THE SUPERINTENDENCY.

Evening Star, Volume VIII, Issue 2468, 13 January 1871, Page 2

THE SUPERINTENDENCY.

MR REID AT THE MASONIC HALL,

Last evening Mr Reid addressed a large meeting at the Masonic Hall, as a candidate for the Superintendency. Mr Prosser took the chair. Through an accident we were unable to be present until he had spoiten some time. From the report of our contemporary, of what took place before the arrival of our reporter, we learn that Mr Reid pointed out that the electors bad to consider whether they xVoukl approve an Immigration and Public Works Scheme, that provided for spending three pounds in the North Island to one in the Middle Island ? If they did not wish that to he carried out they must be careful whom they elected. He had been charged with being obstructive, hut one of the first acts done by the Government of which he was a member, was tojpropose to expend LIOO,OOO for the construction of water reservoirs on the goldfields, and immediately afterwards to obtain a loan of L 650,00() for that and other works. That did not look like ohstructiveiicss. He commented on the portion of the Clutha Hue commenced between Dunedin and Caversham by the General Government, and pointed out that it was necessary to construct a railway between Invercargill and Matanra, a wharf at Moeraki, and branch light railways as feeders for main lines. He also thought the Oamaru dock should he completed. Out of a loan of L 5,000,000, which, including land, would he increased to L 0,000,000 or Ll“2,000,000, it was proposed to appropriate L.‘100,000 for water supply on the goldfields. He considered that too small an amount. (Our reporter arrived at this stage.) With regard to gold mining interests, he had already said he thought them of the greatest importance, and that they should he maintained to the utmost. What would he the position of Otago without gold mining ? It would he unable to meet its liabilities. During the short time he had been Secretary for Land and Works, he had felt that interest did not receive proper attention. It was impossible consistently with - other duties for a person holding the office he .occupied to give the necessary time to the goldfields interests, and he considered a minister should he appointed specially to watch over them. He could go round the districts, settle didefences, give information, and in many ways forward mining industry. Such ft minister would he a great benefit to the Province. There was another feature in the General Government scheme. One million was to be set aside for bringing immigrants to carry out public works. That seemed to be the idea. His idea was that immigrants should be introduced to occupy the country. Immigrants brought to carry out public works would not all he settlers, for, as a rule, they would take the highest wages they could get in any part of the Colony. He wished to have immigrants who would settle on their own homesteads. But the meeting might depend upon it, after the million was spent on immigration, there would he little left for expenditure on public works. It would introduce 80,000 or 90,000 individuals, and it was easy to find out how much would be appropriated to cash. Tire Superintendent and Provincial Council could assist immigration to a great degree, and it was a point to which attention should he directed, for there was not a nobler object on which they could he engaged than in establishing thriving homesteads through the country. Some might sneeringly say that investments in large farms were unprofitable, but bis wish was to see a number of people settled on the land, whose families would assist them in tilling it. He would like to see homesteads with a pig and a stye, and cows grazing on the natural hj rbage round them. —(Hisses and cheers ) He would like to see many acres occupied in that way.—(A cry : 1500 acres and one man.) He feared it would not he ea\y to do that so long as the Hundreds Regulation Act was on the statute book. While it remained, there would he some difficulty in m iking facilities for settlement. That land question got reveral members into the General Assembly on certain pledges, and in spite of them, their first act was to make such alterations in the Laud Act of the Province, as completely changed its nature Since that time they (the Executive) had been endeavoring to get Hundreds proclaimed, but thus far with very little success. If he had the honor to he elected a member of the House of Representatives, lie would strain every nerve to get the Act repealed. That would be the best amendment. But if it was not repealed, it must not stand in the way of settlement. We could not afford to let anything stand in the way of population. The question was whether to associate together persons who would make the country productive, or fo occupy it with sheep and cattle. He hoped the meeting would not mistake his meaning. They must not think, so long as that Act remained, he would be a party to do injustice to the runhofilers. But justice to some of them demand d its repeal. It was an Act that many of them might complain of. He did not advocate the popular cry that the squatters should he driven into the Pacific Ocean ; hut he would not have them overshadow the rights of those in whom the waste lands of the Crown were vested. He would even go so far as to advocate deferred payments. There were many objections to such a system ; hut the advantages counterbalanced the disadvantages. The disadvantage was that a class was created whose interest it was to be relieved from their burden of payment; but was it not better to have the land occupied by them if they were hound to make improvements than to have the land unoccupied ? Such a system might induce some to cultivate the soil who had been brought up to other employments, as in the Province of Auckland,; and many might not succeed, but that evil would cure itself. If land near Dunedin could be had on deferred payments, a large number of people would hj« found to occupy it. The Provincial Couqcil, last session, in reply to His Honor’s me-sage, passed a resolution that provision should he made for free grants to persons willing to settle at Gatlin’s River and Waikava Bush, which proved their desire to promote settlement. In order to develop manufacturing industry a large population was required, but already several were iu operation. Malting, distillation, brewing, meat preserving (laughter), were already established. Flax-dressing too-would spoil become an important industry ; agricultural implements were made so skilfully that importations would soon cease, and a 5 the machinery was on its way, he hoped in a short time to have a first-rate woollen manufactory. Each of those deserved encouragement, and they ought to he assisted by a system of bonuses, It had been industriously circulated with regard to the Olutha Railway tlnG huf {of h|w jt would Jjave beep

in course of construction. — (A Voice : True, true.) He would allow gentlemen to call out “true,” if they thought it true after the information he would give them. It had been said the present Executive had been in office two years and had done no public works, but they had only held office one year and eight months, during which there had been four sessions of the Provincial Council. The Vogel Government, which was to do so much, whs two years and nearly four months in office, and what did they do towards the construction of the Clulha Railway ? At the end of their time nothin* had been done excepting that Mr W. C. Young had been sent on a mission to England and Mr Vogel had a trip to Auckland at the public expense. (Laughter.) When he (Mr Reid) came info office the Ordinance had all but expired, and nothing had been done to bring it into operation.—(A Voice ; Tell us what you have doue—Some disorder.) The Ordinance having all but expired, they immediately passed an Ordinance empowering the setting aside land as security for payment of the works. It was urged upon the Central Government, and refused. Conditions and plans were prepared for the construction of the line, and tenders advertised for within four months in the Argus and other papers. The result was several offers. One was for the construction of the line on a 54 per cent, guarantee. On that offer being received, an Ordinance was passed, and aU that was required to get the line constructed was that the Wellington Government should leave it to its operation. Those facts would not be disputed. But when the General Government found the Province could construct it, they took advantage of the efforts of the Provincial Executive, and invited tenders for the railway to Caversham. The Vogel Government had not a single thing prepared in regard to it. Want of success in not getting the line constructed was not attributable to him, for no stone had been left unturned to effect it. Had the Government been empowered to borrow money, there would have been no difficulty in the matter. In his Honor’s address it was stated that the then Provincial Treasurer (Mr Vogel) had sue* ceeded in ■ putting the matter on such a a footing as could not' fail to secure the object aimed at. That great scheme had never been revealed to him (Mr ReiJ). He believed Mr Vogel had succeeded in attaining the object aimed at by his journey, and he left the shores of Otago. The next session the Superintendent opened with a complaint by him that the wo k which ought to have been then completed was postponed. At that very time tenders ’ were advertised for in the Australian colonies, and offers had been coming in. He thought he had a right to allude to an address by the Superintendent respecting the action taken by the Council eighteen mouths ago. There we: e three points to which he wan Id refer ; they were the progressive policy spoken of, the Gold Fields, and the settlement of the country. Witlx regard to railways it was said no practical progress had been made—tie Gold Fields had been pretty well left to themsdves, and the settlement of the country had been going on at a slow rate. He demurred to being blamed for the non-con-struction of railways, for while he was in office a large number of offers were received. With regard to the Goldfields quite as much had been done by his Government as by any that preceded it. He did not think it right therefore that Mr Macandrew should turn round and blame him for the nonfulfilmeut of promises made by himself four years ago. Excepting the survey made by Mr Millar, F.S. A., which was a reward for political service nothing had been done for the Goldfields, and he believed he was appointed to survey the Wait aid and Moeraki line on the same ground, only in that case he was paid beforehand. With respect to the non-settle-ment of the country, the party with whfch he was connected could not be to blame, for if they had fought for one thing more than another, it was that the country should be opened up. The people wanted the country opened up on the Wakatip runs instead of which, for the sake of revenue, Mr Vogel would not consent to it, and now it was said that the reason why settlement was not going on was owing to the action of the Provincial Council. When he went into office there was a propo-al to open up the country, but the squatters became alarmed, and the Land Act was altered to protect them. For a reason he could not understand it was enacted that unless one-half a Hundred was agricultural laud it should not bo declared. In favor of that M ssrs Macaudrcw, I). Bell, Cargill, Main, and Vogel voted, and they also voted for giving 3s 2d an acre compensation with unlimited compensation for improvements to the squatters, which would have been the rate agreed to but for the motion of Mr Wood of Southland, who proposed 2s fid. He found the same gentlemen voting for 2s fid an acre compensation if they abandoned tlicir leasts instead of Is fid as proposed by Mr Wood. That was the reason why settlement of the country did not proceed at a rapid rate. ‘ At any rate he was not to blame for that. It bad been said the Government of which he was the head stuck to office to thwart the Superintendent, and prevent his carrying out his measures ; hut at the special session called to consider the proposals for the Clutha Railway and the Hundreds Regulations Act, on the motion of Mr Shaud it was resolved to ask his Honor that the Council should be dissolved immediately, in order that the elections might take place before the succeeding February. (A Voice : What would the ,S 'far think to that He did not believe the Star capable of. any thought whatever. If anything were to happen to himself it would be the death of the Slur, for many people took it to sec how he was abused in it, Seeing that he was charged with being an obstructionist, a dissolution would have cuabh d his Honor to appeal to the country. Then he was charged with being a Centralist. Everything he said in the House of Representatives was recorded in Hansard, and he challenged the evening luminary to publish his votes on any division shewing that he was one. Another objection to his coming forward was that he was once a working man, and another that he was owner of a certain number of acres of land, He had been a working man, and was not ashamed of it. He came to the country to work, and if he owned land he had worked for it. lie believed if he had lived on hia wits during his residence in Otago, he have been considered a respectable member of society. The greatest boast of our institutions was that any man was eligible to the highest office in the State. In a much greater country, among a much greater people, Abraham Lincoln, a working man, had filled a much higher office. He was elected by a nation qs much superior to this Province as the sun to a farthing rushlight, He was placed in the highest position a man conkl occupy in this age, for be b^Ueveif

America was the greatest country and the Americans the greatest people in the world. He was not drawing a comparison between Abraham Lincoln and himself, for he kn w himself vastly inferior to that great man. If he were elected, he believed the squatters would assist to repeal the detested Hundreds .Regulations Act, and be willing to pay a fair rental or give up their holdings. There was an evident desire on the part of the squatters to keep the working men what they were. They did not wish them to rise. When they professed to wish to construct works to give them wages, they deceived them. But ha asserted that every man should get land, and rise to a higher position. (Cries of “2s 6d a-day,” “4s a-day.”) Those were his convictions. He would ask, Did the Immigration and Public Works Acts require amendment ? Were they content that the revenues of the Province should be extravagantly spent in the North? that one million should be expended on immigration, to introduce 12,000 more to settle on the soil? Were they content with the Waste Lands Act ? If they approved those things in the present shape, he had no claim on their suffrages; but if they were in favor of liberal, progressive, and at the same time a sound policy, he claimed their suffrages. He thought he had removed some false impressions. He wished them to ponder the statements he had made. It was no use mincing matters. He hoped to be returned triumphantly. (Cries, “ Don t deceive yourself.”) It was said he had made a great blunder in coming forward fi r st to address the electors ; but bo had nothing to fear. He had made no promises that ho bad not fulfilled. When he promised, he promised deliberately and fulfilled his promises. He believed that no effort would be spared to show that his statements were incorrect, and to make the worse appear the better cause. (Cheers and hisses.) He might have another opportunity of showing they were quite correct, and he advised them so to use their suffrages as to leave them no cause for regret at a future time.

In reply to questions by Mr Grant, Mr Reid said that laborers’ wages were not reduced to 3s 6d a day nor to 4s. Mr Millar, C.E.. F.S.A., and Mr Calcutt, were appointed by the General Government. The cheese tasters were also appointed by the General Government. There was no parallel between the position of the Provincial Government when it asserted its claim to the dalegated powers and the action lately taken by the Superintendent and Executive. Provincial Government* were a bulwark to resist the encroachment of the General Government on Provincial revenues. He con'd not enumerate the billets" given by the General Government they were so numerous. His inclination was to accept a tender for the construction of the Glutha Railway, but it would not be seemly to negociate in opposition to the General Government, During the last ten years the parliamentary expeuces of the Clutha Railway amounted to L 12,000. Other unimportant questions were put. Mr Reid denied that he had replied to a deputation of working men that the Government could not provide Avork to loafers from Victoria ; what he said was, it could not be expected that the Government could give employment to idle people that came from other colonies.

On the motion of Mr G. E. Barton, seconded by Mr Miller, a resolution approving the fitness of Mr Reid for the Supcrintendency xvas carried by a large majority. A vote of thanks to the Chairman Avas carried by acclamation.