MR. SHEPHARD'S MEETING.

Nelson Evening Mail, Volume VII, Issue 271, 14 November 1872, Page 2

MR. SHEPHARD'S MEETING.

There was a large attendance of the electors of the district at the Lower Wakefleld Schoolroom, last night, Mr. Chattock in the chair. Mr. Shephard said that he had called the meeting at as early a period as possible after the close of one of the most remarkable sessions Hew Zealand had known. For the people of Nelson province it was specially remarkable, as during its course attacks had been made upon it irom various quarters, which, if successful, would have left Nelfon in such a position that it would have been impossible to carry on the Provincial Government. It was also remarkable for the fall of two Ministries, and he would show why it had appeared to him proper to remove the first, why he believed -that the second did not possess the confidence of the colony, and what grounds there were for hoping for better things from the third. Nelson had stood in a position of greater danger than had ever been the case before, and he hoped would ever be again. Previous to Mr. Fox's visit to the Coast he had had it persistently and insidiously instilled into his mind by those who were personally interested in doing so that the goldields were neglected by the Government, until he was imbued with a feeling of dUtrust and disbelief in their proper management, and he had gone down there with his mind made up as to the course he should pursue with regard to the matter in Parliament. When there, he was surrounded by these same individuals and others holding similar views, and was induced by them to look upon it in the. same light as themselves, whereas, had he gone there with an unbiassed mind, his own natural honesty of purpose and desire to do right would have led him to different conclusions. As it was, however, he visited the Coast with his mind made up, and, when there, he saw that there were many things that might have been done had the Government had larger funds at its disposal, and forgetting that the whole of the revenue raised on the Goldfields was spent on them, he persuaded himself that they bad been neglected. In addition to ibis, there was another attack made upon Nelson, a measure being introduced to briDg about the separation of the Amuri. This came from another quarter, from those politically opposed to Mr Fox. being brought forward by Mr iDgles, Mr Stafford's whip. To this also Mr Fox was favorable. In dealing with the question of the separation of the goldflelds every member of the settled districts was prepared loyally to resist it, and none could have acted more loyally in this matter, and indeed in all in which the welfare of the province was concerned, than the Superintendent. Tbeße attacks, and the support they were likely to meet with from Mr Fox, constituted two grounds upon which his Ministry was to be dreaded by Nelson. Again, there was the Foxhill railway, with regard to which we were entitled to some definite conclusion, but on the Contrary, Mr Reeves' reply to Mr Luckie's question was mosfc unsatisfactory. He promised that the estimates should be prepared but made no mention of any contract There was ah avoidance of any direct aubwer, and this, coupled with the needless delay that ba<i taken place led to the belief that there was no desire to complete it. There was also, great mismanagement, as after wasting time most unnecessarily, the working survey had been commenced before the engineer-in-chief had visited the spot and approved of the line, and this might lead tto octra-'j expense as he might coneideritDepeiß^ to make

many deviations All these circunistances combined made him feel dissatisfied with the Government as it then existed. What -would have been the effect on the province hud the double attack proved successful ? Its political influence, small as it now WBB, would have been lost altogether; its available funds would have been reduced while the cost of govemmeutwould have proportionatelyincreased; the education system would have fallen through for the want of funds, and the roads could not have been kept up without increasing tberates, while in the face of a Ciminished territory and revenue, there would have been no chance of obtaining our railway, ln other words, to have permitted these two of country to be lopped off would have ext'nguished Nelson altogether, w)iils at the same time the goldfields would not have benefitted in the slightest degree by being unitea tp the County of Westland with its enormous debt of £200,000. He (Mr Shephard) would now say that itwas always his determination at all hazards and sacrifices to attend to the interests of his constituents and to preserve'the integrity of the province, and to oppose to tbe uttermost its assailants, and if among them there should be numbered even the Premier, to. endeavor to remove him from hi* po&itson. He had no interest at heart but theirs, *so that when nny contest arose between abstract political opinions, and the welfare of his province, he was alwaj s willing to make the former give way to the latter, and to do his duty to those who had sent him to Parliament. He had seen that it was <*ii(Bcult to decide how the attacks on the province were to be defeate ', but one thiug was clear, that if the promoter of the Bill for depriving her of her goldfields and one or two of his colleagues could be removed from office Nelson would be safe. Therefore he had voted against the Fox Government,' Mr Stafford then assumed the reins. One ofthe popular delusions prevalent was that those who voted against Mr Fox were bound to vote with Mr Stafford, and vice versa, but this he denied. He was not prepared to admit that these two were the only men in the colony fit to be placed at the head of public affairs; that because they had so long held the reins of. power, they were to continue to pass from one to the other. For some years this had been the case, nnd it had been from Stafford to Fox and from Fox to Stafford until people actually began to believe that there was no one else capable of governing the country, but for his part he, in rejecting one, by no means felt compelled to support the other. He would explain why, in general, he objected to the rule of Mr Stafford. For four years he had held the strong conviction' that to no hands in New Zealand could the affairs of the colony be entrusted with less safety than to those of Mr Stafford. In 1868 his Ministry had brought in a proposition that the interest on the oebts of the various provinces should become a colonial charge, by which arrangement i*** elson would havo lost £16.000 ay t ar. If this sum had been taken from us where would all our institutions have been now? The injury to the province would have been absolutely financially fatal, and yet Mr Stafford at that time represented N'elson, while he was prepared to inflict sueh"grievous injury upon hia constituents. Wa* he to be trusted with the administration of affairs if Nelson could prevent ii? fie (Mr Shephard) thought not. This was one of the leading causes that had led him to distrust Mr Stafford, but in addition to this he felt that he had shown no earnestness in the public works policy, and, therefore, was not to be trusted. Besides, he felt that he could not have complete confidence in any Ministry which did not compri-e Mr Vogel and Mr M'Lean, while he also wished to see Mr Waterhouse in the Government. It was hoped that the latter would have joined Mr Stafford, so as to give his Cabinet some little weight, but though he was pressed to do so he declined. The constitution of the Stafford Ministry did not inspire the colony with confidence, and the announcement by the Premier that he intended to take the management of Native affairs gave rise to a feeling of horror. He must not be understood to say that the whole of the six Ministers failed to give satisfaction. On the contrary, there were two in whom he had especial confidence. One of these waa Mr. Fitzherbert, whq was most admirably adapted for the Immigration and Lands Depart ment, and the other was Mr. Curtis, who was well suited for the administration of the Postal, Customs, Telegraph, and Stamps Departments, but these two did not make up for the Premier and Mr. Sewell. The subsequent declaration by Mr. Stafford that he was prepared to leave the country in a short time fully justified any doubts that had been felt as to his earnestness in the public works policy. Having made these remhrks on the first two Governments of the session, he should go on to say why he hoped the present was one in which the colony might have confidence. Mr- Waterhouse was a man of large experience in pubiic affairs in another colony, and betore he had been here long he was called to the Legislative Council, where he speedily attained a prominent position, and came to be lo ked upon as a leader in the House. His whole course had shown that he united the most unflinching independence with the most unbending integrity, while hii disposition was not that of one seeking for advancement or desiring oflice. He now held the oflice of Premier without salary, and was a man the colony might trust. <if Mr. Vogel little need be said more than that he was the author of the public works scheme, which he always defended with an ability never excelled, scarcely ever equalled in New Zealand. He believed that by a system of public w orks the country would become settled, the land taken up, and without t e good things of those already here being infringed upon, new comers might be introduced to share our burdens and reduce our taxation. Therefore he (Mr. Shephard) wished to. see him occupying his present prominent position, although, if he had not been satisfied tbat he was not one of those who desired to injure the province he would hot have supported him, however much he might admire him as a public man. The next was Mr. M'Lean, whose management of Native affairs had produced a peace that was likely to last. Difficulties had frequently sprung up, but had been allayed without war. Frequent outcries had beep raised about tbe sugar and blanket policy. In the abstract, it was not, perhaps, desirable, but it was better to spend a ...lew thousands in maintaining peace than hundreds of thousands in carrying on war, which meant stoppage of trade, public works arrested, immigration suspended, and; disastrous consequences in every way Let the country be settled while peace wag maintained, and soon the .de4re for war" would cease. The 'confidence* reposed in Mr. M'Lean by the natives and the House, waa shared- in by the whole country, who desired io see him retain <his office.- Mr. Shephard, baving referred to the other members of the Ministry in laudatory terms, proceeded to make some remarks with reference to ''opening up the country^betwWn Ndson and the West 5 Coast, and j,^^^!!!!^^^ fQurthpoge % "■!

concluded by laying that though not a racing man, and one who seldom read about them, he had seen in the previous day's Evening Mail a ■ 4 report of the Canterbury races, in which occurred the names of three horses, which described the powers that had been brought to bear against him by some people in Nelson. They were Slander, Calumny, and Defamation. He was not going to retaliate by abusing those who bad been guilty of these things, but would oppose to them only common sense and a straightforward desire to do-hiß duty. For what had he been sent to the Assembly ? t Was it to minister to the ambition of any political leader ? "Was it for anything but to attend to the interests of his constituents ? Bb believed not. He had nothing to do with those men except so far as the interests of those who sent him there were concerned. He would maintain that he was there to do his duty to them, and to carry it out at all hazards. The Nelson members were united in opposing separation, but they differed as to the merits of . Messrs. Fox and Stafford. For his part, he believed in neither of them. Be considered that in freeing itself from them, the country had got rid of two evils, and had now got a Government that was likely to do good. He believed he was in the Assembly to secure justice for those who elected him, and to keep the province one , and united. Bis constituent?, he was sure, would flßree with him that a Ministry containing Mr. Yogel and Mr. M'Lean was satisfactory, and •worthy of their confidence, and^hat Mr. Waterhouse as Premier was preferable either to Mr. "Fox or Mr. Stafford. By his action he had assisted to save the province from dismemberment, and to place in office the present Ministry. He claimed to have done his duty regardless of all consequences to himself. If he was to be subject to calumny, let it come, he was prepared to bear it, for he felt conscious of having pursued a course that was likely to lesult in the good government of the country. Mr. Shephard , having sat down amid considerable cheering, Mr. Watson asked, If Mr. Stafford had .asked you to join his Executive, would you have voted against him ? Mr. Shephard : Nothing was more unlikely than that Mr. Stafford would have asked me. If I could have gone with him, I should have voted with him, but as I could not I did not. Mr. Watson : Many people think that when you go back to Wellington, there will, as the canny Scots say, be a canny billet for you as you upho d Mr. Yogel so. Has he offered you any ? Mr. Shephard : Never. Mr. Arnold : Did you ever feel disappointed when you were in Wellington. Mr. Shephard : If any person comes to seek information on matters of fact, I am willing to answer him, but when a man comes from another electoral district to ask impertinent questions I refuse to reply to him. The Chairman thought Mr Arnold had no right to put such questions. Mr Shephard : I again refuse to answer any insolent questions from Mr Arnold, to ask which I believe he has been prompted since he entered the room. Mr Arnold : Well, perhaps it is a good job for you, as I had a lot .to ask which might have bothered you. One or two other questions having been put, Mr. Smith proposed and Mr. Blower seconded : That this meeting, having heard Mr. Shephard, expresses its approval of the action taken by him in the Assembly. The resolution was carried nem con.