MR FISH AT THE MASONIC HALL.

Evening Star, Issue 3609, 16 September 1874, Page 2

MR FISH AT THE MASONIC HALL.

Mr H, S. Fish, M. P. C., met his constituents at the Masonic Hall last evening. His Worship the Mayor, who was in the chair, in a few remarks stated the object of the meeting.

Mr I ish said that he had not much to say in regard to Provincial matters. In meeting them he was fulfilling his promise that he would, after every session of the Provincial Council, review what had been done, and Seek their advice and assistance on any matters lively to be introduced in the ensuing session. He bad another reason. Mr iStout had recently held a meeting at Caversham, and said some things deserving the attention of the community'. Apart from this fact, during the late session of the Assembly a proposal was made for the abolition cf Provincial institutions in the North Island. Mr Fish then explained why he had withdrawn his support from Mr Turnbull’s ‘•overnraent, for which he gave three principal reasons. First, that notwithstanding the successful manner in which Provincial affairs had been administered when Mr Turnbull was Treasurer and Secretary, he had resigned without meeting the Council, which he (Mr Fish) considered a most unsatisfactory precedent. Secondly, that it was evident the intention was to throw Mr Bastings overboard, who had throughout his term of office shown excellent administrative ability. And third, that the inconsistency of Mr Turnbull was shown in the fact that though his plea for resigning was that he could not attend properly to his own business and that of the Province, on coalescing with Mr I). Reid he was well aware that that gentleman’s lengthened absence in Auckland would render necessary hie giving as much time to Executive matters as before. Not approving of these proceedings, he withdraw his support from the party, for he could not approve their conduct. The policy of the Government was marked by like inconsistency. > he arrangements for selling laud on deferred payments were anomalous. In the blocks in which it was proposed to sell alternate sections for cash and on deferred payments, it was d* cided that cash buyers were to pay L2 per acre, while buyers on credit were to pay only 20s. It was also evident that there was a hidden intention to sell large areas to pastoral tenants under the 150 th section of the Land Act. He considered that selling land on deferred payments was a tentative measure, and should have been proceeded with cautiously. It had failed in Victoria, where the system had given rise to great abuses. He believed it was proposed next session to ask the Council to authorise selling large blocks of land, although they had not thus far had courage to teat the feeling of the members on the subj -ct. With regard to the loan of 1.50,000 for making railways, he did not think tne Government ever supposed it would be obtained ; but the idea seemed to be to test the House into passing the resolution, to give a plea of necessity for selling large blocks of land. He looked upon Mr Reid’s support to the scheme for deepening the harbor as a sop to secure the support of the seven Dunedin members. When the resolutions for that purpose were brought forward, he (Mr Fi-.h) thought them very crude, and accordingly be moved a re solution adverse to appointing a Harbor Trust, which, through strong pressure, he was induced to withdraw. The result was, the Bill to passed through without consideration, and a Board was created that had no money, and all that they bad done was to appoint a Secretary '. He had been totormed that the Provincial Treasurer had been strmgly urged to give the dredging of ihe Harbor without tender to a local,contractor wdl known in railway matters. He could hardly have believed it, but it was confirmed by his having offered to do the work, and io take payment in debentures. If the Board entertained the proposition, which he doubted, there would in future be nothing but jobbery and corruption in such matters. After alluding to the late session, Mr fish observed that he considered the Provincial < xecutivo an unholy alliance of memhers holding wdely different views. They were not unanimous on many questions '■! r b tout’s opinions on the land question were opposed by Mr Reid, who h..d called them Utopian and absurd. He (Mr Fish) believed Mr btout’s views weie correct. Mr iVDLean, during the session, proposed the rale of auriferous and uou-aut if crons lands, when Mr Lnmsdea and Mr Stout voted one way, and Mr Turnbud and Dr Webster another. In consequence of the part he had to take in forcing the disemaion on the question, his name appeared in the blue book as having voted with those were really opposed to his own view. l . The High School resolutions introduced by him were thrown out by a majority of the Council, not because they were satisfied with the school, but, in his opinion, because they did not like to sweep away an institution endeared te them by old assi ciations, in which a high class education could be obtained at a small cost. He intended again asking the Council for L 2.000 for improving the Town Belt. As to’the running e f Sunday tnina on railways, in his opinion there was no sin in the practice. He looked upon the appointment of a mining surveyor as a step in the right direction; but aid not think the Government had given effect to the resolutions. Referring to Mr ''tout’s meeting at Caversham, Mr Fish weut on to say tnat he agreed with him that the creation of a new political platform would lead to the people ohcainin** a proper knowledge of their own power. Mr stouts platfoim compiled a reform of the Upper House; leading the lands of the State instead of selling them ; and the imposition of an income and Hud tax The reform of the Upper House was a thing which no two men in this community could be found to disagree with. The manner in which that body had affected and obstructed the popular legislation of the couutry, iat' nded for the good of the people, was notorious ; and it was a fearful wrong that so many gentlemen who were pastoral tenants of the Crown should be nominated to the Upper House. The Legislative Council should be reformed ; but he did not agree with the views expressed by Mr Stout on that point. It wmuld be a most unconstitutional means of effecting a desirable object to swamp the Upper House with new members in order to carry a popular measure. His plan would be to have an Upper House elec ed for five years, with a moderate property qualification for electors ; the Governor to have power to uidaolve the House after rejecting a measure twice.—( \pplause.) With reference to leasing waste lands instead of selling them, he thought that was the soundest principle on which those lands could be dealt with. The theoiy was quite sound, but in practice there would be more disadvantages. Uae of the greatest inducements to people at Home to emigrate to the Colony was thfc Opportunity «l acquiring a freehold, wcmW taWq awajf if ifcb wkftpi

were adopted. Fe had serious doubts whether the plan would now be at all practicable, although be thought it might be carried out in its integrity with regard to the pastoral land of the Province. He agreed with an income and land tax, which was the only true and proper mode by which they could re tch the pockets of those people who gained most by the prosperity of the country Direct taxation was far better than indirect taxation, because it made people pay directly wiiat they had the most right *• pay, and it made all, great and small, ali>. e to the fact that they were being taxed, and if they knew and felt they were being taxed, they would take a greater interest in political afiairs. The raising of taxes by means of Customs revenue was not fair, because the mass of the people contributed a great deal more than the -iche.’ people did.—( ipplause.) e would add to Mr Stout’s programme in three directions A readjustment of the representation was of the utmost importance, as this island was not properly represented according to its population and revenue. He advocated an extension of the suffrage ; the time had arrived when memb rs of Parliament should be elected by m.nhood suffrage—(applause) —and he strongly urged Parliaments should be trieunial. On the proposed abolition of the • orth Island Provinces, he held it to be his duty, as a representative of Dunedin in the Provincial Conned, and possibly as a candidate at the next election to represent them in a higher nlace—(applause)— to give no uncertain sound upon that subj ct. When those resolution# where first proposed, and even after he had read Mr Vogel’s speech as reported in the newspapers, he entertained a strong fueling against the proposal But after reading in ‘Hansard’ all that had been said on these resolutions, and particularly after reading the speech of the Premier, and seeing for himself the figures there quoted, he could not—although he had ades re to do so—come to any other conclusion than that it was a wise and proper thing for the Provinces in the North Island to be abolished. Everything he (Mr Pish) said was based on the belief that the Premier was sincere in what he had stated on this subject, that would faithfully carry out what he saidhisintentionswere, viz , that the Government had no ulterior designs upon the land fund of the South Island, and that they simply desired to abolish the North Island Provinces, because they were utterly inefficient, and unable to carry out their proper functions. For Mr Macandrew, politically and privately, he had the very greatest repeat. In nine cases out of ten he was right m his political views ; but he (Mr Fish) must honestly confess his belief that in this case Mr Macandrew hai allowed his zeal for a hat he conceived to be the interest of the Province to outrun his discretion. The abolition •»f the Provinces in the North Island wasinevitable, and be believed the Superintendent of this Province would have better consulted the interest of the Province if he had gone with the Government in support of that which be ought to have seen was inevitable ; and should have made terms for this Province, instead of obstructing the Government and losing the chance of making the most suitable terms for the Province he represented. Great capital was being made in Dunedin by those opposed to the abolition of ‘•he North Island Provinces, out of a speech delivered by Mr Reader Wood in Auckland. The inference to be drawn from the report of that speech .was that the Government did not intend to carry out that part of the resolutions relative to the seat of Government and the Compact of 1856 with reerence to the South Island land fund. He (Mr Fish) had telegraphed to a member of the ) ahintt at Wellington with reference to Mr '.Vood’s reported statements, and a portion of the reply he had received was as follows :—“ Rea er Wood’s remarks as to what took place at the meeting of the Government supporters, as reported in the papers, are not correct. —W. H. Reynolds ” They could take that reply for what it was worth; but he contended it was worth quite as much as the extract from Mr Woo l’s speech. It was quite possible that Mr Wood, in addressing his constituents, had somewhat strained the facts of the case, in order to regain the favor of his constituents who h>.d a short time previously burnt him in effigy,—(Hisses and applause.) A vote of thanks to Mr Fish was passed by the meeting.