MR. O'CONOR IN NELSON.

Nelson Evening Mail, Volume VIII, Issue 268, 7 November 1873, Page 2

MR. O'CONOR IN NELSON.

[As a great deal of Mr O'Conor's speech last night was necessarily a repetition of what he said at Wakapuaka, and haß already appeared in our columns, we do not think it necessary to report it a second time.] There was a crowded meeting at the Provincial Hall last night, at least 600 persons being present. Mr Leveslam was voted to the chair on the motion of Mr Pickering, and having made the customary preliminary remarks, he called upon Mr O'Conor, who said that he would promise what he had to say by touching on the duties of a Superintendent, and would afterwards ask those present to follow him in applying his re marks. He looked upon a Superintendent as an overseer, a steward, a general manager, and administrator of the affairs of the people. The Provincial Council exercised a check over him, and voted the expenditure for the year, and when their action had received his assent, it was his business and that of his Executive to carry out their wishes, and to overlook the public officers and see that they did their duty. At the end of, his term of office when he came before them, he had to receive their approval of what he had done, which was only to be obtained by a reference to his past conduct. He was there that evening in the discharge of a duty he owed to the State to oppose Mr Curtis' re-election, and it would be weaknpss on his part if he were afraid or ashamed to give a just review ot the past, to hesitate in giving his reasons why the present Superintendent should not be re-elected, or to point out where he deserved their condemnation. He would remind them of an incident that occurred on Mr Curtis' first coming forward as a candidate for the Superintendency when Mr Saonders told them that if they elected him they would be ruining the province. There was prophecy in that. Mr O'Conor then, as at Wakapuaka, referred to the absence of good roads, and to the protective workg in the Buller river, which he said in defiance of the recommendation of the engineers, had been so constructed that £160,000 worth of property had been washed away by the floods. The waterworks in the town of Nelson had b&n bo mismanaged that their construction had cost twice as much as was necessary, and although a loan for gasworks, had been authorised two years ago, where was new their gas? He had heard it Baid that the Gasworks was the biggest bungle in the place, and that a tall iron fence had to be put op to hide the. mistakes that had been made. *Mr O'Conor then referred to certain statements concerning him made by Mr Curtis, and after contradicting them, asked whether it was better that he should submit so such misrepre.sentation, or give them a flat denial, even at the risk of being accused by the servile flatterers of Mr Curtis with being abusive. Any man making-such statements as tboae brought against him by Mr Curtis would in any other place be scouted by the press. If he had made the same misrepresentations with regard to his opponent, the Examiner and Mail would have been down .on ; ',him, but the case being reversed they were silent upon it. The Examiner had remarked upon the impertinence of one like himself coming forward, and had said that Nelson, which had always represented by scholars and gentlemen , ,was insulted by the candidature of such a jcabogue as himself- What that meant he did not know, but he felt sure that the writer was neither a scholar nor a gentleman, but probably was ?Jttry fond of whisky, and certainly did not re- *- quire the assistance of a Blang dictionary in writing. -The; article he alluded to displayed the lowest scurility, and yet the writer endeavored to teach him manners. . The article in the Mail was different, though equally impertinent. He would indulge ni no personalities with the editor of that paper, but warned .the people not to be misled by such as he. The state of political affairs would be very different in Nelson if there was an independent press representing public opinion. The Examiner belonged to a Joint Stock Company, and was certainly not conducted in a manner calculated to advance the public good, nor did it appear

to be a successful commercial undertaking, as advertisements of calls appeared week by week. In fact, the subscribers were called upon to support a tumble-down paper, and opinions that 1 were almost moribund. It was bragged of by the Superintendent that he had his hand on one paper and his foot on another. In a pompous strain, that was almost ridiculous, the Evening Mail had referred to its past career to show its I independence, and that it had at times pointed out the faults of the Superintendent! It was true that at one time there had been a talk of Mr Seymour coining forward, and there then appeared articles in that paper that were by no means flattering to Mr Curtis, but that was only for a time. He wished to be at open warfare with those two papers and with that view had stroked them against the grain at Wakapauka in order that they might show themselves in their true colors, and they had done so, but their teeth were drawn and they were now harmless, as it was clear that their articles were not written on public grounds but in support of a party. The administration was to blame for the corruption of the press, and even the Colonist had been bought over by its friends being placed on the Executive.but he was glad to find that was not the case' now, and he hoped it would once again become independent. He need say no more of the press for really it was not worth it; at least with one exception. One of the great proofs of the weakness of the Government was the fact that the constrution of a railway the necessity of which was admitted on all sides, had to be taken up by a Committee of private individuals, while the Government looked on, did not view that action as a censure upon themselves, but seemed glad to have the trouble taken off their hands. That was not his idea of a Superintendent's duties, and he might say that he fully expected the support in his candidature of all the members of that Committee He had been blamed for the part he had taken in the agitation for the separation of the West Coast. He had always regretted being driven to adopt such a course, but he believed it was better to break up the province than to submit to such an administration as they had been accustomed to. His object in doing so was not to injure the piovince, but to ensure the prosperity of some at least of the people. His policy would be to enlarge rather than to dismember the province. Mr O'Conor again alluded to and attempted to justify his action with reference to the Nelson and Foxhill Railway, but said that now the country waa committed to borrowing, he should support an extension of the line, particularly as Nelson was to be the terminus of a main line. It had been said by the Mail that he was opposed to all works of benefit to the province. In ■ reply he could say that he represented one of the most important districts in the province, and had thoroughly satisfied his constituents, and therefore must have had the welfare of the province at heart. It was useless to say that because he had been successful as a Provincial Councillor, therefore, he would make a bad Superintendent. He bad never heard it urged against making a man a judge that he had been distinguished at the bar, nor that in military life a good soldier was spoilt by being raised a grade. He then alluded to the " ring " which was said to exist in Nelson, and said he had been told he should get no support because he was not an " aristocrat." He might not be able to boast of such a pedigree as a stud horse, or of a beard as long as that of the Wandering Jew, but he did not care for that, as he had been long enough in the colonies to learn that merit was the only worth. Mr O'Conor having stated his willingness to reply to any questions that might be put,

Mr Perceval asked for an explanation of Mr O'Conor's vote relative to the subsidy to the East Coast steam service. Mr O'Conor replied in terms similar to those used by him at Wakapuaka. Mr T. Harley : What measures would you, if elected, bring forward for the benefit of the Province ? Mr O'Conor : A Superintendent cannot take upon himself to bring forward measures without the consent of his Executive. Seeing the inability of the present Executive, I should sweep the whole lot away, and re-coustruct the Government. Mr T. Harley : How do you propose to carry out public works in the present financial state of the Province ?

Mr O'Conor replied that he could see no way of bringing money into the Treasury except by the ordinary means, but by economy and proper supervision the present revenue might be made to go a long way, in addition to which he thought by judicious management the coal-fields would be made to yield a considerable revenue. He thought that by mismanagement of the Brunner coal mine the province had been placed in a very false position. Like everything with which the present Government had to do it was just kept going from hand to mouth. Nothing had been done with it, and it had been handed over in security for a railway to ran down on the wrong side of the river and on ground that was totally unfitted for railway purposes as it was gradually slipping away.

Mr W. Harley (who must pardon us if our report of his speech is not entirely correct, as, from circumstances over which wo had no control, we experienced some difficulty in catching his precise words), said something to the following effect: — He had always admired Mr Curtis in speaking to a public assembly, and expressing himself in letters. He liked a man to speak out his mind, and was surprised to find that Mr O'Conor, who had been so abused in the papers, could speak in such an enlightened manner. He would have voted for Mr Curtis before, but his opinion was now changed. It was about time there was a change, and if his vote was dictatorial, he would sweep the Superintendent and Executive from beginning to end, and yet he was one who admired things as they were. He was a quiet plodding man, but occasionally went out of his way, and whenever a man went out of his way into p litics, he hoped his head was always honest and just. He had told them he had gone on the platform to do something, but had only just remembered vt hat it was. He hoped they would support him when ho moved that Mr O'Conor was a fit and proper person to be Superintendent.

Mr J H. Levien seconded the resolution, and hoped that he had seen the last of Messrs Curtis and Company. Mr Fell thought tbat it would be a mistake for a raixei meeting such us that bo to prejudge the question us to carry a, vote of confidence, and therefore, while thanking Mr O'Conor for his address, he would move as an amendment that a cordial vote of tlnnks be accorded to Mr O'Conor for his ntteir mice there that evening. Mr Robert Levien seconded the amendment. Mr W. Elarley (whoso indistinctness was still very trying to the reporters) was not going to be led away by any le^al technicality. He objected to the amendment because it would destroy his proposition, and he wished the meeting to rememb'.T tbat the amendment was not the proposition. H? knew when he j;ot int'i a pub'io assembly how jovhl he was, and his feelings, he thought, represented those of the meeting. When the amendment was put he wished them to remember that it was the amendment, acd that the resolution was the resolution. Sonic little discussion then ensued ns to which was to take prec2dence, the amendment or resolution, nnd whether, if the former were carried, the latter should be put to the vote. The chairman having ruled that tha meeting should have an opportunity of expressing its opinion upon both, the amendment was put, and some five or, six hands were held up in its» favor, nnd three or four limes as many against it, For the resolution forty or fifty hands were held up, five or six hundred persons being present, and; a few against is. The Chairman having declared the resolution to be curried,

Mr O'Conpr thanked the meeting for the confidence they displayed in him, and stated that the verdict thus pronounced in his favor in a district in wnich he waa leaet known assured him of the certainty that he was about to succeed Mr Curtis. The meeting then broke up.