MR. VOGEL'S SPEECH,

Tuapeka Times, Volume III, Issue 150, 22 December 1870, Page 7

MR. VOGEL'S SPEECH,

In accordance with a requisition to the Mayor of Dunedin, signed by about 800 persons, expressing disapproval of the disturbances which took place at Mr. Vogel's first meeting, his Worship appointed a meeting to be held at the Masonic Hall on Tuesday evening, the 13th inst. The Mayor was called to the chair, and introduced Mr. Yogel, who had. not proceeded beyond the threshold of his speech when, owing to the great crowd of people inside the building, it was found necessary for the meeting to adjourn to the front of the Government Buildings, where Mr. Yogel resumed his speech to an audience numbering between 1500 and 2000 people. Mr. Yogel, after referring to several domestic measures passed by the Assembly, said there were three subjects upon which he wished prominently to address the Dunedin citizens. The first was the California and Suez services; the second was the charge which had been made against the Government by the " Daily Times " that the integrity of the telegraph office had been violated.

THE SUEZ SERVICE,

The connection with the Suez service, he said, was discontinued because the Assembly conclnded that it was no longer necessary to pay a subsidy for boats to maintain that connection. Victoria would not pay any subsidy, and, as the trade was sufficient to keep vessels plying between Victoria and New Zealand, it was nnnecessary to subsidize the mail service. He had met the Dunedin Chamber of Commerce, and fully explained the position of the Government and the unjust demand of the Chamber to ask for a subsidy to these traders, as it would simply be tantamount to devoting itself to the interests of a particular Melbourne firm, forgetting that the result would entail on the colony a needless expenditure. With regard to the

CALIFORNIA SERVICE.

It had not been the failure it had been described as being. It was commenced under circumstances of great waste he admitted, but a large number of passengers had been carried by it each way, and the mails by it had been delivered, on the average of several years, as rapidly as they had been delivered for a very considerable time between Dunedin and England. He offered Mr. Hall LSOOO a year more than he had received, if he would take his steamers to Otago instead of to Sydney. That object ho had always bad in view. Ho said the service was only a temporary one. Mr. Yogel then referred to the new contract, by which larger vessels will be employed. He said there were to be three large ships, each over 2000 tons register, engaged to perform the service from Port Chalmers to San Francisco in thirty day.?, and the other part of the home journey would be accomplished in fifteen days ; so that in forty-five days from leaving Dunedin, the mails would be delivered in England. That contract had sprung out of the one made with Mr. Hall.

THE TELEGRAM QUESTION. In referring to the allegations made by the " Daily Times " as to the sealing of the telegrams by the Government, he gave to them, one and all, an absolute denial — they were utterly and entirely false. The telegraph department had not, in any sense or way, violated the integrity of any telegrams committed to its charge for transmission. He granted that there were circumstances connected with the matter that might have fairly led the " Daily Times " to ask for an explanation. But instead of taking that course, it rushed to the conclusion that the telegraph department, acting under instructions from the Government, had been stealing telegrams addressed to that paper. Threats had been made to institute proceedings against the telegraph department. Under the impression that these threats would be carried into execution, the Government refrained from doing that which it otherwise might have dope, viz., institute proceedings against the paper on account of the libels published. The " Evening Star- " explained that it tad. -fcelegraplied the " limes " telegram to the " Independant." Mr. Yogel continued his explanation as follows : — Now, as to the telegram sent to the Hon. Mr. Gisborne, for the Government. That telegram was sent by the Collector of Customs at the Bluff. The " Times " has said that the telegram could not have contained the information it did contain without its being stolen from the " Times " telegram. In the face of that statement, would you believe — it may be difficult to do so, but nevertheless what I shall state is a fact — that the " Times " telegram was opened on board the Gothenburg, in the presence of one of the directors of the " Times " company, and was then read by the captain ! — (Applause, and " Oh ! oh !" The captain of the Gothenburg having so seen the telegram, told to the Collector of Customs the news which the Collector telegraphed to Mr. Gisborne for the Government. — (Hear, hear.) But, of course, the " Times " has suppressed the fact as to the opening the telegram in presence of one of the directors of the "Times" company. — (Applause.) Next as to the first telegram to the " Independent." As to it, again, the statement has been made that part of it could not have been

obtained, except by being wrongly taken from the " Times " telegram. — (A Voice : Oh ! got on ! That's enough about the " Times "') The telegram to the " Independent-" from the Bluff certainly contained borne of the late news. That late news was sent by the purser of the Gotheuburgh j and he states that he got his information in the Melbourne " Argus " office. It is true, that Mr. George, of the " Argua," states that the third edition, containing the late news, was not out when the Gothenburg left. The probability, however, is that the news contained in the third edition was in the " Ar-gus " oflice before the Gotheuburgh left. At all events, it is sufficient to say that the purser gave in, at the Bluff, the late news for the " Independent," which appeared in that paper's extra ; and that the purser says he obtained his information from the " Argus " office. He has made that statement to Mi\ Lemon, the General Manager of the Department ; he has made it to Mr. Mackenzie, the proprietor of the " Independent." Whether he obtained Ms information in that -way, or through the captain of the Gothenburg, who read the " Times " telegram on board the ship, and in the j>resence of one of the directors of the " Times " — the fact remains that the purser of the Gothenburgh is the person who sent this late news from the Bluff to the " Independent." Such, then, are the explanations of the three circumstances so much relied on by the " Times " : — The information in Mr. Gisborne's message was supplied by the Collector of Customs at the Bluff, who got it from the captain of the Gothenburg. As to the late news contained in the first telegram sent to the "Independent," the purser of the Gothenburg is responsible for it. The news which appeared in the "Independent" on the next day, and which was copied from the " Daily Times " extra, so appeared, because somebody in Dunedin cut it out, took it to the Telegraph Office, and it was transmitted and paid for like any other press message. Mr. Yogel then gave a long dissertation on the colonial policy of the Government ; after which, he referred to

TIIE SOUTIIEItN TUUNK RAILWAY.

One of my objects in coming down here was to make arrangements for the construction of the Southern Trunk Railway ; and I am met by the to me astounding objection, that the province — or rather the Provincial Council — does not want tho work to lie done by the General Government. See how you have been deceived re-

specting the liabilities consequent upon the construction of this line. We can construct the line, as I have told you, upon the guarantee system, or by cash payment ; and the cost of the work can be reduced from previous estimates, so as to bring ib within the authority granted by the Assembly. The cost may be estimated at something like £270,000. Out of the Middle Island Railway Fund, the province will get — supposing the population of the province during the next three or four years to bear the same proportion as it bore last year to the whole island — some £153,000, which amount will be charged against the colony, not against the province. Therefore, the Southern Trunk Railway will cost Otago LSO.OOO o? L 90,000. — (Applause.) Remember that we have never proposed — in fact, we have never contemplated — extravagant lines. What we contend is, that the country needs cheap railways, really suited to its needs. I have had the curiosity to inquire what has been spent in maintenance, <fee, on the South Road, between Duuedin and Tokoinairiro ; and I find that from April Ist, 1863, to 31st March, IS7O, no less a sum than L 91,000 lias been expended on that portion of the road. The length is 37 miles, I believe. Compare that with the first cost of a cheap railway, and remember that such cost will give you, not a road merely, but the means of using it — locomotives and so on. Then, you will see one enormous advantage of cheap railways over metalled roads. Cheap railways will afford facilities for settlers in the interior sending their produce to market, and of obtaining from the ports or centres of population and trade, those articles which settlers require. Speaking genorally, railways here must cheapen the cost of living. ##■* * * # # I am not here to express an opinion as to which island would be the more benefited by the colonising measures of the Government; certainly, I am not going to tell you that the measures would benefit the South Island to the injury of the North. The North Island requires settlement ; and it is a necessity for the South, that the North should bear a larger portion than it has hitherto borne of the special expenditure which falls, and must continue to fall, upon the South. It can only do so as a result of settlement. The Middle Island requires colonisation. Otago requires it no less than any other of the Middle Island provinces ; and anyone who has the necessary knowledge, and who will compare the present condition of Otago with its condition half a dozen years agOj will have no difficulty in concluding that unaided, Otago cannot keep alive the colonising spirit which did animate it, and that some outside assistance is necessary. That assistance we desire to give, through the measures passed last session. * * * To the allegation that there is to be a

larger expenditure in the North Island than in the South, I give a flat contradiction. The one special expenditure for the North, is to be that for Defence Purposes; and I repeat that under any conceivable possible plan of Separation, Defence expenditure will still have to be made a charge upon New Zealand aa na whole. What is the other exceptio lal expenditure for the North ? That for roads ; and it is counterbalanced b the Middle Island Railway Fund. Ihe L 200,000 for the purchasing of land in the North Island is jealoush made a Provincial charge, to be defr Lyed by such of the North Island provinces as receive the benefit of the expenditure ; and the Governor cannot make any such purchase of lands until he has made arrangements by which the cost is to be charged to the Province concerned. In concluding, Mr. Yogel referred to the

LAND QUESTION.

He said I must l'epeat the hopetbat there will be speedily some sort of unanimity in reference to the question of enabling public works and immigration to be attended to. I quite admit that there are other questions of very great importance to this Province, such as Separation and the Land. The latter is especially important, and deserves to be fully considered by the people. But I beg of you, do not allow even the land question to overshadow everything else. I am willing to believe that there is a great deal in the arguements of those who contend that the existing land system is not efficiently liberal. — (Hear, hear.) The whole nature of the land question is so difficult that one may well have respect for the opinions of his oponcnts. It is a question that must be dealt with in a manner which recognises the many difficulties which exist, in the way of its satisfactory settlement and the many requirements of differing interests which require to be dealt with. The question must bo dealt with m a spirit that will allow of the consideration not of one interest only, but of all interests. While, then, I recognise that the land question is an important one, I say that all other questions at this time sink into comparative insignificance before the great question of advancing the real settlement of the Colony.