MEETING OF ELECTORS.

Southland Times, Volume I, Issue 45, 13 September 1864, Page 2

MEETING OF ELECTORS.

A meeting of electors/convened by •advertisement, took place in Colyer.s Princess Hotel, Deestreet, last night. The advertisement set forth that the invitation to bef present f was made to the " Electors of Southland who are^ favorable to reform, and are desirous of returning .newf member* to the Provincial Council 1 -.at the. forthcoming election." -;. , . . : . . . - At the hour ,of meeting , only some half-dozen people "put hi' ah appearance; and fearing that the paucity of the: attendance might militate against the suecessof the demonstration one of their number suggested that the bell of Mr. Cr. / W.- Binney, auctioneer, should be tolled to assemble a full meeting. The hint was accordingly acted upon, and with good results, as within a short time afterwards, the large room of the hotel was crowded with persons of all classes. Mr. J. S. Johnstone, rcgisb^r, was the first to i open the proceedings, by proposing that the chair | should be, taken by the party who convened the ' meeting. > .. This proposal being loudly applauded, Mr. 6. S. Button took the chair, and explained the objects for, which the meeting had been convened." He said it was no doubt apparent to every one that-tho electors of Invercargill, and Southland generally, displayed very greatrapathy with respect to the election lofLmembers of the Provincial Council, and other public bodies. In fact it was now a matter of comment everywhere out ~of doors. It could -^not be denied too that things' were going on very badly with? ua in -1 these matters. - They 'could not look 'to the debates in the Provincial Council and not be at once aware that the men who were at present our 'representatives could not''Sapple/with the subjects which were brought before them.' 7 Wow, 1 he- was'' certain > that there were some gentlemen in r , the nrovince I of experience in such matters, and' who, aft-tough not "old identities," have been residents for th* past. two„j-.ar9_in,thef;provniee, wad 'whom "he could recommend as new biqool.for the Council. It was lugMy neoessary that we Bhould^haTsTth-* best men in the '-right place. ' Mr/Button then ■ cßUed~6trM_ , roßborno*t<r«ddj»-»--he-meetog.^ | S#M_\'Osbobms spoke briefly,, stating fcbathoand | sever^ other gcntie_aen r hadoonven^^e^me«ting, I thinking it was tuna jt£_-t*«nne etjjp* fhould*.^

ta4*tf*fcHthe» B bririgingHfor^^ thefeleotiOirof •uil»bl^.;ai-d_-o t uaUJ_ed>(»nd^atea farsla^mlie 1 -^^blaVCbh^il.pH&^ggisfea the formation of a PoUticalfAssociation or a committee to watch, over^ths" elections both in the town '..'and- .country, districts,' and see -that" the p_o^r?^n'Were!chp^h.p i "\T 'X.Tiff\ T '7 r^tf; Mr. & v 8.- ? Jo__XßTok£at'.this stage pointed' out the desirability of a clerk of the meeting being appointed to minute the proceedings, and accordingly made a motion to-that effect. I&.OfIBQRiTE— I should Jbe happy to second that mbtipn if Mr. will undertake the duties.' (Laughter.)^ ,^X i X?'~...-XIXX'X X^X''-'^' -^ '■•' -v : -•■■-v. ' Mr.f, JoH-TSTOiTE^Well ! "you fplacef me fin an, aw_^ard ; pbsitibn.';f I ath: af Gbyeriirnent bffioer, : but.'rfatfe'nd'here: as 'an^^ elector*only..;ff.l>hbuld not like;; nor is It proper, thafcT 'shoi-ld'mix-myself up with political affairs, but I merely made " my •uggestion in .order,, that theproceedings of the evening might' : be "conducted ' i_T a business -like" form. '.;:.ro i.":..):v-^ Mr. Btrrxo_r, the chairman, haying intimated his of jotting dbjwn' the business done, . called i^on'siny .brie preserit to throw oht any suggestions bearing ori the business 'of the meet-f ihe which 'might occur to then£ : r '"[' ' .f ''- MJrJ -JoH-TSTO-ns again/ rose, arid' deprecated the^ ox-business-like manner in which the* meeting- was 5 being conducted.. '.. He thought the, gentlemen calling the meeting should have come prepared with some ' programme of action... He would move, . seeing "that ,. there .was ... : nothing tangible before the meeting '' That it. now adjourn?' ' __Cr. TLkSS-rSine^die. ; ; (Laughter.) . 7 . Mr. W. to .second the motion. It was evident, he Baadj the person's who called the meeting had.no views on the, ma.tte^ From the strong expressions used by the chairrhari when opening the "meeting, he'had -hoped that something to substantiate the statements made^would be put in possessionfof the meeting. ' Mr. OsBOK-TB "opposed the motion. He considered the backs of Mr. Button and himself broad enough to bear all that the mover and seconder of the .motion- for- adjournment had urged; and he would move an amendment — " That the meeting proceed." .rr: -...:. : Mr. Hash seconded the amendment. The anienTdmerit ' was declared carried. The chairmari again intimated that the object for which the 'meeting had been convened was to hear the; views of the < electors on the matter of the new elections. Mr. ELabb rose and said he thought it was high time we should have new blood in the Council. (Hear, hoar). Mr. JOH-raTOITB said he would propose, entirely without his knowledge or consent, the name of a gentleman in every way well qualified to represent: .the : suffrages of the electors in the Provincial Council. He would name Mr. William Miller. (Great cheering and applause.) Hewas a gentleman of a large legal and commercial education. :He had attended : the same university with . him in Edinburgh, and , he had known him for many ..years as a gentleman in all respects highly eligible for such an appointment as member of the Pro vincial. Council. (Applause.) Mr. Miller.— Really! I protest against this. It appears that,' seeing the meeting has as yet done nothing," Mr. Johnstone is endeavoring to treat those present to some sarcasm. As for him«elf, if he were, a fit candidate for such an appointment as a member of Council (which he thought hewas not), he could not permit himself to be put in nomination,. seeing that he intended leaving the Province, perhaps in a few weeks. The Chaiß-IAN, after hearing Mr. Miller's ob•ervations, hoped the objects of the meeting would not be; treated in the light manner he referred to, as they were worthy their serious consideration. He would now suggest that a committee be foriried to carry out the views of the meeting. Mr. Lockhabt rose and stated that the meeting was entirely out of place. They, the electors of Invercargill, could not interfere with the electors of other parts of the Province. It would be unfair to the electors of those districts if men opposed to them in views were returned by a committee ih Invercargill. Each district should elect its own members, and he thought the present meeting, if it proceeded in opposition to that, was entirely Wrong. Mr. Johnstons coincided with the views of Mr. Lockhart. ' The CH___R__A_f. — Will any gentleman propose any resolution ? Mr. Rebbb then proposed " That a committee be appointed to carry out the objects of the meeting." _.. Mr. Mokteith seconded the motion, which was carried unanimously. The meeting thei* proceeded to the election of a committee, and for a time, it seemed as if each one present was desirous of having his neighbor on the roll. Mr.^KIKGSLA-TD, on being proposed as a member, objected, on .the grounds that he thought the meeting had begun at the wrong end. He con- 1 sidered that the proper way to go about such a matter would have been to wait and see if the present members declared their intention of again standing as members of Council. He thought the electors of Invercargill had only to do with their" own elections, and the meeting should have begun with either a vote of no-confi-dence or the opposite. He would have been happy to have acted on a committee for the election of proper members for Invercargill, when the present members had avowed their intentions on the matter. Mr. Lockhabt also objected, seeing that committees invariably work to advance the interests of certain parties. Mr. Mtjkbo had no objection to act on the committee. He certainly desired to see new blood in the Council. The Province had advanced socially and commercially (although it was not altogether like it at present), and he could not see ■why it should not likewise advance politically. 1 He had a great desire to see the best men in the best place, and had great pleasure in standing on the committee. .. j After a good deal more talk, the committee ultimately appointed numbered the following ( names: — Messrs. Munro, Reynolds, Garthwaite, A. Gilles, Tapper, Hume, J. H. Smith, Osborne, Pratt, Moffat, Middleton, Button, Lind, D. M'Donald, Perkins, and the mover. This terminated the proceedings. The members of committee remained, behind to transact private business.