.) The moment he said this, it was welcomed by every person assembled with cheers —(Cheers from the audience). They cheered him as the meeting had just done. Mr. Fox then rose and said "he fully concurred with every word be (Mr. Wood) had spoken. Messrs. Stafford, Buckland, and Jackson followed, and everyone who had been burned in t ffigy in Auckland said the same, and they carried the whole feeling of the meeting with them. Mr. Yogel then said that these two last portions of the resolution formed no integral part oi it. and that there would be no necessity to put them in the Act— (laughter)— and be (Mr. Wood) interjected they would not be in the Act. but if they were there he would not support it. He was thns instrumental iv extracting from Mr. Yogel those *iews of the Government on the same Saturday on which he was burned iv cffuy in Auckland.

Mr Stout, M.P.C., for Caversham, addressed the Mornington section of bis constituency on Thursday evening, and in tbe course of his address thus referred to the above subject: — He hid never been an ultra-Provincialiat ; and when this Province was half mad on the subject in 1867, he was one who, not by speaking but by writing, said that they were earn uig the thing too far ; tbat no man had a right to say that Provincial institutions were perfect. When there was a contest in tbat district between Mr Driver aud Mr Allan, he took up the position, which he still held, that it was possible that a large number of these Acts might be consolidated and made applicable to the whole Colony, instead of having different Ordinances for the various P/ovinoes — in fact, central legislation to a great extent. He still believed it was quite possible th^t a great deal of the legislation of the Provincial Council could be done away with, but that was not the question that was raised now. Taking the question oo the lower ground — the pot nds,. shillings, and pence ground — he held tnat the Abolition of the North Inland Provinces would be no gain to tbe Colony. It would be no gain to the North Island,' except that a certain end was obtained— rto which he would hereafter refer —and without the slightest doubt it could be no gain to the Middle Islaffd. The total cost of pure Provincialism in the North Island — leaving out of sight education, gar»lf», and some other things— wa9 only L 13,000 a year. When the Provinces were abolished the work at present done by the present Provincial must be done in some other way. The local legislation must he done by the General Assembly or by local bodies of some sort.; and in either case there would be a certain amount of expense. The resident Ministers or agents .would cost something, and the staff of the General Government would have to be increased, in order to perform the additional wok ; so that nothing would be left of the L 13,000 a year. To those who said that they must believe in Mr Vogel's sincerity when he said he would hot touch the Middle Island Land Fund or abolish the Middle Island Provinces, 'he would merely ask them to remember Mr Vogel'a -action in reference to the capitation allowance, which showed what political exigencies compelled Mr Yogel to do. Mr "Vogel's proposals for tbe abolition of the North Lland Provinces must end in there being a common purse for the whole Colony; the whole of the lands will be administered from Wellington, and the procee-fs of the lands will be taken to pay the .Colonial debt.' To any. one who' would meet him in fair debate he would undertake to prove that assertion; not from what had been said by. any one opposed to Mr but from. Mr. Vogel's own words. It Was all nonsense to disguise the fact; the beginning of the end of the resolutions was simply to obtain the Middle Island land lund as well as that of die North. < . -;. . . - i

When is a man not a man ?— Wten he"* a little ho{a)r«e.