MR VOGEL’S SPEECH.

Evening Star, Volume VIII, Issue 2404, 15 December 1870, Page 2

MR VOGEL’S SPEECH.

GREAT OPEN-AIR MEETING. {Continued from the Supplement.) be established a system of personal Government—a system which is said to have ruined the Emperor Napoleon. His Honor suggests that he should have an Executive in respect of which responsibility would be very incomplete indeed. Remember that the Superintendent is elected absolutely for four years, and that if with such a Government as suggested, the Superintendent did not agree with the Council, there would be a dead lock. But when such a disagreement takes place, and there is an Executive to resign, there is no dead lock. An Executive is obtained to support the views of - the Superintendent, or who can work at least harmoniously with him, and at the same time carry out'. the will of the Council. I do not blame the Superintendent for the suggestion he has made, for I do not know what could be more humiliating to him than the mode in which he has found his messages and communications to the Council treated. But I say that the result of such a suggestion would amount to a system of Government such as the Province of Otago would never tolerate ; and that the blow at Provincialism, from the making of such a suggestion, is not the less deadly because the Superintendent has been forced to make it in self-defence. (Applause.) Now I think I shall not further tread upon the corns of any of those gentlemen who have occasionally tried to interrupt me.—(A Voice : Never mind, Mr Vogel; it was only the Delphic Oracle. — Laughter.) 1 must repeat the hope that there will be speedily some sort of unanimity in reference to the question of enabling public works and immigration to bo attended to. I rpiitc admit that there are other questions of very great importance to this Province, such as Separation and the Land. The latter is especially important, and deserves to be very fully considered by the people. But 1 beg of you, do not allow oven the land question to overshadow everything else. 1 am willing to believe that there is a great deal in the arguments of those who contend that the existing land system is not sullicicntly liberal.—(Hear, hear.) The whole nature of the land question is so difficult that one may well have respect for the opinions of his opponents. It 1 is a question that must be dealt with in a ' manner which recognises the many dilliculties which exist in the way of its satisfactory settlement and the many require- 1 ments of differing interests which re- ‘ quire to be dealt with. The question 1 must be dealt with in a spirit that will i allow of the consideration not of one 1

inteiest only, but of all interests. _ While then I recognise that the land question is an import nit one, I say that all other question'? at this time sink into comparative insignificance before the great question of advancing the real settlement of the Colony. In the Assembly I declared —and the declaration was echoed again and again—that if the political institutions at present existing in Mew Zealand stand in the way of the progress of its settlement, then those institutions had better perish than that colonisation should not be attended to. —(Applause.) I b.dicveyou have before you just now the commencement of an era of great prosperity. —(Applause, and some laughter.) Your gold fields arc showing signs of yielding magnificently. Go on then, I say, with opening up communication so as to enable your (roldlields to be worked, and your settlers to find markets for their produce, and obtain goods which they need at a cheap rate of carriage. These things are essentials to the revival of colonisation. —(Applause.) 1 beseech you not to allow anything like personal feelings to interfere with your recognition of the value of measures which are intended not for the benefit of this Province only, but for the benefit of all the Provinces. I beseech you not to be content with things as they are, but resolve to endeavor to help the Colony out of its present state of stagnation and depression, so as to make it the home for a thriving, wealthy, and vigorous population —(Cheers.) 1 care not who carries out this policy which we have enacted. If you can find better men to citry it out than the men who are no?v iu office, by all means do what you can to make the change. But do not sacrifice measures to men.—(Applause.) Discard all personal feelings, look calmly and fairly at the measures which the Assembly has passed, and I believe you will then recognise that through these measures you will have a really great mission—that of assisting in making Now Zealand what it is fitted to become a great, and noble and fthriving country.— (Loud and long continued cheers.) The Mayor said that Mr Vogel was ready to answer any questions. About half a dozen persons in different parts of the crowd, ca hj begun to ask a question, so that no one of them could be distinctly heard. Mr Vogel : It may save time, if I remind you that I do not come here as a candidate forelection. —(Hear, hoar.) I don’t care to bo catechised, and I don’t care to enter into any political discussion. But if I can give any information—especially as to any point i which I have not made clear—l shall be moat hapuy to do so. “ Tl iree cheers for Vogel,” were called for, and were heartily given. Mr Vogel (in reply to a question which could not ho heard by the reporter) : The Wellington Province is no doubt in a very embarrassed condition just now. The construction of the railway from Wellington to Napier, and to Wanganui and New Plymouth, was the question upon which we took issue with the House. The Nelson and Cobdeu Railway was the other day all but arranged for, on the principle of granting land through which the line is to pass ; and that laud is mostly very sterile. But this Wellington lino will pass through splendid land—much of it equal to any in the Colony ; and I believe that we shall be enabled to make a proposal for the construction of the line on the principle of land grants mainly. Mr .1. W. Jago : What guarantee is there that after works have been constructed, and the various charges duly debited to the Provinces, a wrong similar to that of the Loan Allocation Repeal Act would not be perpetrated some years hence ? Mr Vogkl : The only security I know of is, that your members should be determined to preserve the Public Works Acts of last session as they are—(hear, hoar) —and not allow them to be repealed. No doubt, it is possible for the Assembly, in the way you have indicated, to do any amount of inj usfcice to particular Provinces; to guard against it, you must have members who, as regards essentials, will bo ready to act unitedly. The best safeguard is, to preserve the Acts as they are, and to enforce their provisions. A Voice : Supposing any Province should become unable to pay interest and . sinking fund on account of works—who would have to pay ? Mr Vogel : The Colony, undoubtedly. A Voice : Are you prepared to give to working men a better guarantee for their wages on the Clutha Railway works, than they have on the Port Chalmers line? Mr Vogel : 1 have no wish to talk popularity ; but this I must say—The arrangement as to the Port Chalmers Railway was no doubt a most extravagant one. 1 thought, when our measures were passed, that it was desirable to get rid of the arrangement, if possible, and to construct the works ourselves. We could borrow money at 5,( per cent., and could have had the line finished and opened in a few months. But Ido not blame those who made the arrangement. It is an important work ; there seemed no other chance, at the time, of getting it done ; the work was most important, at whatever cost secured ; and I might have made such an arrangement myself, had I been in office in the Province. Looking at the matter altogether impartially now, I am afraid that nobody’s interests are carefully protected, except those of the contractors themselves.

In reply to the next question (from Mr Prosser, we believe) —

Mr Vogel said : The Government are pledged to brine; down next session, proposals for the establishment of a Board to have the whole control of the carrying on of public works, subject to the Ministry itself being generally responsible. The Government have always declared that they would not consent to the creation of a wholly irresponsible Board, such as would enable the Government of the day, if anything went wrong, to say, “Oh, it’s not our fault, but that of the Board.” The Ministry must be responsible ; but there should be a Board with welldefined powers, especially as to the consideration and acceptance of contracts. Such a Board the Government are bound to propose next session to create.—(Applause.)

A Voice ; Are you in favor of paying Grant’s passage out of New Zealand? Mr Vogel : He seems to be so great a. favorite here, that I think not, —(Laughter.) Mr Prosser put a question as to polling booths at the coming elections. It was understood that the Superintendent and Executive were at variance. What steps did the General Government intend to take ?

Mr Vogel : The matter as to the polling booths is not within my own knowledge : therefore, 1 cannot give a fair answer now, but if Mr Prosser will call upon me to morrow, I will give him all the information I have then been enabled to obtain. 1 should

have to telegraph to Wellington to learn the facte as to the present condition of the matter.

Mr P jiosser : Will yon see that justice is done to the country ? Mr Vogel : The Government will take (Rich advice as they consider necessary. The Government are responsible in the matter : therefore they arc bound to see that justice is done.

A A otce : Has the resignation of the Superintendent been accepted ? Mr Vogel : The Council is to he immediately dissolved, and fresh elections will take place without delay. Mr Grant screamed a question as to how Mr Vogel, having been a Provincialist, reconciled his present conduct with that fact; but Air Orayt was not allowed to he heard to the end, and there was much laughter, and cries of “ Don’t answer.”

The next question was not heard. Mr Vogel was understood to say that he had so many other measures to attend to, that he took but little part in the passing of the Ballot Bill. He had seen a statement that, under the Act, voting papers might be used to identify voters ; and he agreed that to identify voters was inconsistent with the ballot system. Air Stout : What about sending a copy of Mr Stafford’s speech at Timaru to Wellington ?

Air Vogel : That matter occurred while I was away from the Colony, and I am not at all acquainted with the circumstances. I believe that the facts were something to this effect: That the Time* made a contract for the telegraphing of the speech to Dunedin at half the usual price ; and that there was an understanding that it was quite upon the cards, therefore, that the speech might he communicated to Wellington. But I repeat, I know very little or nothing, of the circumstances Mr Grant made another attempt to speak ; but he was cried down. Mr Vogel said he w' s quite willing to listen to Air Grant; but the question being put whether Mr Grant should be heard, the assemblage refused, by quite ten to one, and the announcement of the result was loudly cheered. The Alayor read the following motion, which had been Ifanded to him by Mr Lloyd:— “That this meeting record their sincere tVmks to the Hon. Julius Vogel, Colonial 'I i-easurer, for having explained his views upon the question of Public Works and fmmigration; and promise that we, the electors and others, will support no candidate at the forthcoming elections for the General Assembly, who is opposed to the carrying out of the said measures enunciated by the Hon. Julius Vogel.”—(Cheers.) Mr Robertson seconded the amendment. Air J. W Jago moved as an amendment: “ That this meeting desires to give an expression of its best thanks to the Hon. Julius Vogel, for the very elaborate speech which has now been made by him; but that the questions, discussed are of so intricate a nature, and the statements made so important, that it is desirable time should be taken fully to consider those statements, before expressing any decided opinion with respect to them.”—(Cheers.) Mr Grant again tried to get a bearing; but he was put down. Air Vogel asked for a fair hearing for Mr.Granfc ; but the only response was “ Three cheers for Vogel.” Mr Stout seconded the amendment. The Mayor called for a show of hands in favor of the amendment and in favor of the motion ; and he then said—l am inclined to think that the amendment is carried ; but, at the same time, the numbers are very close.—(A Voice : Do you mean to say you could see to count the hands ?—Laughter.) The Mayor asked whether the meeting would now hear Mr Grant. The response was a sonorously emphatic “No.” Mr Vogel : Whilst Mr Lloyd, in proposing the resolution, has paid to me a compliment for which I very much thank him, I cannot conceive that the amendment is one with which I have any reason to be dissatisfied. ft is quite reasonable that Mr Jago should say that the statements I have made —and which conflict so much with what you have previously been told here as to our policy—should be well considered. I am quite satisfied with the result.—(Hear, hear.) I believe that Air Jago moved the amendment in an impartial spirit ; that he means to be guided by it, and that his opinions are not engaged, so to speak, on either side.—(“ Hear, hear,” from Mr Jago,) And now I thank you all very much for the attention with which you have listened to me. Whatever you may have heard, believe me that it was very bitter for mo to leave the Province, with which have been associated some of my happiest years, —(Applause.) I have great pleasure in now revisiting Otago; and wherever I may be—whether I represent an Otago cou>tituency or not—l shall always feel anxious to consult the interests of the Province, and to assist it when I am able to do so. (Applause, and a cry of “Indeed!”) I never felt more pleased with anything I have been able to do, than I felt with the completion of the new San Francisco contract ; and one reason for my pleasure was the conviction that that contract would be an assurance to my friends in Otago, that I had not been unmindful of their interests.— (Loud cheers.) On the motion of Air Vogel, a vote of thanks to the Alayor, for presiding, was adopted by acclamation. This concluded the business ; but a few persons remained to listen to Mr Grant, who continued talking for (we believe) nearly an hour.