THE POLITICAL SITUATION.

Evening Star, Issue 4240, 28 September 1876, Page 2

THE POLITICAL SITUATION.

At the Princess's Theatre last evening Messrs Macandrew and Stout, members for Duneain in the House of Representatives, addressed a meeting of citizens. The gathering had been arranged by the Central Political Association, the objects being that the City members might detail the position of affairs in Wellington, and, that their constituents might give an opinion as to what course it would be desirable for them to follow in the future. The building was absolutely crammed in every part, seats and standing room being fully occupied, so that there must have been over 2,000 persons present. The Mayor occupied the chair, and there were a number of citizens on the platform, including Messrs P. Meenan, J. Davie, J. Rutherford, D. Baxter. W. Strachan. A. Mercer, D. Henderson. M.P.C.; A. Sligo, R. K. Murray, and G. M. Reed. The Chairman introduced Messrs Macandrew and Stout to the meeting, and they were greeted with prolonged applause. He then said: Gentlemen, — We have met this evening for the purpose of hearing the views of two of our members for tho city, who have been for some months past representing us in the General .'Assembly. Gentlemen, possibly the present time is the most critical time that we have ever hod in the Colony, and it behoves us all, no matter what our views—whether we be Proviu» cialists or whether we be Abolitionists—to oome to seme decision regarding what shall be the future Government of the country.—(Hear, hear.) It is unnecessary that I should say much on this occasion. Upon the occasion of the last great political meeting that was held in this City, good common sense seemed to actuate all those who were present on that occasion, and I am perfectly satisfied that the same will prevail this evening.—(Applause.) I ask, gentlemen, that you will give every gentleman who appears before you this evening a fair hearing, no matter what his political views may be —(Loud appb use.) M-' Macandrew, who was received with tremendous cheering, said: Mr Chairman ami gentlemen, I believe that it is somewhat unusual for members of Parliament to address their constituents while the House is in session. However, there are exceptions to every rule, and as I happen to be in Dunediu, I suppose that such is the case now. I do not know that it will be necessary for me to say very muoh upon the present occasion, seeing that my honorable and learned colleague, Mr Stout, is much more fluent than I am, and is mueU more at home upon the platform, He will, no doubt, explain fully the present political situation in Wellington. Gentlemen, I am here to-night as one of the representatives of the City for the purpose of ascertaining whether or not my action has been such as to meet the approval of my constituents.— (Loud applause) I accept that che:r as an indication that it has.—(Applause.) Gentlemen, last weei I received a letter signed by a consid> rahlo number of residents in Duuedin. That letter contained n, vote of censure upon myself and those with whom I bad been acton? dun'u&- tho late session for the line of aotjon which wo lthd pureijed. Well, horo I am to &nswep for myself any definite charge which may be bresjjfbifc agaiuat mo. It has been said tliat we have obstructed tfe2 public business of the country.—(Hear, heart jio, us.) J entirely and absolutely deny it. It is nn ettiy matter to make such a clmrgb, There is no dot:!'* but tbat it is a stereotyped charge wiiujh has been brought against Her Majesty's Opposition in p.ll times p ist, and I believe that it is a charge which will ba brought against them go long as representative Government continues to exist. Yet ail I can say is this—we have done our best to obtaia a Ringle legislature for each island, believing, as wo do, that that is tho only way of saving fhis Colony.

—(Hear, hear.) It is the only way, in my opinion, of saving the Colony from that financial perdition into which it is fast sinking. We hava done our host to obtain a separate local legislature for the Middle Island, believing that it is the only way to preserve this Province from being plundered of its revenues, and the only way to preserve for the people of Ota-go any control at a:l over tbeaoministration of their affairs.—(Cheers). If that is obstructing the business of the country, I for one plead guilty to it. and I glory in the obstruc tiou.—(Hear, hear). I repeat, gentlemen, that it ts our best and only security for preserving to the people of this Proviuco the right they now possess, and which no Legislature in New Zealand has the power to take from them—the right of determining for thomselvos the form of Government host adapted for their requirements. Gentlemen, the obstructors of the business of the country are those who K or. the letter up to which I have referred—(applause)— and but for that letter, the motion which I had upon the paper had every chance of being carried.—( A Voice : What a pity.) 1 pity the gentleman who ejaculated " whatapity." He knows not what he is talking about. I say that the obstructors of the business of the country are thoso who are pulling down the constitution of the country, aud who havo not the capacity to put anything m its place. It is nn easy matter to pull down and destroy—any fool can do that; but it is another affair to reconstruct and to build up. That requires constructive genius, a commodity which is remarkably scarce at present.— i (Hear, hear.) Wo are told tbat the Counties Bill would put this right. Well, if the Counties Bill j would put ui in possession of the L 200.000 of which we shal: be deprived by the Abolition Act, I could understand it and would embrace it. But as it is. you may have fifty or 500 Counties Bills. These nre the shadow without the substance, the shell witheut the oyster. I cannot understand why the people should trouble their heads about the Counties Bill, if we have no money—if it only g'ves us power to tax ourselves, we can do that already. I will here remark upon certain proposals which appeared in one of to-day's papers. Hints are thrown out that a compromise mieht be effected, and that we might get a Board of Works, with power to expend our own land fund and railway revenues. Well, gentlemen, " a rose by any other name would smell as sweet," and I would accept such a measure if I could get it. But it has been utterly and absolutely refuse 1. In Wellington lost week we appointed a committee to wait upon the Government to ascertain if tho would agree to a Board of Works for Otago, but they would not listen to the proposal. You might as well talk to the deaf adder as to the General Assembly in Wellington—it will not he charmed, charm you ever so wisely. We have been charged with having obstructed the business of the cauntry. You must not suppose that it is so vet y pleasant a position to be absent from one's home for three or six months in Wellington. I would be sorry to #ut myself to such inconvenience for the sake of obstructing the business of the country. The Assembly has, up to the present, been in session with but one result, and that a very tangible one. That is, that it has cost the Colony up to date L 45,000. That is more than eleven times the cost of an ordinary session of the Provincial Council of Otago. We are going to abolish the Provincial Council of Otago on the ground of economy, forsooth! Well, it is likely the Assembly will continue in session for three months more, and if so, there will be a pretty stiff sum to pay altogether. The whole amount will, to my mind, be thrown away utterly and absolutely in attempting to do what, in the present position of Neve Zealand, is impossible, namely, to manage tho whole affairs of the Colony at Wellington by one simple power. The only remedy I saw for the present of things was the resolutions proposed by Sir George Grey, having for their object a separate Legislature tor each island, with an inexpensive Federal Government in the oentre.—(Cheers.) As you are aware, this question was debated for a Ion? time, and exhaustively. No doubt, my friends will call that a waste of time for the country. The arguments adduced were all on one side, but the resolutions were negatived. After tbat, the next best thing for Otago appeared to me to be the proposals to which I have referred, and which, if carried, would have left us where we were until the people would have had an opportunity of determining as to the form of Government best adapted for them.—(Cheers.) These resolutions, I had every reason to believe, would he carried but for this letter. Out of a House consisting of eighty-eigbt members, we only lost them by eighteen, and considering 'he question, this was one of the most remarkable divisious of the session. Now, allow me in a few wjrds to endeavor to snm up our political situation. The moment that Abolition takes plsce we lose our Provincial Council, that school for public men and statesmen, and the lsss of which, I believe, we shall always regret. We shall lose the stimulus which it gives to public spirit and patriotism amongst us. That is one view of the matter. But on losing it, our railway administration is at once transferred to Wellington, and our railway receipts, instead of being expended upon objects of utility all over the Province, will find their way to Wellington. L 90.000 of land revenue which has hitherto been devoted to making of roads and the erection of schools throughout the length and breadth of the land, will be applied for the purpose of paying interest upon our Provincial loans, the interest on which has hitherto been paid out of our Customs revenue. This is a matter which does not seem to be generally understood. These two items amount to a large sum of money when put together. You may ask me what will become of that money P I will tell you. At the present time, and under our present system, the Colony is outrunning the constable at tho rate of L 340.000 a year. Now, that is a startling fact—it is one which I would have every one of you put in his pipe and smoke well, and chew the cad of reflection over it. It is to make up that deficiency that our land and railway revenue is required. If the Government got the money they would not, I believe, seek to disturb the Provinchl Council. It will alio* the Council to meet provided it gets the money (Cheers.) If they do get it, it will be found that it will not be sufficient to make up this great deficiency. Canterbury's land fund, and ours as well, would barely suffice to do it. Recourse must be had to additional taxation, unless our whole system be changed. The entire system under which we are now living is utterly rotten, and unless a change takes place, there is nothing for it but additional taxation. You may ward it off for a time by the issue of Treasury b lis—bills of accommodation, by means of which subsidies are to he paid to Municipalities, Eoad Boards, &c. It is a case of ex nihilo nihil fit. All I can say to the Municipalities and Road Boards is, " don't you wish you may get it ?" Nothing can save the Colony, unless yon change the system, and reduce expenditure. The first step in this direction should he to reduee the cost of the General Assembly to £5,003 a year, which is suflacient to enable it to do nil the work we require at its hands, provided it confines itself to purely federal purposes. Th re is only one other thing which can save the Colony and Province, and in mentioning it, I dare say some people will think me heterdox: tut I have reflected over it a good deal, and am of opinion that the only other way to save Otago is to erect it into a separate Colony.—(Loud cheers.) I believe that is the panacea for all our ills. Erect Otago into a separate Colony, which I think can he done by Constitutienal means, as was done in the cases of Victoria and Queensland. New South Wales would never have parted with either of those Colonies, any more than New Zealand will part with Otago. If the people go the right way about it, it can be accomplished, that is, by having recourse to the Imperial Parliament. (Applause.) It is utterly futile to apply to tho General Assembly of New Zealand to have onr grievances redressed. There is notbi ;g so extraordinary in the idea of Otago being a separate Colony, or even a State: it is far larger thau Greece or Switzerland, and even larger than Belgium, and also many countries in Europe. We are larger than many of the populous States ir America. I believe that if we were a separate Colony we should have L 700.000 a year as revenue, after providing for our share of the Colonial liabilities. L 700.000 a year would quite suffice to govern this Province, and to make all its railways and other works, without going into the money market at all. I believe we should then shoot ahead at an enormous rate, and develop our immense resources, if we were only unintermeddled with by the narrow-minded prejudices and jealousies of the smaller Provinces of New Zealand, which meet us at every step wo go, and whio i is exhibited in various ways. The direction which it is now taking is U stop the Californian Steam Service from coming down here. We are to pay L 35 000 a year for a postal service, the port of call of which is to be the Bay of Islands. That proposal is now before the Assembly, aud is likely to be carriod. We shall have to p:iy the lion's share of the subsidy, but will derive none of the benefit. [The speaker then commented upon an article in a Wellington paper referring to the political feeling in Otago and the letter forwarded to Mr Burns and the Dunedin members. It spoke of the " unknowns who constituted the Political Committee," and wound up as follows:—" Truly, this people are a peculiar people—a parochial people—a narrowminded people—a selfish, greedy people, who are doing what they can to draw upon them the merited contempt of all right - minded persons in the Colony."] What has Otago done, I should like to know, to bring down upon it all this vituperation P It has been the milch eow of th© Colony. There is a statement which shows that Otago has coutribuied altogether to the Colonial revenue no less a sum than L4,02y,01C 4s 7d, and it has received hut little or nothing in return. That is the position of matters. There is not the slightest doubt but that if the pdcpla of this Province are determined that it shall not be so in the future, they can carry out their resolution to bo free and independent.—(Loud cheois.) Hr SiOPT, who rose amidst loud cheers, said: I appear berore you to-night under peculiar cireumstnuces—that is, to answer a ehollange madQ by my old friends Messrs Cargill, Pish, and others. I qVpcgra-lso to defend my action in the House. Gentlemen, J jyigh |o bring before, iu as brief a manner as possible, u. wteospact of tjjo political situation. I liavu to ask you for what purpose did 7055 eoud us to Wellington ? Was it to give in to iiuy Ministry whjch might be in power, whether j,'.;cy acted rightiy or towdg you ? Jf you had sent us for this purpose, then no douut there would not have been any Opposi ion, and the session might haye hopn oyer in a short time, and the 661- requisitionists wonld feavg bpjjn doljgb.ted. Put you sent us in to fight for a gi eat principle, and for your iutivegts. I wish to meet thGSp charges which Lave been inado, and I notjee spjfte of those

gentlemen present who signed the letter.'and who have been crying " No! no!" to the Saperintendent's remarks. I will bring before this meeting the actual state of things in Wellington. I have brought down the latest numbers of «Hansard,' so I shall be able to verify what I am about to say. Parliament met on the 15th Jane, and than day was spent in opening the House and iu swearing m tho members. The Governor's speech was made on the lGth. Then came the Piako Swamp debate, and I will tell you how it originated. ikm Au r ckland members did not arrive until the 15th. I took up the 'Jiew Zealand Government (juzette. and pointed out to Sir George Grey the series of regulations which had been made by the Governor-in-Council under the Native Lands Act, authorising; the Governor-in-Council to sell this swamp, as if no bargain had been previously made, and in violation of the promises which Ministers made at the previous session. I said that it was monstrous for the Government to to legalise thiß illegal and discreditable sale. Sir George Grey was stunned, and could hardly believe that any Ministry bavin* the fear of public opinion before tbeir eyes would have acted in snch a manner. On the 16th of June Sir George Grey asked that the Standing Orders should be suspended, in order to move a motion, asking that the Ministry should do nothing in the matter until the House would have bad time to debate the question. The new members were in favor of the request made gy Sijr George, and the suspension of the btanding Order was carried by a majority of nine. Siy George Grey then moved his motion, and the Minist-y, knowing that the sale could not stand inquiry, came down and said that they would resign at once if tho motion was carried. The Opposition, seeing that the matter could not be fairly discussed, asked Sir George Grey to withdraw his motion. He accordingly did: ask leave to withdraw the motion, but the Government, conscious that they had been able m past sessions to do what they pleased, and having majorities to vote as they were told to vote, and to act as they were told to act, refused to consent to the motion being withdrawn. It went to a division, and the result was a tie. The Speaker gave his voice in favor of the Government, and the thing was wiped off the journals of the House. The Ministry then said that seeing they would have been beaten but for the casting vote of the Speaker, they wished to have an adjournment until the 23rd of June. The House then adjourned until the 21st of June, when the Premier wished it to be ad* journed to the 22nd, wl ich was done. When the House met on the 22nd, the Opposition did not move auy motion, hut the Government moved the following one—"Thtt this House will not interfere to prevent the issue in the ordinary course of the Crown grant for the Piako Swamp." I tell the 864 people who say that it was the Opposition who raised the discussion about the Piako Swamp, that they have not read' Hansard,' and that they must have been deceived by those who got them to sign the memorial. Those who got up this letter, which was taken round for signature by newspaper runners, are responsible for the injury they caused Otago. . This debate lasted from the 22nd to the 27th June. Of course, we could not allow a matter like this to pass without a debate—we had to bring before the House and the country the true nature of this Piako Swamp swindle, for I can term it nothing else. They left the Government to bring down the Financial Statement and their statement of Public Works, and waited anxiously to know what the Government would do. In that the Opposition pursued a wrong course, because there were Canterbury members who said *« The Government are wrong, but we must criticise their nuances." On tho 3rd of August their finance was disclosed. They then disclosed that they had determined to break faith with the electors by taking our land fund. In defiance of their election promises they said that certain charges should be paid out of our land fund—which they had promised to preserve inviolate—to the consolidated fund. We saw there were only two ways open, and the question was, could we get back Provincialism as it existed, or should we go in for Separation ? Only eight days were spent in debating this. The debate commenced on the 3rd August and ended on the 16th August, but there were only eight sitting days. And I say these eight days were not wrongly spent. In that letter it is said there has been a waste of time in discussing Abolition. Yet Abolition, in the pure sense of the term, has never been disoussed, except on the one evening spent in dis cussing the motions introduced by Mr Macandrew, and then it had reference only to Otago. After the 16th August, and through the whole of September, we did nothing. Then we had the Agent-Generalship business, and the resignation of the Government. I shall next tell you about this disqi alification business. The Ministry came down and said, " You have been talking that some of us want to get this Agent-Generalship. Well, we do, and the best thing we can do is to resign." At last they announced that the Ministry had resigned, and that Sir J. Vogel had accepted the Agent-Generalship, and the Hon. Major Atkinson had formed a Ministry with eight other members. The question was then • raised: had he power to take in eight? Was not that a violation of the statute of the Disqualification Act ? At first he pooh-poohed the matter, and said to the Opposition "you are always raising difficulties" Well, they thought over it a while and found it was not all right, and they brought in a sort of Civil List Bill, but one of their own supporters got up and told them they had got themselves into an awful mess, and that they had best resign. 1 hey adjourned the debate, and called & meeting of their supporters. They said they would resign, and they did resign. That did not get them out of the mess. They found they had violated the law, and had subjected themselves to penalty. Well, they were not going to pay the penalty, and did not like to go back to their constituents. They had to go back to their constituents, but they knew that if they went back to their constituents with broken pledges that they would not pass an Indemnity Bill for them so readily as the House would. One committee reported that the Ministry had violated the law—tha actually they were strangers in the House. Sir George Grey asked that the matter be taken into consideration at once, as involving the privileges {of the House. The matter was taken into consideration at once, and the Premier came down with a motion to the effect that it was expedient that a Bill of Indemnity be introduced, and that it be passed as a matter of urgency to protect Ministers from the consequences of violating the law. That was debated, but the Government found it would not do. Then they got one of their sup. porters, Mr Ballance, who cime down with a proposal that, notwithstanding Ministers were vacant, they were not vacant, and that Ministers were to continue in their seats. We got up and protested, but the Government said: No; we wont give you a single minute's time, " You must pass this motion at once." We replied—" That is a tyranny of the m ■ jority that we shall never yield to."—(Applause.) So long as I have a seat in the House of Bepresentatives, I tell you that I shall never yield to anything of that sort. I got up and begged of them to adjourn the House to give time for discussion. No, they would consent to nothing. Then we said—"Asyou]will not consent we shall use constitutional means to show you that the influence of the minorityl is strong enough, at least, to prevent you from trampling on their rights and privileges." We carried on the debate. Mr Sees spoke all through the night. We went to the Gove: nment supporters and asked for an adjourn* ment to 2.30. " We will have no compromise," they said; " we will make you do aa we like." I said, " You shan't."—(Applause). We went on debating the matter through Friday. The Government would not consent to an adjournment; they would have no compromise—would listen to no terms Major Atkinson said he would have no compromise at all. So the debate went on through Friday and Saturday, and continued till Monday. Then the Opposition met, and of their own free will said " We give in without any compromise." It was a fight which really was for upholding what was the law of| the land. In the middle of this fight we heard of this letter being got up; and I say that it was in consequence of telegrams that had passed from Wellington that it was got up. I had worked hardet this session at Wellington than ever before in my life, and I do not consider that I am an idle man. This telegram speaks about being wearied and disappointed. These men, who, to use an old phrase, have been living at home in ease, "feal impelled at this present juncture of the public affairs, to give an opinion on the political situation in Wellington;" as if we did not know the political situation as well as anyone down here. Here are men who are doing nothing at nil for the country's Interest, saying they are wearied and disappointed— (Gieat laughter.) Here are we, who have been fighting for three long mouths for your interests, and then for these to tell us, forsooth, that they are wearied and disappointed. I thought first when I sa«v the letter in the newspaper that someone fond of a practical joke had telegraphed it up, for most extraordinary telegrams appear in the Wellington newspapers. The telegram said that Mr Eobert Gillies and Mr A. 0. Strode signed their names near the top of the page They made a lot of this thing, as if it would influence our acts one way or another. What did I care what Mr Cargill or Mr Strode thought. Well this letter comes in in the middle of the fight. It has very little real significance, because many signed it under a misapprehension. The Centralists at once picked it up and said, " Here is a letter sent by Gillies, Strode Cargill, and Fißh".-(Loud groans for Mr Fish ) The Centralists say, "When you get those siguatures, you get thoße of all the people of Dunediu " -(More laughter.) Well, they say, "There are Maoandrew, Larnach, and Stout fighting in the teeth of their constituents, because Messrs Gillies and Strode, and Cargill"—.(Laughter.) And what wasitaeffept? It damaged us in the Assembly. L tell the eleotors that much as I esteem the position of being their representative, if I thought I was going against their convoitiong, I would not remain in the Assembly a single day. All the Wellington papers got the letter, and they said, " Why Duucdin has become Centvalistic, and it wants to be managed from Wellington too." In what position does the Colony now stand ? Wo entered on the Public Works scheme with its vast expenditure of money, and it was one of the cardinal views of that scheme that to prevent poll, tic-l railways each Provinco should pay the interest on. its own railways. 'Jho point was ratnwd, and it was further decided that the profits within each Province should go to that Provinco. To Otago these profits mean a ccnsiderablo sum, of money. We have been told, tbftt W would have our land fund secured, to us fo? ever by Act of Pariiameut. fcoak at this. Government scheme. I am sorry that J Lave to approach it from a money

point of view, but I do bo because I find that under that Bill before the Assembly the Govern, ment promises bribes to this and bribes to that, subsidies here, and subsidies there. It was this that mislead the constituencies. And I eay it is a credit to Dunediu that she did not accept the proffered bribe. No other City but Auckland did the like, and I believe Christchurch is now beginning to see that she is like the old historical character that sold his birthright for a mess of pottage. The position was that you were to have your land fund secured for ever, and to have certain allowances for education, hospitals, museums, and other thiugs. It was upon these pledges that Abolition was promised, but now we must lose our railway profits, and this year I believe these will be L 30.000. We also lose a portion of the land revenue, i.e. two per ceut. on all the money expended iu the Province under the public works scheme. That will amount to another L 30.003. The Provinco of Otago alone, with these and other items, loses L 150.000. The figures ore undeniable. And because we fought against a thing like that, these gentlemen exclaim that they are weary and disappointed. What does this loss of L 150.000 annually mean P Why, an injury not only to the outlying districts, but an injury to the City, because you cannot have a city without a country to support it. The interest of the two are inseparably bouud together. It also will have this effect—you will never have the outlying districts opened up. I now come to deal with Provincialism and County ism. We are asked in this letter to d:sens3 Countyism and the Finance of the Colony. The County Bill was discussed two nights, and I heard hardly a good word for it. The Government's own supporters knocked it about and picked holes in it, and the Government has now brought down an amended Bill, as you may have seen by the telegrams published within the last few days. I do not say that Provincialism has not had its faults, hut, if any one is to blame for them, it is the Jpcople themselves. Now, regarding the Board of Works. Last year, Mr Macandrew introduced a Bill to have it in place of the present form of Provincial Government. That does not suit those gentlemen who have set up the cry of Abolition. Such a thing you could have made a popular Provincial Council. You could have made such arrangements that when these pastoral leases would have fallen in, you could get four, or five times the revenue you get now. That had been tested at Wakatipu and at Tuapeka. The small capitalist has become a sheep farmer, and pays three or four times as much for his land as the squatter. Had you adopted this Board of Works scheme you would have a princely revenue coming in to you, without having any need to sell an acre of your lands, and you could have kept up your institutions without inflicting taxation on the outlying districts. Just look at what has taken place in the Assembly in regard to Canterbury runs. It is a most iniquitous scheme. The Government got a memorial from Canterbury bankmanagers and squatters in reference to the tenure of these runs. Now these runs are to be assessed by " independent men." You know what that means. They are to have these runs for ever and without competition. If the Canterbury squatters get that, do you not think that the Otago sqaatters will get the same?— (M'Labek : No.) The person who says "no" has never been in Wellington.—(Mr M'Laeek : But I have been in Wellington.) Yes, and they do not wish you back again.—(Laughter.) With tho Provincial Council you would have been in such a position that the strides taken in the progress of thf place would have been greater than before. And • tor this mere parrot cry of Abolition set up by tboso who do not know what it means, you are going to give all this up. You ore giving up therigltof m inaging your land, for in this Waste Lands Board BUI the functions which your Superintendent and Executive have had to perform under a responsibility to you and the Province are to be vested in a lot of nominees, appointed by the Colonial Government. You are parting with your Bido districts for settlement, for runholders have, more power in Wellington than in Otago. ??-?« S- Tin S a power over your lands without which Otago cannot prosper, nor Dunodin cannot prosper. What benefit do you get in return ? I ask any of these wearied and disappointed men to come up on the stage and recite to this audience one single benefit.—(Laughter and applause.) You are getting nothing but a barren Abolition Act, which will be altered and amended in whatever way the majority iu the House think, and what they consider the necessity of the Colony requires. Where are the Provinces to get subsidies for thoir Counties ? " Oh," says the Abolitionists," theymust be paid out of the Consolidated Fund." fheyare what is termed charged to the Provinces. The money will be got by the Colonial Government issuing Treasury bills. But where is the money to come from to meet them when they fall due? Many of the Provinces will not have funds to pay for one year, far less for two or three. Of course the money will have to come out of your pockets. Tnat is what you will have to pay for, for what is neither more or less than an ideal. If you wish your Provincial Council remodelled, you could have nod it done without resorting to this. The Council could have made the changes itself by abolishing its legislative functions. You are asked to support Abolition, a thing which gives no real equivalent to this Province at all, while it deprives you of the benefits and the funds which you have hitherto enjoyed. No doubt it is grand to have a united Colony, and those Separation resolutions provided tnat * v M , orß „ t ? iau *-»-> they provided that oil those parochial affairs which now come before Parliament should be managed not in Wellington, but where they axese, and by the people best acquainted with them. They left to the General Parliament simply those federal affairs which such a Parliament could well undertake. Look at the parochial nature of fnil }T&& on ,5?, .Ellington. We have been fuU of little Bills, and our time has been spent night after night in doing what any Provincial Council could have done, and much more satisfactorily to the people. I ask KSwitaw* usmess fo f * central legislature? The Bills the Government have introduced to provide for local government have a number of clauses «nVte u «£ 0U J d hardl y credit. Their MuLicipal Bill had 332 clauses, and the number has been increased since The Public Works Bill has 217theFinance_Billtad4s, and its number has been increased; the Counties Bill 203: Bating Bill 70• Theßegulation of Elections Bill, This does not include the whole of the Ministerial measured ,o , r -ocal self-government. Actually in one vear i°JL i « self-government. Is that dUmuushinir legislation ? I could speak for a greater length 7» timeon the advantage of retainSTthelEgi ment of your own local revenues, but I only wish to put myself right with you as to my past action and the course which I will follow infuture. Inm ready to do again what I have done in the post for your interests-to work for what I believe to be right and tnu, if you tell me to go on! But highly as I should esteem the honor of representmgyou, I do not consider that I would be domg right to myself or to you by puKmy! self to inconvenience only to fincl that I am -«wwrE ing and disappointing " you. We are fighting the ,'f'™ can according to oar own lighte. Wo are m Wellington, behind the scenes as it were of the Sftfl* and a J e -« better ablate judS ShJjM-* o .^? B foryou » uour Jadgmentta to be trustedat all, than auy one resident fere We w e -JW r r tofi s5 t i°r T? u "> a tbe Colony gen£X! H you believe that, tell us so, and I anTready <oto %&SBEZ3* %ht agaia ta yonr &t-------i J£ 80 ?-^ 07 " 1 ,. th® first resolution, as. fol. !?« S J7 xW Meßßrs Macandrew and Stout are en. titled to the hearty thanks of this hear)-for affording their oaißtitiuntsi tumty for mutually hearing andexpr^simSE: politics. That m the opinion of this meetin* the Otago representatives who have acted S oStion feWi? 118 » session of the Assemlfo have faithfully honorably, and nobly fulfilled S trust, and deserve, and have, the entire sytn! °- • grea i bulk of «-* inhabttantTtf Otago, in their efforts to cbtain justice for and maintaining the rights and priviiWes of th« people of this PK>vmce."-(App&useO Ho said the resolution was a speech in itself, anddidnot require many words from him to recommend It committed to their charge, and redeemed *h*i~ election pledges, keeping in Siew the principled enunciated when before their constituents: I! ffi ™ d £T l, , eifes «-* J-S*ts wwth maintaining the? n? g ™£° ~ «?. °««* «** the drivelUng wound* of pounds, shilhngs. and pence. They should for thl^Cts^f 1 ?, + tu cse privileges StaS* < 2d tor the efforts of their two reuresentntiv<>R i« + w hearty vote of thanks.—(Hear, hear.) They should say to those gentlemen: "The ioble manner £ which you have done your duty in thebast is a guarantee that you wilt so doit BW° i } me - them t0 shoulder, wd show their representatives that they had thSS Sffif confidence for the future.l(GreU a£ MSd^tnllt"u^ BbeenßiVeil7£OT Me «« Mr HAM.EKSTEIN seconded the resolution, aavini2M£X t s^H at ? Moll he "oticedm'effin ail parts of the Province, assured him that fill whole of the people of Otago, a^os^whowself! interest overshadowed them for a whilp_li»li£ determined to thank their thtE? they have taken to conserve tS taStiSK under which New Zealand has risen to tK»^ of^ r 'ir?'h!m G^»,am^d^ reat 0 " a»d cries ■JL-S 1 f£ m ? ut « said when MrMacandiew p« awasess «snS3HK?

and to secure the bait terms they can for this important City ana constituency."—(Loud hisses and confusion.) The Chairman after great exertions restored order and put it to the vote whether Mr Grant should be heard or not. The result was an overwhelming majority in the negative, and Mr Grant subsided.

The motion was then put and carried enthusiastically. Mr Macandrew : Before the next resolution is put, allow me, Mr Chairmen and gentlemen, on behalf of my colleague and myself, to say that we wish to return our m*st sincere thanks for the hearty and unanimous vote that you have just passed.—(Cheers.) Mr Stout : Mr CI airman and gentlemon, I tender you my sincere thanks for the vote which has just been passed; andHl may sny that I belie7e I shall always be found doiDg my duty towards you as I have done in the pa?t. It is a great pity to my mind that the 864 people could not get a better man than Mr Grant to propose an amendment for them. I will say that the citizens of Dunedin have indulged Mr Grant in the past more than any City in the universe would have done.—(Applause.) Mr Moloket, Mayor of South Dunedin, moved—- " That in the opinion of this meeting it is hopeless to expect anything like justice to Otago from the present House of Eopresentatives, and that the Superintendent and the Executive be strengly urged forthwith to convene a meeting of the Provincial Council, with a view to the necessary legislative action being taken to obtain a plebiscitum of the people, so as ta ascertain their wishes and opinions as to the form of local self-government best calculated to secure to the Province the exclusive enjoyment of its own resources and the control and administration of its own affairs." He had been a xesident in Otago for the last fourteen years. Ho formerly thought that we were over-governed, but as soon as he saw Sir J. Vogel breaking his distinct promises in the Assembly, so that our land revenue and railway profits should be taken for the benefit of the wool kings of Marlborough, he certainly thought that we should look after our own interests.

Mr H. Cabbick commenced an address, but being interrupted by the meeting contented himself with seconding the resolution. The motion was put and carried unanimously. Mr Hutchison moved, and Mr E. K. Murray seconded—" That his Worship the Mayor, as Chairman of this meeting, be hereby respectfully requested and authorised to forward the foregoing resolutions to his Excellency the Governor of the Colony, and to the Colonial Secretary." This was also carried nem. eon.

Mr Suoo proposed a hearty vote of thanks to his Worship the Mayor, for his able conduct in the chair.-^Applause.) The Chairman : I have to express my hearty thanks for the compliment which you have passed upon me, but I very much regret for the credit of the City of Dunedin, that we have had this evening a few individuals who, through a despicable practical joke, have rather abruptly brought the proceedings to a termination. It reflects no credit upon them. It is a disgraoe, whoever it was. Three more cheers having been given for Messrs Macandrew and Stout, the meeting dispersed.