REPRESENTATION OF WESTLAND.

West Coast Times, Issue 148, 9 March 1866, Page 2

REPRESENTATION OF WESTLAND.

A public meeting was held yesterday afternoon at the Shakespere Hotel, for the purpose of hearing gentlemen who intended to offer themselves as candidates at the ensuing election for the General Assembly, give an exposition of their political views. There was an excellent attendance, the hall being crowded, and the utmost order prevailed throughout the whole of the proceedings. Mr Carey was voted to the chair, and opened the meeting by stating the reasons for which it was convened. He called upon any gentleman present who intended to stand, to come forward and address the electors there present. Mr Pi'osser, M.P.C., asked permission of the chairman to inform the meeting of the result of the labors of the Election Committee and Sub- Committee. He said, all present were aware for what reason the committee was formed, and that during the past two days the subcommittee had waited upon several gentlemen, amongsL whom were Messrs Shaw, Bright, and Bonar. The two last named had declined to come forward, the former on account of lacking the necessary qualification, the other through pressure of business. Mr Moorhouse had also been telegraphed to, and requested to allow himself to be placed in nomination. His reply was well known to the public. Mr Prosser, however, was of opinion that a local man was to be preferred, and was glad Mr Shaw had consented to stand. He believed him to be honest and straight forward, and all were aware that his interests lay in Hokitika. (Cheers.) Mr Shaw, in responding to the call, said that he felt somewhat diffident in placing himself in such an onerous position, for although not a very young man he had never taken an active part in political matters, and certainly should not be now addressing them were it not for the apathy he was sorry to say existed in Westland upon a subject of snch vital importance as political representation. At the same time he considered this apathy a cheerful sign of tl)o times, as it showed unmistakeftMy (bat all wovo prospering, and found it ini|>MilM* to ipirfl tlrp front \w\\\m to

devote to politics. Still, Englishmen in usually were not indifferent when their di rights were at' stake but made an p< effort to secure them, and although he fr would much prefer remaining in private w life, and even now hardly considered him- hi self as a candidate, he would rather than in see the community suffer sacrifice his own tl inclinationaforthepublicgood. (Applause.) tl In alluding to his views the speaker con- ai fessed they were somewhat narrow and ir selfish, for he could not help believing h that the first duty of a new commu- t( nity was rather to keep a house above n their heads, provide for themselves and a tbose- belonging to them, and make A duo provision for local wants than to waste 1< time studying abstract questions. (Applause ti and cries of " that's true.")' The speaker h considered that the primary question that q should claim the consideration of every v one who wished Westland well, was that of c separation, and it would be advisable to, y as soon as possible, come to some definite f ( conclusion on the subject. He for one s would frankly confess that he was in favor f of separation, (applause) and thought the times were favorable for so important a c gtep. He certainly might be mistaken in r his views, as unfortunately for himself he d had resided some time inSouthland andwas r therefore able to form a pretty good esti- r mate as to how separation sometimes worked g at first iv small provinces. Southland, c too true, was a failure in that respect, but t it did not follow Westland should be the same, as the former province had but few \ resources to support it, whilst "Westland 1 abounded in them and possessed besides a i large and most intelligent community, \ (cheers.) At the same time he did not 1 think that the fate of Westland would be \ decided either one way or the other by i separation from Christchurch, for it pos- ( sessed such vitality as would f oroe it ahead < whether it was an appendage af that dis- ; trict or not. However it must bo confessed \ that we had hardly received justice at her i hands, and as facts and figures were stubborn things and good evidence, he should draw their attention to the fact that , up to Oct. 31st last £45,000 had been received by the Canterbury Government from Westland. They had acknowledged this and in return had spent £103,000 on the district generally; but of this siun £47,000 had been spent on roads and public works, viz:— £44,000 on the East side in the construction of the inland road, and £3,000 in Westland (cries of oh ! and groans.) Did the meeting consider that £44,000 well spent or such an expenditure of public money beneficial to Westland, (cries of no, no.) As he had shewn the the dark side of the picture it was but fair they should sere the other, and he was glad to see by the late Appropriation Act that Christchurch, was inclined to be more liberal ard had placed on the estimates £157,000 to be spent on Westland out of an Appropriation Bill of £380,000. That amount was promised provided the revenues would bear it, but not without... This was the manner in which the public money was disbursed. It would be for Westland people to decide whether it was satisfactory and whether they were content to remain as they were and allow their capital to be spent for them by others who had no interests in this part of the province, (cries of "we'llhave separation.") In the speaker's opinion no- one could spend money so judiciously as he who owned it, and he thought that Westland should certainly be allowed to disburse its own revenue, and for that reason above all others advocated separation. Na better argument could be adduced in favor of the movement than the present apathy displayed in the matter of representation, for he felt sure there were many gentlemen who belonged to this community who were eminently qualified by talent and past experience too, and who would esteem it an honor and be only too happy to serve in a Provincial Council, but who objected for many reasons to sit in the Christchurch Council. Mr Shaw here alluded to Mr Moorhouse, and declared that he believed him to be a good ! man and a thorough politician, and that if 1 he came over and expounded his views, - and pledged himself to uphold the interests of Westland, he (the speaker) believed 1 that he would do so, and, moreover, that 1 his position would give him great weight" • in the House — nevertheless as he might, i from his connections with Canterbury, be assumed to be hostile to separation, he was not the man for v Galway." Mr Bonar rose and addressed the meeting in favor of Mr Moorhouse. He stated that he believed him to be a most clever man, and one who possessed an unstained political reputation, and was well qnalified to represent them. He had [ promised to sit if elected, and he (the ; speaker) pledged himself to support him. | Mr Moorhouse would exorcise considerable 1 influence in the Hbuse, and if elected 1 would redress the wrongs of Westland. \ His being a member of the Canterbury ; Council, with every prospect of becoming Superintendent, would enable him to do 1 so, for it was not in the Assembly but the I Council that redress was to be obtained. [ Mr Moorhouse would be here next week, | and would doubtless address the electors. , Mr Crate desired to know whether Mr | Moorhouse was not already elected by the ! district of Mount Herbert to represent it in the Assembly, and whether it was not i dishonest on his part to cast aside the constituency who had c ected him for the sake \ of another, although the latter might be '[ more influential and important. Mr Crate | read an extract from a local paper, wherein Mr Moorhouse promised Ins constituents that he would study their interests and serve them faithfully. ! Several of the supporters of Mr Moorhouse who were on the platform, at once 1 rose, eager to justify him, but were re1 ceived with marked disapprobation by the meeting, and a scene of some confusion 1 ensued, which only subsided at the re- ' peated calls of the Chairman to order, who said that any gentleman who chose to r do so might come forward as proxy for Mr 1 Moorhouse. Mr Sprot at once took possession of the I floor, and affirmed he considered himself j as the proxy of that gentleman, and felt proud and happy in being there to cham^ 1 pion his cause. lie said that it was r chictly at his instigation tho telegram had [. been forwarded to Mr Moorhouse, than I whom a better man to represent Westland \ could not be found. Mr Sprot cxplaiped v the position in which Mr Moorhouw „ stood in connection with his Mount Herbert ] constituency, and confessed, (laughingly), s that it was< verily a pocket borough, B possessing about twenty-four electors, aud j was not considered of much consequence.It was a peculiar district, mountainous * ami out off from tho vent of tho pvoviuoo, „ dfid flonlil very woll he roprawttod by «v

inferior num. lie (the speaker) knew the ilistrict well, as the few hundred acres the possession of which constituted him a freeholder laid there, and he thought that with such talents and ability as Mr Moorhouse possessed,hewnswoi thy of representing the first rather than the last district in the province. (A voice. v Why did'ent they give him a better, then." Applause and laughter). Mr Sprot proceeded by informing his hearers that Mr Moorhouse had once been in difficulties, and had gone to Victoria and worked as a common nnvvy at the Van Yean water works, although at that time he held a seat in the Auckland Council, and had absolutely left his work in Victoria to attend its sittings. The speaker expatiated at great length on the abilities and many good qualities of that gentleman, strongly advising the meeting to support him. lie concluded by stating that Mr Moorhouse was a progressionist, and far too go-ahead for Christchurch, and that his views on separation from the North Island were not favorably received there. One of the town bellmen addressed the chairman from the body of the house, and requested to be informed whether on the day of nomination a candidate might propose and second himself. The chairman not being prepared to answer, Mr Prosscr stepped forward, and stated that a candidate must be proposed and seconded by duly qualified electors. Mr Kennedy rose and addressed the meeting in favor of Mr Shaw, who he believed to be the right man for Westland, from his local standing, and straightforward honesty of character. He believed Mr Moorhouse to be a good man, but though^ Mr Shaw was the plainer sailer of the two. The latter had shewn himself disinterested in consenting to sacrifice his own interest for the public good, but Mr Moorhouse had discovered much selfishness of purpose in his readiness to throw over the Mount Herbert folks to better himself in Westland. Thisnvas not honorable— and if a specimen of Christchurch manners, he thought Westland would do well to reject Christchurch men> and especially to have nothing to do with Mr Moorhouse. The speaker now alluded to the manner in which Westland had been treated, and drew attention to the stjjte of the town and wharf of Hokitika, anfljj,that' Christchurch had paid no attention to the petition of the inhabitants that the wharf might be extended and then properly preserved. (Mr Cleve rose to contradict this statement, which occasioned an immense uproar. lie was called to order by the chairman, who with difficulty restored silence.) Mr Kennedy continued his address by believing that a separation between East and West Canterbury was not only advisable but unavoidable, as the desires of this community tended strongly in that direction* He was of opinion that Christchurch would have no objection, after the sale of the town lots had taken place. They would then, as soon as the plunder was secured, cast off Westland as a useless drag upon them. It was therefore clearly the duty of this community to take care of itself and obtain separation whilst it was worth having and whilst there was a revenue to be raised that would support a Provincial Government. The speaker alluding to the state of the country generally, and the difficulties miners had to contend with through the want of tracks, bridges, &c, concluded by affirmine: that if the mechanics and miners of Westland would support him, he (the speaker) would successfully oppose Mr Moorhouse, and return Mr Shaw. (Cheers, applause, and excitement.) Mr Create came forward and stated that he had determined not to address the meeting, but felt compelled to do so in Mr Shaw's belrolf, who he believed to be worthy of all the support that the electors of Westland could give him. The speaker dwelt at some length on the benefits Westland would derive from separation, and in having a Legislature of its own, and "lie al hided to the waste of public money on useless works, citing as a case in point, the construction of a dam across the South arm of the Hokitika, which involved an expenditure of LISOO, and had been washed away by the first flood. He dwelt upon the necessity of local mining boards, and scoffed at the idea of returning such a man as Mr Moorhouse, who had only been brought forward at the last moment, and stigmatised him as a man whom none of us knew, and therefore not fit to be trusted. Mr Orate spoke at some length of his Victorian experience, both on the diggings and in town, and deprecated the idea of poor men entering the Assembly as they were easily bought over, assuring his hearers that the last bill passed in the Victorian Parliament, whilst he was in Melbourne, cost the country L 30,000. He objected to the unjust taxation of diggers as monstrous, and advocated a revision of the tariff, and spoke to a great length on the rclatf ye merits of Messrs Shaw and Moorhouse, advocating that the former should be supported. On concluding his address Mr Crate was loudly applauded. Mr Sprot again addressed the meeting in favor of Mr Moorhouse, but stated he should certainly advise him to withdraw, as he had not anticipated such a decided expression of public feeling as had been manifested that day. •He felt sure Mr Moorhouse would not come forward. Mr Eicke also spoke in the same strain, and hoped the meeting would not suppose that Mr Sprot had acted unadvisedly in telegraphing to Mr Moorhouse as he and others of the sub-committee had recommended it should be done, lie trusted no one would suppose he had Chrfstchurch proclivities, as he repudiated the idea with scorn, and rather prided himself on being a pure " Colonial." He alluded to Mr Shaw's want of experience and unwillingness to come forward, and urged upon the meeting the advisability of electing Mr Moorhouse. Mr M'Grejror lauded Mr Shaw, his abilities, and position, and recommended his election as a man whom they had known for many year's, and thoroughly respected. He spoke at some length, and was once interrupted by Mr Cassius, and a little playful badinage resulted between them concerning the source from whence we obtained our whiskey, and also yvho was the party that sold suph a quantity of bad stuff. This little duello delighted the meeting, and on Mr M'Gregor resuming his seat the house rang with cheers and laughter. After a little desultory speaking by different parties, the Chairman put the following resolution to the meeting—" It was moved by Mr Kennedy and seconded by Mr Prosser, " That Mr Shaw is a fit and propor porson to represent AY^Btiftntl in

Tin's was carried unanimously, and a vote of thanks being awarded to the Chair, the meeting separated. An adjourned meeting of the General Election Committee was held last evening at the Cafe de Paris, in accordance with the resolution of the previous night. Mr Robinson was voted to the chair and explained the circumstances in which the Committee were placed by the proceedings that had taken place during the day. After considerable discussion it was resolved on the motion of Mr Carey, seconded by Mr Macgregor, that Mr Edw. McGlashan should be invited to stand for the district, and that the sub-committee meet at 10 o'clock to-day, at Messrs Carey and Gilles' Mart to forward a telegram to Mr McGlashan to ascertain his willingness to be put in nomination. Mr Eicke "moved, and Mr Clark seconded, a vote of thanks to Mr Robinson for the active part he had taken in promoting the present movement. The motion was very warmly received by the Committee and passed unanimously. The meeting then adjourned until this evening at eight o'clock, when the reply of Mr McGlashan will be considered, and other business connected with the election proceeded with.