MEETING OF ELECTORS.

Nelson Evening Mail, Volume IX, Issue 106, 5 May 1874, Page 2

MEETING OF ELECTORS.

, In compliance with an invitation issued to the electors by Mews Rout an J Acton Adams,- between 50 and 60 pereons assembled at the Temperance Hall l-st nigbt. Hiß Worship the Mayor haviog been called to the chair, Mr Rout said that he had aiked his con.tituen s to attend in orler that they might have an opportunity of expressing their views on any publio questions in which they wore specially interested. It should be the object of a Government to do the greatest good to the greatest r.umber, instead of which it now was (he greatest good for the smallest number. It was time something waa done to benefit the working classes, and keep them ambnest us, nnd an expression of public opinion might have the effect of Iriaging pressure to bear upon the Government. They would probably be called upon to band over the gas and water works to the City Council, nnd as this would reduce the revenue at tbeir disposal it should cause a reduction in the Government staff. At present there were too many of them and they had too little to do, and what they did do was negligently ilooe. They should check over all the items of reveuue and see that the whole of that available wa6 properly raised, whereas at present they did not get in one-half of what should be gathered. He hoped those present would bring forward any subject they wished to Bee discussed. Mr Acton Adams had no intention of making a speech, but was merely desirous of listening to any fu^gestions that might be made by the electors. He referred bi icily to the proceedings of last session in relation to public wotks, aod said that he thought the immigration scheme required considerable caution iv carrying it out, and it, was for the Government alonß to decide how many the province could absorb. They did not know at present what work might be before them this session, but he would be glad to have an expression of opinion upon the course the electors wished him to take. Mr James Graham had a resolution to propose, but before doing so he would wish to commend Messrs Rout and Acton Adams for the course thoy had adopted, which made then? really representatives of the wiehes of their constituents. He wouIJ propose — Thai in the opinion of ili'b meeting it is drsirable that the Provincial _'_csutive should to responsible to the Council. He thought there were plenty of reasons why they shoul.l support this, as was shown by lest session, when a denl of mischief was done by the attempt to borrow money. Mr Rout had at that time brought forward aud carried a resolution to the effect that, information should be obtained and compiled regarding the mineral deposits at Collingwood, but this had not been done. As was too frequently the case, the resolution was. passed but no notice taken of it afterwards. Mit Haase seconded the resolution. Mr Levestam would not support the resolution and (rusted those present would not do so It was unfair to ask a meeting such as that to pronounce a decided opinion upon so important a question before it had been properly discu?sed. It had been moved in the Council aud negatived without a debate and no doubt those who opposed it did so for quite as good reasons as could be advanced by those who supported it. There certainly had been a one-sided discussion in the Reform League, nnd I he could take the opportunity of s»ying that he thought it would have been far mere dignified in Messrs Rout and Acton Adams had they spoken on tbe question there instead of leaving their speeches to be mado to the Reform League. Mr Rout. — ■ The question was burked, the Speaker having put it too hastily. Mr Levestam thought that tbe Speaker was always perfectly fair and had no desire to hurke discussion. The Council would no doubt debate the question fairly nnd fully, and after hearing all that had to be said for and against, then would be the time for the people to express §v opiuioD, He thought that so long as the Superintendent was elected ho alone should be responsible to the people, and he would like to see a Bill to tbis effect brought before the House of Representatives by some of our members. If he were merely a nominee the matter would stand on a different footing, and then he should he in favor of a responsible Executive. He had opposed the present Superintendent at the last election but thought that when he was elected opposition should cease snd all should unite to assist the Government. If the Superintendent came before them again for election he should again oppose him unless he acted differently from what he had done in the la§t four years. Mr Graham said that Mr Levestam had stated that the discussion on tho Reform League had been one sided, but the fact was that there was not a dissentient voice. Mr Levestam would do better to act with the Reform League instead of trying to thwart them, but it was always the way in Nelson; they were tdways pulling one against the otber. Mr Levestam moved as an amendment to the resolution: — That this meeting declines to express an opinion ns to whether the Provincial Execu tivo should be responsible to the Couucil or not, but trusts, o\*.r Representatives will vote }n accordance with their co ivlctiohs after having heird %he matter duly discussed. Mr RoHisaTSON seconded the nmend-

ment. The members of the Provincial Council should be the best judges of the merits of the question. if they were not fit to do this they should be. ' The amendment was then put nnd twelve hands were held up in favor 01, aud thfrteeh against it. The resolution was then withdrawn. Mr Lkvkstam thought there was one subject that shou'd be mentioned, namely, that of education. At present the rntes were levied most unfniily, householders, whether they lived in palaces or hovels, having all to pay alike. Ho would rather see the rate collected on the ad valorem system. It rai<*ht be argued that the rich' did not use the public schools, but it must be remembered that they were enabled to give their children a superior education at the College at unusually moderate rates on account of its being endowed by the lands of the province. Mr Acton Adams agreed with Mr Levestam that the rate should fall more on owners of property. The whole province was interested in education, Hnd moneyed men depended upon it for tbe security of their property, and should not object to pnying the education rate as a sort ol insurance. He did not see why it should be a poll tax, or why b.chelors or men without families should be called upon for it. Mr Rout quite agreed with Mr Levestam. If someting of the kind suggested by him were carried out, there would be more money at the disposal of the Central Board, and some of the poorly paid teachers might get higher salaries than they did at present. .He thought some proportion of the taxes raised by the road and town boards might be devoted to the purpose so aB to avoid a separate tax. After a long pause, Mr Rout proposed a vote of thanks to the chairman, when Mr J. Harley said Mr Rout had made the assertion that a large portion of the rales were not collected by the Government. He should like to know to what particular rates he alluded. Mr Rout: • I am not at liberty to say. Mr Wright: Having said so much you are bound to say more. Mr Rout: Well I mean the education rates particularly, Mr Haddow: Will you endeavor to get the Government to hand all town property over to tbe Town Council? Mr Rout: Yes, but I suspect it will be very difficult to get them to do so, as they will not care to part with any of the revenue. A long conversation took place oo the subject of the Supplementary Estimates, and out-voting the revenue. Mr Bout said that ho should oppose any vote in excess of the revenue. Mr Acton Adams was not prepared to say tbat he ehould object to voting a sum for any particular work which he considered necessary, but which was not proposed by the Government. It would be different if the Executive were responsible for then if the Estimates were not prepared in accordance with the views of tho Council they could give practical effect to their disapproval of them. No one Isavimg anything more to say, Mr Graham proposed a vote of thanks to Messrs Rout and Acton Adams for calling tho meeting. It was the first time a meeting of this kind had been

-—- i , - held, but he hoped it would not be the last. This was carried hy acclamation. A vote of thanks to the chairman terminated the proceedings. (For continuation" see fourth page.)

The trial and conviction of tbe sojmewhat too notorious Claimant has brought to the recollection of a few members of the reading public, the somewhat 'similar ]trial and conviction of Thomas Trovis, a forger »nd impostor, who pretended to be the son of Sir Hugh Smith, and heir to that baronet'B vast estates. He, too, found hundreds of fools who advanced him money for the prosecution of his fraudulent cl-iro's. 'Ihe suit was also a drama in two acts. Tbe Claimant commenced with a civil suit, and he euded by receiving -a criminal sentence of twenty yeaiV ti asportation for forging and uttering "the same with intent to deceive." His counsel was the same lawyer, Sir William Bovill, who presided as the Chief Justice of the Court of Common Pleaß in the Buit brought by ihe more recent and notorious Claimant*. was this difference between the conduct of tbe then Mr Bovill and tbat of Dr Keneal} : when Trovis broke down under a crossexamination, Mr,Bqvill threw up his brief, not deeming it incumbent upon him to fight for au obvious impostor. At the very assizes at which Trovis was tried, a man named Thomas Castro iilbo appeared lo answer ior his niisdeameanors This occurred exactly twenty yoars ago. An Eo,gl.sh_nar, visiting the White Mountains, complaiued of the excessive hilliness of the couutry in all that region, *' Waol, yes, we hey rather too much land to tbe acre about here, and so we hey to stack it 1" Tbe Paris journals repot t that the Duke de Fdtre lias just wou a curious wager. He backed himself to drive his fast trotter. in a light carriage from Paris to Lyons before Count Phillippe de Nevule would reach the place on his velocipede. The distance, which was 222^ miles was run in 60f hours, an J was won by a neck by the Duke, who drove into the courtyard of the Grand Hotel at Lyons jti3t two minutes before the Count arrived on his velocipede. The first day's journey was 50 miles; tbe second was 65 miles; and the last day both competitors ran 107 nriles.