PUBLIC MEETING.

Nelson Evening Mail, Volume XV, Issue 158, 3 July 1880, Page 4

PUBLIC MEETING.

[Communicated^ A public meeting was held at Waimea West lastnigbt, in pursuance of an advertisement, to consider the taxation of the country, &c, Mr J. Price in the chair. Mr Bell was called upon to address tbe meeting which he did, and in a forcible speech condemned both the beer tax and the property tax or indeed any additional taxation, asserting that if a proper system of retrenchment were instituted there would be no necessity for it. He also spoke in favor of school fees which be thought would be hailed with satisfaction by a large majority of the people. Mr W. White followed in the same strain condemning in no measured terms the enormous expenditure on the Civil Service, and strongly denouncing the shameful way that Nelson had been treated in the matter of public works. He said the House and colony must see that ours is a special case which must be dealt with as such, in fact it must be made a special settlement, for we could not be expected by any reasonable Government to help to pay interest on money we never had, and; so long as he hr. ! a tongue to speak with or a hand to write, he would never cease to agitate and make bare this great wrong tbat bad been done to us. The meeting was very enthusiastic and passed the following resolutions unanimously: — 1. That in the opinion of this meeting the Beer Tax and Property Tax are both iniquitous measures, and quite unnecessary if the Government would institute a proper system qf retrenchment. 2. That in the opinion of this meeting the Civil Service of this colony has grown out of all proportions to our requirements or our ability to maintain, and no Government will receive the support of this part of the country who wlll not reduce the expenses of the service by at least one third. 3. That this meeting view with alarm and indignation the incubus of debt that successive Governments have heaped upon us without bestowing on us corresponding advantages, and looking to the small amount of public works that have fallen to our share, we pledge ourselves to use every means to obtain a restoration of provincial institutions (in a modified form) so far as Nelson is concerned, 4. That looking to the present state of the finances, the colony isj unable to bear the present enormous expenditura on education. Tbis meeting therefore recommends the imposition of school fees. 5. Tbat copies of tbe resolutions passed at this meeting be forwarded to Mr R. Hursthouse, M.H.R., with a request that he will use his best endeavors to carry out the views therein contained. A vote of thanks to Mr Bell for calling the meeting and another to the chairman terminated the proceedings.