SOUTHLAND ASSOCIATION.

Southland Times, Issue 618, 14 January 1867, Page 2

SOUTHLAND ASSOCIATION.

The meeting of the Southland Association then took place, Mr P. Dalrymple, the chairman, said he would not detain those present by making a lengthy speech as it was getting late, but simply read the rules (these were published in a recent issue of this journal) Mr Johnston proposed that the rules as read be adopted. , , ■«• * The motion was seconded by Mr A. Kinross, and carried. The Chairman said that as the most important thing was the gravelling of that part of the road now being formed as else the present cost would be so much money thrown away, he hoped the meeting would urge the members of the Provincial Council to have it done. The cry of the G-overnment that there was no money would no longer do. Mr Johnston had been going into the items of the government expenditure, and he (Mr D.) was sorry he had wasted his time because he himself had lost two months in going through them, and was satisfied that the whole business of the Provincial Government could be managed by one good man and a couple of cferks. Capt. Elles did the greater part of the work, and he was paid by the General Government. They had a great staff of officials who did not know what to do. Mr Johnston had come to the conclusion that it was possible to save £10,000 per annum out of the revenue over which we bad control. He saw three of their members there and he would tell them that they had not acted fairly in handing over the whole of pur Waste Lands to the General Government w hich promised to pay our debts. We received three- eighths of our Customs revenue, the General" Government were threatening to take that away-Licenses, assessments, dog taxes &c, amounting to about .£22,000 per annum which was all we had to spend. The General Government did not intend to help us, for they had been asked — the Superintendent said so— to allocate 150,000 acres of land to make a railway to the Mataura, and they said not an acre.