AN EXTRA CONVIVIAL MEETING.

Evening Star, Issue 4102, 20 April 1876, Page 3

AN EXTRA CONVIVIAL MEETING.

Somewhere in Southland are located the townships of Dipton and Winton, which henceforward must occupy a prominent place in the pages of Colonial history. One of the local institutions is a land league, which on a recent Monday evening decided upon holdmg a conference, at which free liberty of speech was permitted, followed by a banquet We can weU believe that the latter was interesting, pleasant, and jolly,’’ since, we are toid by one of the Invercargill papers, the conference gradually glided into the banquet, and the banquet assisted the conference, so that it was difficult to sav where one ended, and the other began’’ There was much toasting, more drinking, and no end of silly talk indulged iu. As president of the institution par excellence which contributes to the prosperity of the polony —the Dipton Land League— Mr Daniel, M.P.C., replied to the principal toast, and told those present that they were part of a great nation, and were likely to continue so if they stuck to their land revenue. Then followed a discussion upon the deferred payment system, which upon Mr Darnel’s motion was affirmed to be the best mode of alloting land; while selling it by auction was voted to be detrimental to th# public interests. A Mr Lindsav who professes a great admiration for Mr Macandrew and his protest, and evidently suffers from Vogelphobia, lashed one of his hearers into phrenzy by declaring that Sir Julius, whom he likened to a member of the canine race, had more power than the Queen. The irrepressible John Graham next appeared on the scene with the information, which will be news to those who live on the other aide of the aitaki, that “Canterbury has seen the errors of its ways,” and inferentially was prepared to support Mr Macandrew. Then this Convivial League accepted Graham s invitation to express their opinions whether the Provincial Council should meet again, and did so thiswise :

Mr Lindsay remarked that Mr Macandrew gave his word as a gentleman, in the Legislative As! sembly, that there should not be another meeting of the Provincial Council. ° U1 thSgS“h e ekrnd. aot aWaTO that he everdi <iany. Mr Joyce, M.H.R., said tho Provincial had to meet once more, and that would be on the first day after the next session of the Assembly No ham would bo done if thevwere to *uticimto that meeting, and meet before the Assembly did. • •, w |iu ld like to see Otago go alone He would gladly resign hi a seat if ho could eea the Colony gOmS m fOl dechinn £ 0ta 8o an independent The Vice-Chairman (Mr Hugh Cameron) proposed Long fife to Provincialism,” and ex Dressed belief t at :t would last more than six monthsyS Much later in the evening It was resolved that this meeting sympathises with his Honor tho Super in! tendent under his recent insult, and approves of

Among the other “serious” business done was to carry resolutions affirming that increased areas of 400 acres of first-class land should he thrown open on deferred pay. ments. Even the reporter was carried away by the pervading enthusiasm and delivered himself of a speech on the lands, which r „ suited the tastes of the Leaguers that caeereu him greatly, and his modesty does not prevent hrn from chronicling f/ e jolly League went ; mto on- ' vmahty, which they kept up til’, f, ° ■ and resolved to send a recorS rAu • rmri & ceedingfj to the Superintendent, * th P ro - i