MR REID A.T BALCLUTHA.

Bruce Herald, Volume VI, Issue 353, 1 February 1871, Page 5

MR REID A.T BALCLUTHA.

Mr Reid addressed the electors in Barr's Hall, Balclutha, on the evening of Saturday last. There was a large attendance of electors, the hall being well filled. Mr George Richardson was called to the chair, -who, after a few introductory remarks, called upon — Mr D. Reid, who on coming forward, was received with loud applause. Mr Reid spoke for nearly two hours, a great portion of his speech being a repetition of the one delivered by him in Tokomairiro, and which was reported in these columns. In referring to the Immigration and Public Works Act, he said the views he propounded and the assertions he had made in Dunedin had not yet been refuted. The Colonial Treasurer had had an opportunity of doing so but had not even made the attempt. He certainly had tried one quibble with reference to the construction j of the Southern Trunk Railway, and aaid the j engineer had reported that the work couid be constructed at LSOOO a mile. This report he considered no proof, and he would only believe when it a contract was taken at that figure. Mr Paterson's estimate was much higher, and when Mr Young tried to get home contractors to take it up, the lowest was L6OOO. No doubt the engineer might cut down the expenses to as low a figure as the Government might instruct, but that woul<\ not be a substantial serviceable railway such as was wanted Mr Driver had attempted to refute his statement as to three miles being to be constructed in the North Island for one in the South. This again was a quibble . Mr Driver referred to what would be expended during the present year. He (Mr Reid) adhered to the schedule of the Act, and, taking it. his statement was substantially correct' In short the South Island was offered nothing but a few surveys ■which they had previously made at their own expense. He (Mr Reid) was strongly in favor of the construction of public work 3, and of borowin^ upnn a sound principle for these, but he would be no party to pledi;insf.our revenue and land furd to open up a wilderness in the North for the subjugaticn of the nativea. The proper use of a railway was to open up an outlet for the produce, &c . of settled districts. One of the first of these lines should be the one Dunedin to the Clutha. Others were necessary, such as Invercargill to the Mataura, and the Waitaki railway, with branch-feeders to tha centres of population. As to the water supply to the goldfields, he considered the sum appro priated, 1*300,000, far too small Of this sum only about a third would fall to the share of Otago, and he thought half a million might be expended safely on the eoldfields in this Province alone. This expenditure, he considered would prove fche must immediately remunerative. Without the goldfields, we could not easily meet our liabilities. As to the Immigration Scheme, it seemed to him to be the intention of its framers to expend a large, amount of money in introducing immigrants, and Mien to expend a few I millions to find work for them. This he considered a wrong principle. Tf it was advertised" that people were wanted to construct public works, he had no doubt a sufficient j number of the class required would soon find their way to the Province. If immigrants were brought here for public works, they would leave whenever the works were completed Provision must be made for enabling them to become permanently settled and prosperous on the land. Then they would remain and share our burdens, and the Province would make real progress in native industries, &c. This could only l§e done by openinir up the waste lands, which would be a difficult matter so long as the Hundreds Act remained upon the Statute books. He (Mr Keid) fully explained the provisions and working of the Act, the secret manner in which it had been introduced and passed, and Mr Macaiidrew's votes in the Assembly upon the divisions. Mr Reid next referred to the charges of obstruction which had been brought against him. , Be read portions of the deed of agreement which the sham company had prepared for the signature of the Government, and commented thereon, shewing that it. was no offer to construct a railway at all ; only to form a company to be registered at the Government expense. All the investigations of the company as to the remunerative nature of the undertaking were to be made at the expense of the Government, and after all the company were to be in no way bound to carry out theiwork, while at the same time had the agreement been signed, the company would have been in a position to dictate whatever terms they, pleased to the Government. The Government in the interests of the Province refused' to sign^suchJ a deed. He (Mr KeidV recapitulated the action, or rather no action of the Yogel Ministry as to the railway, and the steps ; the -Reid Government had taken to have it construc*ted, shewing how they had been, thwarted at eve-'y step by the General Government. He referred tothe offer Mr Yogel had . now got which was simply one which .had been made- to him; (Mr Reid), and which Mr Yogel of hinasftlf could never, have; got. Mr- Reid next .referred to Mr • Macandrew's.. statenkant:/ that vhe was | sought to be supplanted by the. man who had j him f rpm carrying, mi t. his pledges, j ancV tliat, "fe^",- : iVp|>ni-'tn^. * gf annd that jthese j pledges had not beon fulfilled. Ho said t'ldr^ I ■vva^ -m-it =tliti '"sligiif^su : ioundittio-alor a.iy auoh

iwsertions. In Dunedin tie had challenged! ptf r/J^abandrew' in his presence to ransack the ■whofe of the Executive minutes, and anew oneiiugle atbt of obstruction, and it Lad not been attempted. He (Mr .fteie'yhad certainly thwarted the recognition of the sham company, and for this he expected the thanks o£ the Province. ". He had also prevented effect being given to Mr Macandrew's extraordinary scheme of immigration of ; Norwegians, Corniah miners; stocking weavers, and others. Mr -iJ^id? wsa& ; this scheme (which was reporfc^'m'^'ur^^ to the meeting, and whwtt ex<iit63 roatfs of laughter. He haiajso, he said^r^sW up6tt'. the gold mining spjjoalatioir- propounded bj; Mr Macandrew, by : wiiok tifey ; &nght hafe had half the people 6|*t toe' "country working at th^iSovernmentstroker If the Government had to find -labor pfefer to employ men upon the: roads^ in a manufactory, or even, upon a farm^—certainly not upon ao hazardous a speculation as gold mitting. If such works were to be called progression, then he was not progressive ; but if to undertake works of utility, anxUwith reasonable grounds of success, was 1 progression,, then he claimed' to be a progressive man. Mr Reid next referred to. the allegation that he had stuck to office ia order to thwart the Superintendent, and prevent him carrying but his measures. When the special session Was called to consider the proposals for the Clutha Railways, &c., Mr Shand moved.a motion asking his Honor to recommend that the Council be at once dissolved. If he (Mr Reid) had been obstructing hia Honor he then< had the power of getting quit of him by an appeal to the country. This his Honor declined to do-. It was therefore not him (Mr Reid) who had stuck to the emoluments of office, but Mr Macandrew. On the division on Mr Shand's motion, those parties who now brought the charge against him of clinging to office were the parties whovoted against an appeal to the country.' Now,, when within six weeks of the date when FHs Honour would. have retired by effiuxion of time, and when he has had the full benefits of these emoluments, he gets the Council dissolved, simply in order that he might go to the electors in the character of a martyr to an obstructive Executive. Why were these emoluments nob given up and the people appealed to at the time the obstruction is said, to have occurred ? Mr Macandrew is reported to hay« said, in hia address at Balclutha, that " there was a part of the Colonial Loan set apart for subsidy to Road Boards ; and notwithstanding that the Provincial Council had vowed not to touch the unclean thing, they had actually received L7OOO already, and would in July receive L7OOO more from this unholy thing" He (Mr Reid) was glad Mr Macandrew had called the loan by its proper name : but the state 4 ment that the Provincial Government had partaken of it was a mistake. The payment of L7OOO referred to had not been made out of it at all, but out of the consolidated' revenue, to which we had all contributed. It was a portion due to the province but of the consolidated revenue, and had no connection whatever with the proposed loan. Mr Raid also referred to other misstateraents made by Mr Macandrew. It had, he said, been formerly brought against him that he was not an aristocrat — that he had actually been guilty of laboring with his hands, and that by his own industry he had attained to the position he at present occupied. That argument was now getting somewhat stale, and another had been substituted, viz., that he was not an educated gentleman. If, he said, he had not felt that he had received sufficient ed i cation for the performance of. all the duties attached to the office of Superintendent, he would not have been' before them-, as a candidate for that office. — (Loud cheer 3.) • If they considered he had that forethought,., shrewdness, honesty, and industry, which fitted iiitn for the office, ha certainly expected some support from the electors of the Clutha. (Prolonged cheering.) The Chairman now intimated that Mr Reid would be ready to answer any queEtions. Mr Ralston— Mr Macandrew stated her© that there was a very popular delusion among working men, viz— that immigration. would; reduce wages. He (Mr Macandrew;, in the early days, had paid 3s 6d and 5s respectively for skilled and unskilled labor, and upon the resumption of immigration wa^es rose. Mr Macandrew also said that formerly our metalled roads cost for maintenance about L4OO per mile per annum, but now, inconse--quence of competition in the labor market,, they would cost only about L 300; Can you, reconcile those statements ? Mr Reid said he certainly could . not, and trusted it was not to be expected of him that he would reconcile Mr. Macandrew' 3 many contradictions. ■ . In reply to an elector, Mr Reid said, there was no probability of lands being set apart for the purposes of the Clutha River Trust so long as the Yogel Government was in power. The Provincial Government had set apart lands for that purpose, but the General • Government had disallowed them, as well as reserves for educational and benevolent- purposes. He thought, if the Stafford Government had been in power, they would not. have been refused. He considered that a. sum of money would be judiciously ex? pended in opening up the navigation of the, fiver and protecting its batiks. Mr Ralston — If reserves are not allowed' for such purposes' how can 50 acres be made over as a prose ut to the first child born, at Martin's Bay ? Mr Reid said he did not know, that this had yet been done, butittjould be. done by the Provincial Treasurer paying -the price of the land, which he. of course would; get back, agaiii. - ..' ...,.-.,.., r. # In reply to Mr Bowers, Mr Reid said; he did not think it would "be fair to thos&.who had paid their passage money f or .-i the- Government to remit the saine.irL the. case of those who: had not yet paid, but" he. thought the Government would not take harsh, measuresfsuch as would turn parties; out iqf their homes. In .eyery case a. report wa3 (received that parties were able to pay before procjeedr ings were taken aginstthemv "' ; " :r — After some other questions, being asked and answered. . r\, - ■ .. . " .;: . Mr Alexander Bain' proposed the' following; motion:- — •• Thac thtJ meeting "thasiks -Mr Reid for his. addross, and will^haye revery confidence in assisting, to ; place him ia the position of Superintendenii'o^ the Province.-:;-: , :;.". : -. : ■"•■".' ; - V;:. (■"■* rc-'VT: ?f Mr Crammond seconded the. motion, and. which was carried unanimously. ■*•'»,-. Mr K'eid thanked the" meeting s for.; fh& vote At the same tiaieJhe^did not. "»ish .anyone i to consider. himseK bound .byxt'j; He would much, prefer that "the^fectors would think well and seriously oveisjfbhe' subjects to which hs had referred* .and. .the views : and assevliona he had giveafarth.. Were the electors throughout ithij Province to, adopt this - coafsd ]>ledge^ • would be un necessary, tlie resnit of; the;^il>»' ( -» l »^4 =*?? certain, and th.it roiuif. he had no causa to fear. Mr Reid proposed a vote of thanks to the ch,uirni;"i > '" which coiicludeti the proooediujjs.^