THE SOUTHERN LEAGUE AND THE SUPERINTENDENCY.

Tuapeka Times, Volume III, Issue 152, 5 January 1871, Page 5

THE SOUTHERN LEAGUE AND THE SUPERINTENDENCY.

■ A large and enthusiastic public meeting, for the purpose of forming a branch of the Southern League, was held in the Commercial Assembly Room, on Tuesday evening. The meeting was convened by the Mayor (Horace Bastings, Esq.), who, in opening the meeting, said that he had, by

advertisement, called a meeting of those parties favourable to the formation of a branch league in the Tunpeka district, and also of thont> gontlcmen favourable to the return of Mr. Donald Etud as Superintendent, lie (the Mayor) considered that the great want in this country was a political league, which, by a defined policy and unity of action, would ensure the return of members to the Assembly, whose votes would not nullify each other as they had been so often found to do. How often it was found when any important question arose, the division list showed an equal number of votes for and against. When in Dunedin recently, he convened a meeting of gentlemen whom ho had long known to take a leading part in politics in Victoria and elsewhere. A meeting was held, when Messrs. Bradshaw, Barton, Bathgate, and many other gentlemen of great experience, were present, and the Southern League was formed. He had intended this meeting to be more of a business one than one to dilate upon the events of the day. lie considered it highly necessary that some steps should be taken in view of the forthcoming elections to return liberal and progressive men to the Council and the Assembly. --(Applause.) The next session of Assembly, he felt confident, would be the most important of any that had ever syt in New Zealand. The future woe or weal of the country rests with the electors — in fact entirely depends upon the gentlemen they return as members. He would read the programme drawn up by the Southern League, in which the principles recommended by that body were set forth. It was as follows : — I. Local Expendittire. — That every province shall control its own Land Fund and also the expenditure of the Loans for public works. IT. Homestead Settlement. — The settlement of the people on the land, with deferred payments and depasturing rights ; and the repeal of the " Hundreds Regulations Acts," 1869-70.

111. Free Goldfields. — The expenditure of special Goldfields taxation upon the Goldfields. IV. Electoral Reform. — Extension of the Suffrage, and amendment of the present system of Electoral Registration. That was the programme adopted by the League, and he was sure the meeting would give it its hearty support and form a branch in Tuapelca to work in unison with the central committee. He would now ask the meeting to appoint a chairman, that the object for which the meeting was convened miq,ht be carried out.

Mr. M'Swiney was proposed and seconded as chairman, and, after considerable persuasion, accepted the post.

Mr. M'Swiney said he would much rather had some gentleman who knew more of the subject to be discussed been appointed chairman. The duties of chairman, however, were very simple, and he had no doubt some of the speakers would enter fully into the subject. As for himself, he would endeavour to keep in onedias res. He would call upon Mr. Bastings to propose the first resolution.

Mr. Bastings, in moving " That a brancla of the Southern League be formed in Tuapeka, embodying the principles set forth by the Central Committee," said that for the advancement of the district there existed an absolute necessity for a general political programme being adopted. The chairman said he was not much acquainted with the subject in hand. He might not, like many others, be well up in details ; but all those who had watched the voting in the Council and the Assembly must have observed that nearly every question of importance to the country was decided by almost an equal number voting on each side ; and the cause of this, he considered, was owing to there not being any recognised political party the country. A man may come amongst us quite a stranger, and by making all kinds of promises, without being pledged to any decided course of action, be returned. They had no security as to how he would vote. By having each member pledged to support the proposals of the League, there would be every chance of the excellent objects in view being attained. The speaker then addressed a few remarks on each of the four propositions enunciated by the League. Before examining closely into Mr. Vogel's scheme, he thought it was the great panacea for all our ills ; but, after looking minutely into the details of that scheme, he was forced to the conviction that by accepting it, the country would be killing the goose for the golden egg. — (Great Applause.) The load of taxation already borne by the country was something enormous — heavier be believed than any country under the sun. By adopting the programme of the League, they would ensure the control by the province of its own Land Fund, a provision which Mr. Vogel's scheme would not. The next proposition was the repeal of the Hundreds Act of 1869, which was an abortion, and the Amended Act 1870, which was som ething worse. He though t his views on these Acts were very well known to most of the gentlemen present. He did not agree with those who would support any object to deprive the squatters of their rightful dues. No doubt many of them had' gone to great expense in fencing and improving their runs, and he would by a1!a 1 ! means, in throwing open thi land

for settlement, compensate these gpn w tlcmen for their outlay. Ho could not but remark that had the adjoining runs hold by Mr. Smith and Mr. Maclean b< i en thrown oppn years ago, the population ot't!-i< district would have been threefold wh.it it now is, and the same remark applied to other districts. As he had before said, the Hundreds Act was an abortion, and must be repealed. The next principle set forth by the League was equal in importance wit-h the others, viz., tbe expenditure of special goldfields taxation on the goldfiolds. He bad referred to statistics of Tuapeka ifoldfield. and found that something like L 130,000 had been paid in taxation during the last nine years by that portion of the province alone, and in the face of that fact they had not yet got a main road — although only extending the short distance of 26 miles. Another matter in which reform was needed was the miner's right. He thought, considering the high duty levied on gold, 10s was a sufficient sum to pay for a miner's right, and when they remembered that it was only 5s in Victoria, he thought the meeting would endorse his opinion in this matter. — (Applause.) The next question which the League proposed to deal with, was an extension of the suffrage and electoral reform generally. As for himself he was absolutely in favour of universal suffrage, but when that was suggested to the gentlemen who organised the League it was generally supposed that the question of dealing with the Maori population would prove a great objection to universal suffrage. But he need not point out to the mooting the existence of a large class of shopmen and others who were living in lodgings and were highly qualified to exercise the franchise, who, according to the present system were deprived of their rights. — (Heai*, hear.) 11 is own opinion was that every man who could read and write was quite entitled to share in the Government of the country. — (Applause ) That at least, ho said, should bo admitted all the world over. — (Cheers.) These, then, gentlemen, are the chief features of the programme issued by the Central Committee of the Southern League from Dunedin, and the meeting was asked to adopt it, to adhere to it, to form a branch League in the Tuapeka District for carrying that programme into effect. He had much pleasure in moving the resolution.

Mr. Gascoigne seconded

The Chairman culled for a show of hands, and declared the resolution to be carried unanimously? • - 1 • Mr. Bastings was then elected chairman, and Mr. L. C Holmes, secretary.

This closed the proceedings of the meeting.

According to advertisement, immediately after the above meeting wa3 held, a meeting of those friendly to the election of Mr. Reid to the Superintendency, took place, Mr. M'Swiney in the chair. The meeting, although not intended to be a public one, became so. A resolution was unanimously passed to the effect that Mi*. Reid was the most desirable of the two candidates for the Superintendency. The meeting wiis addressed by Messrs. Bastings, Ferguson, Tolcher and Brown, af fcor 'which a requisition in favour of Mr. Reid's candidature was numerously signed. We shall give a report of the meeting in our next issue.