THE ABOLITION BILL.

Evening Star, Issue 3899, 23 August 1875, Page 2

THE ABOLITION BILL.

A meeting of the electors of the West Taieri district was held in the Drill-shed, Uutram, on Saturday evening, for the purpose of con sidering the abolition question. .here we'e about fifty persons present, and Mr D Borne was elected to the cl\air. We summarise the proceedings from the report of the meeting in this morning’s ‘ Daily Times ’

The Chairman ►aid the meeting had been called to consider a qm stion which most vitally concerned everyone—the question whether tin Provinces be abolished or not —and at the same time, with a view to getting as much informa tion on the matter from their members in the Provincial Council as they would feel inclined or be competent to give. He did not think that any of the electors of the district had had sufficient time to particularly examine the Bill as to what it would bring in ; at the same time they had had time to reflect on the subject of abolition as having been before the public now twelve months at least, and, he had no doubt, they had made up their minds whether it would he desirable to have abolition or not. i 1 c did not intend to state his own mind just now ; he would like to hear what the politicians had to say, and he would express his opinions later in evening. It was a question which vitally concerned every one of them, and he, for one, would express his disappointment at the way in which the question had been treated in Dunedin and in the other large centres. Here was a question brought up which affected the Constitution, and no one took any steps except a few local bodies.

Mr John Dow moved—“ That this meeting is of opinion that the Abolition and Local Government Bills now before the Assembly should bo postponed, s» as to give coustituen cies time to consider them, and an opportunity of expressing their opinion at the next general election.”

Mr (Snow seconded the motion, saying they knew what Provincialism was, and they did not know what would be got in its place. Mr Allan, M.P.0., thought the wisest course for them would be to recommend that abolition be postponed till they knew what they had to get in place of Provincialism. He did not think there were many in the room who thought that Provincial institutions would remain much longer, but before they lost what they had it would be necessary tor them to know wnat they would get instead. The copies of the Bills now before the Assembly were so scarce in the Province that ho had not seen a copy of them till an hour ago. From the papers he saw there was a probability of their education reserves becoming Colonial property. He thought it would be a very groat pity if that happened. With regard to the. land fund, it was proposed that it should be distributed by the Assembly—part of it to be appropriated to the district in which it was raised ; but the Assembly that could pass such a Bill without giving the constituencies an

opportunity of knowing what it was, could appropriate their land fund to any Province at well as to Otago. Mr Sha.no said although he considered the Bill a_ lair proposition, lie was not going to force it down the throats of a lot of the electors in the Taieri who had not had the opuoilnnity of seeing it as he had. He would show them the diliereuce between the Bill and the present order of things. The Provincial Council, at the present time, had the spending of the local moneys in the Province ; under the Abolition Bill it was proposed to transfer that power to the municipalities within the townships, and to extend ! oad Boards outside. The elector, should consider whether they should pay for two public bodies out of their pocket when one was sufficient to do the work —that was his belief. It had been stated that the laud funds would be transferred from the Provinces, amt would merge into a general fund for she whole of New Zealand; but he could not see how tho friends of Provincialism could make that statement, when Mr i leader Wood, one of the best speakers in the House of Representatives, gave as his objection to the Bill that tho land fund was by the Billj conserved to Otago and Canterbury. The Bill showed them that for tho main, roads into the country amounts would be given by the General Government as they were now by the Provinces. It seemed to him, from the land

hind then would bo a grunt *f M for S on the rates, and £ for £ from the consolidated fund ; bo that they would have 1.2 to LI if it could bo got. Tin General Government would take over th»» management of police, gaols, &c., now maintained by the Provincial Government, and it would bt* for the electors to give an opinion as to whether the General Government could do so with advantage. He had made a calculation as to the amount that would be saved directly by the Geueial Government taking over the Provincial business, and he found (going by the last appropriation) that the saving would be over Llfi.(HK). He did not think they had had . he matter before them long enough to judge foi themselves; but at the same time, speaking his own opinion, he did not consider rhe Abolitnou r.ill “ half a bad thing.” He thought the Road Hoards could look after expenditure bettei than the Provincial Connci's. He held that abolition would bring them fare to lace with i.he taxes for Joans, and would bring them face to face with the /assembly. He would not say his mind was to oppose abolition this -ession; but abolition would have his support. He thought the Bill would be much alteied in Committee, and for the better.

Mr .SNOW : Last session we not a direct promise from the Premier that Of ago and Canterbury would noi be tdi'disi ed, yet this session ~he Government emm hj down with a sweeping measure for abolition. A 7 hat can we expect from these prom.s-e. He thought it wan right that tno electors should look before they maped. they wishe.i it delayed—the electors of the Taieri ought to have the matter fairly before them.

Mr James Sim would like to know how Mr Shand expected the General Government to do things cheaper. Take, for instance, the Mataura railway. A!■ .cal contractor offered to do the woik for L66,0t)0, but Messrs Brogden got the contract for f/.)0,0UU, and now Mr Brogden wanted L‘23 VOi) more. Then they did not keep faith in regard to tko capitation allowance, and what guaiantee had they now that the Government would keep their promise in regard to the Laud bund? Mr rHAND : We shall have to depend on the members representing us. .VI r Allan said that, while it was promised their Education Reserves would not be diverted from the purpose of education, still the Assemuly ct ukl appropriate them f r the whole Golony if they liked.—(Hear, hear.) Until their Education Reserves were in trust for the whole ioviuee they were not safo ; as long as they were open to be voted by the Assembly they weic not safe. He cleaily saw that they should have delay—that the meeting should know what they would get in pdace of Provincialism before voting to have it done away with. Air Shanu thought Mr Allan was wrong. The Treasurer had said, in answer to .Ur Wales, that the Education Reseives would remain, as now, with the Province, '.I he Education Reserves, he might mention, had never been on the same footing u,s the University reserves—that is to say, they had not been Crown granted to certain gentlemen by whom they we.re held in trust. He had every continence*in that part of the performance being carded out, ;os their when they saw anything done that would be of harm to the Province, would bo united, whether they were for abolition or not. Mr >SIM was of tne same opinion as Mr AlLm—the Government was not to be trusted, lie referred to the. Clutha trust, and said lie considered that road boards should be endowed.

Mr 1). Boukik (who vacated the chair in order to address tae meeting) paid that, to premise, it was not all gold that glitters. Th iy knew pretty well what Provincialism was, and he did not know there was any person in the room who would s<y it was all white—that there bad not been abuses in it. They knew pretty well what the General Government was, it had not been perfect, and it was quite possible that when oueo the General Government got all the power's belonging to the Provincial Council, it would not be one whit better than the Provincial Council. But no one could shut his eyes to die fact that the Provincial Councils, would be abolished. ;te had made up his mind that, lor good or evil, t> e advance of public opinion would be for abolition. htilJ, on the rju. stion of delay, there was room for a good deal of opinion, and it 8 emed to him that delay was absolutely necessary, it was a vital question that alloc ten them for weal or woe in the future ; for once abolition was made, it would be a loug time bef-.m they would revert back to so complicated a system as the present. Ho had studied political economy a little, and it seemed to him that the great evil of Provincialism lay m this ; that they hj d not kept to the original live Fiovinces. Had they stuck, to five Provinces there would, he drought, have been no talk of abolition to-day. By the multiplicity of Govesmueuts they were paying men to do work winch one man was capable of doing. One secretary, for instance, devoting his whole time, could manage the affairs of three or four Koad Boards as well as those of one. He had no couth lence in any tine promises by the General Government as to the Land Fund,, education .Reserves, or anything else, supposing them to be put beyond Provincial < Council control. The Government ot to-day might not be the Government of next session ; the Government of next session might come down and sweep away what had been pledged to Otago and Canterbury—their promises were nothing. He was opposed in principle to localising their funds ; the sooner they were under one Government the better. He knew these opinions were not popular, but, he said, the sooner they recognised themselves as one people the better. Let them send good representatives to the ssembly ; let their funds go up there; and let them trust to the goad sense of their representatives. if the people of the Colony were to be one people, he would be opposed to keeping the Land Fund to Utago ; on broad jnineipies this localisation could not be tolerated.

Mr Allan said the Middle Island had bought its Land I* und. Had three been np compact in 1856, and had the Middle island not paid three millions for the North, there would have been sense in what Mr Borrie said ; but the ' Lindle Island had bought its Land Fund, and he hoped would never give it up. —(Hear, hear. Mr James Wilson moved as an amendment, “ I hat, provided the Land Fund be secured to the i rovince, as it appears it will be, the sooner the Abolition Bill oecomes law the better for the country.” The amendment lapsed for want of a seconder, and the original motion was agreed to two only voting against it. Mr Weir moved that the proposition just passed be telegraphed to the member, Mr Ucnald Reid, urging him to use his best en deavors that the oil might not be passed this session. However good this abolition might be there could be no harm in delay. The resolution was seconded by Mr Tynan and caned. Mr .'•now moved, and Mr Ttnan seconded, “ That this meeting thanks our representative, Mr Donald Reid, for the part he has taken on the Abolition Question,” which was also carried.

Votes of thanks to Mr Shand, Mr Allan, and the Chairman, concluded the proceedings.