THE ABOLITION BILL.

Globe, Volume IV, Issue 365, 13 August 1875, Page 3

THE ABOLITION BILL.

MEETING AT RAN GI O RA, Last Thursday a.public meeting of ratepayers; called by the chairman of the Mandeville and Rangiora Road Board, in compliance with a requisition signed by twenty-two ratepayers, was held at the Road Board office, Rangiora, to consider the abolition measures of the Government, About seventy or eighty electors were present, Mr H. Blackett, on the motion of Mr M. Dixon, was voted to the chair, The chairman explained the object of the meeting. A letter was read from Mr J. 0, Boys, chairman of the Road Board, asking him to take the chair, and explain that he was so unwell that he was forbidden to be out after sundown. At the same time he (Mr Boys) should like to say that he could see no earthly reason why the Abolition Bill should be hurried through the present session of the Assembly, as he could see plainly that Canterbury at all events would not be so well off after it had got abolition. It might be true that they must have it, ‘ whether they liked or not, but he wished it to be put off till after the general elections. They had everything to lose, and nothing to gain, whereas all the other provinces, with the exception of Otago, have everything to gain and nothing to lose. The promise of endowing Road Boards with £2 for every £1 raised by rates, would not make them any better off than they were before, and it was impossible to carryout the same principle all over New Zealand, for the simple reason that the Government had not got the money without taking the land fund, and it could not go on borrowing for ever. He (Mr should like to propose the following resoluu^. opinion that abolition of the provinces should be postponed until after the next general election.” According to the present plan, the head man of the district ia to be nominated by the Governor, not elected by the ratepayers, and if anything should happen to Mr Rolleston the Government of the day might nominate a North Island man because he was a staunch supporter of the Government, and the people would have no redress. How would the electors like that ? He trusted they would have a good meeting, and asked that these remarks might be read to it.

The chairman said that he had prepared a comparative statement of what that district bad received, and what it would receive. ' The amount received last year from provincial grant was £1665 j general

grant, £2lB ; rates, £9OO ; total, £2783’ After the abolition the amount to be received might be stated at— £9OO ; from land fund, £9OO ; from consolidated revenue and dog tax, £3OO ; hotel licenses, £220; auctioneers’ licenses, £BO ; total, £3BOO. The balance in favor of abolition was therefore £sl7—[cheers]—and the district would be relieved of the maintenance of the main roads, now costing about £IOOO, [Cheers. 1 He hoped the meeting would consider the question well, and be able to arrive at a definite conclusion on the question before it. He now called on any person present to propose a resolution. Mr George Cone proposed the first resolution—“ That the Abolition of Provinces Bill as now placed before the General Assembly meets with the cordial approval of the electors of this district.” After the figures read by the chairman there was nothing left for him to say. It was plain that it would be an advantage to that district. Mr W, A. Burt seconded the motion. Mr Parsons asked if Mr Maude, late M.P.O. for the district, ;would express his opinion on this subject. Mr Maude said be would speak presently. Mr Parsons —Then suppose Mr Beswick stands up. [Cheers,] Mr J. Beswick said he was sorry to find so few present when such a serious Question was to be considered, viz, the abolition of the institutions under which they had lived for some time. He intended to move a resolution. When a resolution such as that proposed was put, the persons moving it should give their reasons which he pointed out had not been done. He was of the provincial creed, and this was not a time for public men to sit on a rail balancing themselves as to which way the popular feeling went. They all knew what provincial institutions had done, they knew that it had been a prosperous province; they had a balance at their bankers ; they had spent £850,000 in opening up the country, and £300,000 on railways; they had brought in a system of education and public works which no other part of the colony possessed, and on proposing such a resolution it was to be considered whether they were not jeopardizing these institutions, and it was for them to consider what they were to put in their place. Several of those present had not read the Abolition Bill, and he therefore explained several of the clauses, observing that he was not open to the charge that he was doing so for the purpose of getting a billet. One effect of the Bill was to nominate a Superintendent. Why we might have Mr Fitz Gerald sent here. [A voice; “ And a good man too;” another voice: “He’s the best we’ve had.) The office of Superintendent would be in the gift of the Governor, and they might have some one sent from the North Island, who they would have no control over, [A voice : “ Have we any control now ? ” Laughter. | The land fund, he pointed out, would go into the general pot. After alluding to a tabulated statement in the Lyttelton Times , he pointed out that the Road Boards would receive £112,000 less in proportion throughout the province than last year. [ Mr Ellis —“ Would the Road Boards get that next year?” Mr Truman —“How shall we be worse off if the Government will give us £2 for every £1?”] Mr Beswick said he was referring to the whole province. [Mr Truman—“ What about this district?”] Mr Beswick would read the amount coming to that district and the Oust, which he considered did not show any gain to these districts under the proposed abolition. The votes for the Road Boards he considered would continue, as the land fund was in the control of Provincial Council, which sales were if anything increasing. There was another consideration. Although they were promised £50,000, they were not certain to get it; the amount would have to be passed bj the Assembly and did they not think the Assembly would not first of all appropriate it for the debts of the colony. Then as to local self-government, the Bill did not propose to give any improvements, to wit, in regard to Road Boards, and school committees, and so forth. [A Voice—“ It does away with the Council.”] That was true, but they must look at the good the Council had been to them in getting votes for their districts, in improving the roads, and getting grants to Road Boards, as well as preventing the land fund from being all spent in Christchurch. As to saving the expense of the Council he deprecated the idea that there would be any economy in leaving all to the management of the Assembly. When they saw such tangible results of the Provincial Council in local institutions and mechanics’ institutes, it was not wise that they should be hurriedly abolished, and he put it to them, as reasonable men, to earnestly consider the question. If he could see that the Government was going to put anything better in the place of provinces he would not resist it, but he wanted time to consider it. It was illogical of the Government to telegraph all the Abolition Bill to let the people see it, and not give them time to consider the financial statement with it on which the Bill hinged. He did not consider, whichever way the meeting decided, that it could be taken as a true expression of the opinion of the public of the district. [Cries of “Time.”] Without detaining them longer he moved —“ That this meeting does not approve of the abolition of the provinces till after the next general election.” Mr M. Dixon seconded the amendment. That there was a necessity for a reform in the country no one would doubt—[hear, hear] —but he pointed out that the Assembly was running the country into debt. That debt was twenty millions, and the interest on that was equal in amount to twothirds of all the gold that had been raised from under and above the earth. [Laughter.] Had they any idea of what twenty millions was ; the interest was equal in value to the whole of the land in Canterbury, [A Voice—- “ Put it up to auction”—laughter.] Mr Dixon then went into comparisons of the products of the provinces of Canterbury and Otago compared with the rest of New Zealand, alluding to the prospect of these provinces if joined in with the rest of the colony. Referring to the return of probable receipts by Road Boards, he had arrived at the same result on his own account. In respect to the Upper House of the Assembly, it ought to be purged. [Laughter.] The people on this occasion ought to rouse themselves, and by the ballot box, not by any of these small meetings, revolutionise the system, j Mr Dixon was subjected to frequent interruptions and cries of “Time.”] Mr T. W. Maude came not intending to speak, but as an old friend he wished to set them right on any questions they might require any information. As to abolishing the provinces, he must with regret, he thought, admit that Superintendents and Councils

might be looked upon as no more. [Cheers.] He considered that t tiore ought to be plenty of time given for tlm public to reflect on the proposals of the Bill. They had, heard some figures from the chairman, and although that gentleman had the interests of that district at heart, they ought to look to the effect of the Abolition Bill all over the colony. Having been challenged as to where the information in the tabulated statement of the Lyttelton Times had been obtained from, he had ascertained that the information was taken from official sources, viz., the Provincial Appropriation Act and r\)lonial Treasurer’s statement. The result of land sales south of the Hangitata was taken from the sales to date and the rates from the returns furnished to the provincial Auditor by the Hoad Boards. His chief objection was not to the fact that provincialism was broken, if he might so say, but to the provisions of the Abolition Bill, which were about to be decided by a moribund Parliament. With reference to the land fund, the interest and sinking fund was to be charged on the land fund, then the surveys, then the £1 for £1 contribution, and the division of the residue with the importation of immigrants and charitable aid, and out of the other part they were to get their grants. He did not want to give his opinion ; but they could draw their own inferences. Instead of having so many representatives, for instance there were seven provincial members between the Waimakariri. and Hurunui, against two of the Assembly, or seven out of thirty-nine against two out of seventy-eight; there should be a readjustment of the representation, which, with other matters, should be considered at a general election. [Hear, hear.] As to immigration, why should the land fund' be appropriated for that. In another province having no land fund, how was that to be carried on, except from the land fnnd or consolidated funds. Again, the treasury bills would be charged to the consolidated revenue, and he knew that he paid about £4O to the consolidated revenue. This was an objection to the Bill. [Hear, hear.] He did not stand up as an ardent provincialist, as he accepted the Councils as defunct, but he considered that at the elections the large constitutional changes should be considered, and it was the proper time to get an expreseion of opinion. | Cheers.] Mr A. H. Cunningham would occupy the time of the meeting for only a few minutes. From what had gone before it would appear that provincial institutions were doomed—[hear, hear]—well then, it remained to be seen whether the Assembly would do the work as well as the “ beloved ” Provincial Council had done. He believed it would do it. [Hear, hear.] In addition to the contribution to the rates, the main roads and bridges were to be taken over, so that really if they were to receive 200 per cent with the taxes raised locally, they would be immeasurably better in Rangiora than at present. [Cheers.] The land sales were greater last year than ever they had been, so that the provincial grants were better than ever they would be again. [Hear, hear.] Before the Bill was published he considered himself a provincialist, but now that it was out he was an advocate for abolition. [Hear, hear.] Many in the Assembly who were previously for abolition too, were mow against it, because the Bill would not make common property of the land fund. This was a decided feature in its favor to his mind, [Hear, hear.] Having referred to the statement presented by the chairman, he added, that besides that, the district would not have to bear the charge of £1079, which was expended last year on the roads of that district. [Cheers.] Mr Maude thought that Mr Cunningham should not tax him with want of candour in respect to overlooking the fact that the amount for the main roads had not been referred to by him ; be did allude to them as the grants would come out of the residue of the land fund. Mr Cunningham apologised. Mr Maude accepted the same. The chairman said as there was some doubt, perhaps, in the minds of some persons, he would read a telegram from Hon C. C. Bowen, in reply to one sent by him (the chairman), to this effect—“ £2 guaranteed by Government to Road Boards at any rate. The balance of land fund, after legal charges, distributed by vote. At present, Road Boards are dependent on vote of Provincial Council for all they get. Votes will be taken for maintenance of highways, which will not be thrown upon Road Board votes.” Mr H. Boyd pointed out that the country could now easily be governed by one Government, and did not see the use of the Provincial Governments, which, in fact, were attempting to get the upper hand of the General Government, The northern railway was an instance of the extravagance of the Provincial Government. If the provincial members were such good men several of them might get into the Assembly, and give them the benefit of their experience. With regard to the post office, telegraph, and customs, what could they have in public institutions better managed, He did not see the least reason why the Assembly could not make quite as good laws as the Council, besides making one law for the whole country. It was no use saying the Government could not take our land fund. If the loans had to be met the Government would take that fund, and he had his hopes that the land fund of the North Island would soon equal that of Canterbury. What did Big Clark do in Otago some years ago, why, bought from the Superintendent a lot of land at 10s an acre, it being less than its value, but now they sang out, and made tie land fund a war cry. As to the question being delayed he could not agree with Sir George Grey objecting to the show of hands at public meetings. What did Sir George want? Sir George stated also that the Road Board grants were intended to be bribes to get people to go in for abolition, yet the Lyttelton Times went in to show that the Road Boards were losing by it. Sir George also wanted the Superintendents to make their own Bill, but what would suit the Superintendents would not suit the people. He, in conclusion, hoped they would not be bound by anj remarks they had heard. [Cheers.] Mr Faulkner, in an amusing speech, pointed out that provincial councillors, while cutting down expenses for charitable aid and so on, overlooked the free passes on railways. [Cheers ] But the question was, would they do better with the Assembly ? Mr R Truman pointed out that several salaries would be saved by abolishing the provincial institutions. Mr Beswick’s amendment was then pul and declared to be lost, eleven hands being held up for it and a forest of hands against

it. The motion was then put and declared to be carried unanimously. MrH. Boyd proposed “That the result of the meeting be telegraphed to the Hon C. C. Bowen.” Mr Truman seconded the motion, which was carried.