Banquet to Mr. Donald Reid M.H.R. M.P.C.

Clutha Leader, Volume II, Issue 73, 2 December 1875, Page 3

Banquet to Mr. Donald Reid M.H.R. M.P.C.

(Condensed from the? ' Guardian;'); \'£

MrD. Reid, M.H.R.,, and.M.P.C., was entertained to a banquet in the Drill Shed, Mosgiel, p£Tuefedayreye>jjing. ],There ;was'[a ; large attendance, there being about 150 present! ' Mr Allan, MiP,C,. presided^ and .was supported on^his.'l'lefji by his Honor the Superintendent, 'and 1 Mr James JTpdd, and pn-his .right <by tl^e. gue?t of f |;he evening, 'and* Sir John Richardson; AAiri'ongst those present were Messrs Stout, M.H.R., and,M.P.C., a. Turnbtdl;/ f M'P.OJ>' * JoTiii^D&He ffpr'o^nifcial Treasurer ; Oreen, Secretary for Public Works ; J. L. Gillies, Speakerjofnthe Provihcfob.Council ; A . J. Burns, aud a number cf leading citizens of . Dunedin. Mr Geo 'ge Pram acted as Vice chairman. • .-. '. = >.r „ y The usual loyal toasts were receive^ with all tho honors. The vice chairman proposed '* The Array," Nayy t ami. yolunteers," to which Sir John Richardson responded! Mr A. J. Burns proposed "The Provincial Council," coupled with the ' name of his Honor the Superintendent, to which hia Honor duly responded. Mr James Todd' proposed: " The.Guest : of Ithe Evening." > . „ , , , . Mr Reid in rising to reply r was received with loud applause. In his preliminary .remarks, he said, it had always . been a matter of pride" to represent' so important a'disfcrict in the Assembly, and one reason was that it i comprised within itself all those resources necessary to form a great community. In representing the Taieri district he held thatlie wris not bound to any particular class, but was representing the mining, agricultural, pastoral, and : lately the manufacturing interests. That was a position with which any representative might feel gratified.' He adverted to the time when the news first reached Otago, that they, had been granted representative institutions, andthe joy which was thereby eccasiohed and said, it "Was very likely that ' those who ■' took , part in the proceedings to which, he alluded would like to know before they lost their Constitution what they "were going to have in its ; .stead. Some- present^might have very ;strong : feelings in regard to Abolition, hut he had no doubt that they were men who were, in earnest, as to the best form of Government which could ; be obtained for the country* and who Were :<prepared to hear any thing, which might be said for' or against the project; He -would now review Some of the reasons which had .been urged' why| Abolition should take pjace. He thought that if -he, had. time and leisure* to review the arguments' advanced by the papers in favor of Abolition, he could easily refute them. He would now briefly refer to some of these reasons. It had been said i . that the provinces should ' be abolished because they had fulfilled their functions. But he.would ask* had all their main roads been made — their railways formed— were their wastelands parrying a large population—were their schools built, and the means of education brought to the •' doors of the people?. In regard to all these matters, the work of, the provinces had hardly ; commenced. AU these things'* 'could be better looked after by those elected by the people .themselves, , r and responsible to them, than by others -oyer whom 1 they had not one-fourth 1 of the same -power. Then it was said that they should? abolish the! provinces in order to have a strong "central and: united Got ernment for the colony". * He pro-j ceeded to state that this, argument; would cut; away their country system. A united colony could as well be attained under the provincial form of government. He was no great admirer of a strong Central Government. A Wherever such a form prevailed, the privileges of the people were being curtailed from day to day. He wished to see a strong people, and in a position so that their wishes might he given effect to. He would pause well before he 'would take a step which would sweep away those institutions which had been the foundation of their prosperity. Al third reason urged in favor of Abolition was that the provinces were not in a position to carry on their functions. If the provinces had not the; means, he asked, where was the General Govern-; menc to get the means by which it would be able to distribute those advantages ?: .He^asked where did the colony get the means by ijwhich such results were produced ? Why not fairly say that these works were undertaken in consequence, of the necessity for them having .been forced upon the General Government by the action of the Provincial Councils. He said that the provincial Council of Otago and others also urged upon the General' Government the necessity pf obtaining loans in order to carry out. the3e wor^ks, and that as much credit was due to the Provincial Councils in the matter as to the Central Government. If those loans were exhausted — and th'ey'soou would I be— the Provinces would be in a far^better position than the General Government to carry out . pviblic Yrorka, "When, the , CentraV Government would come to undertake tiie whole business of ] the Colony the expenditure would-be greater than was the case under, local supervision. When people knewthatthe costs would have to he borne by themselves they would be more careful in expending money ; but let' thehv know thafc, no matter how extravagant they might be the cost would have to be defrayed by the whole of the Colony, and there would be an end to economy. The, pastoral leases of Otago would expire in about eight years from the : presen't time: 'The Province would then be in receipt of a revenue.pfj a quarter of a million sterling from this source alone. Did they mean to say- that a Province like that would not be in a, better position to carry ori its own local affairs than, the Central ' Government would be. Then it hadbeen said; that Provincialism was the worst, kind of Centralism, and that the Assembly was going to bestow : up6ri the Colonya system of local Government. - Where,: he asked, was tho Centralism exhibited by tlie' Province ? Was it because they erected hospitals; and lunatic asylums in the centres of the popula-; tion, when it was o nly by doing so that full 1 advantages could, be-,.; derived from them? Another argument was that the Provinces might 1 now be abolished since the ihe electric telegraph was instituted. . -„- That implied that„tjiey :, were, to be prepared to "be" governed~upon the French; system. . He did not think that it would be wise for them to adopt that. The Centralism of Pro-; vincialism sank into insignificance when compared 1 with that which was introduced under the Abo-; litionßill, which Offered bribes;" He asked them; to consider what the effect of tiiat would be. It' would be this : They .would have works being earned on in those municipalities, simply for.thej purpose of obtaining the subsidy of- £1 for' £1 from the Geheral. Government, y : ;The Government would in effect say to them, "Gentlemen,; subscribe 20s out of your "left-hand pocket, and we Twill .'subscribe: $03 .put; of your right-hand pocket, and we wfll "then return you 205."" He then commented on .ther expense pf the proposed system, and said it 'would' 'be 'the means of crippling industries, in consequence of the high-rate r of Costoms duties, and.prpceeded.tp say that the effect of it would' be to lower thetciiie of the General Assembly, which had hitherto given its attention to large subjects. The result would be, that instead of men being-returned to it to repre: sent important matters, those who were best at log-rolling; would *be returned.. , It- was/ j stated that the object of the" Abolition Biswas economy, hut .that .idea was ppw V( ah»udpned., r , ,The^'Pro i vincial tJafty' had 'been : 'blamed' : for" hot- having proposed a scheme ; but he was not dissatisfied with the; present one.,; >It .wasVthtjnduty otihe' General Government to bring forward a" schemej and they did so in .the form, of theXocal Gfpyernf ment Bill. But their Road 7* Board s system-^as a far more liberal one, as under it they could borrow money and establish tolls.-: No sane man would accept such a measure as the Bpcal Go? vernment Bill. — (Hear, hear.) He (the speaker) then referred to the Board of j Works Bilk introfduced by his. Honor the Superintendent,jtnd said that there was a great, difference between it and ' the Local Government Bill. % OHe'' -believed that some of the provinces might be abolished witn advantage.: i ; -He gave 3?aranaki,'. which had only a population of 4,465 as a case in point. It might - beabolished withouj^tbe least harm, ,T"he elecjtoral district' of the Taieri contained a papulation f 4,555.| f 4,555. , Jn point o£ T cpramerceand kctivity it vfah fbtn^times as important of Taranaki, but while it had but,; one rmember', Taranaki had three. "oTheyi woxUdOpot have the sama controller, their affairs if. they; were rele[ ; gat^lb'-Wellington.' He was not there to propound of government, but he though];; there ; was'a good deal in the ideas put forth by the Superintendent in his addressA having a Federal Govergmeht for the twolifltefidS^fficK would confine^itself, to.' collecting, revenue suffih

cient to defray its expenditure, and for meeting -£n^aufi"s;»f^thßt^ftbHeicmdiTOr.^^ think that^there^as anything {tp;-preyent such a • system from'heing ; carriea out,:nblr aia'he isee any ¥g^l^Ky:the!jpaßli^cf^itd^Sh!Onld»hj^^^^ it. j . those matters which* were'&se'riiially not federal, ; shch as roads, and the administration of the waste lands, and such lilte.i7,H' > would not touch upon the;questiqn } bf A the; nun ;he» .*of. province^ A He thought* thai for "a time at" least it woultj Dehwell to I , have two provinces for eaich island. """No mjuStice* would :Be'done-tS r some f of tn v e:smaller pro^ vinces, such as Tarasaki, hy attaching them to the larger ones, as they hßkd'iVjptdd; for. Abolition. The question of government would he the first which tlie 'riw'l'arliameriti. would "take into consideration. The electors should consider that seriously. ' ~ They "had an" opportumty-deniedto many i-:that of moulding the future constitution of this country. It would how depend ' upon their action whether or not they would haveiristitutions which would produce! a.freejlntelligent, and self-reliant people ; or such as wotdd make them indifferent tb theiK political privileges. After a few f urther^remarks, . Mr 4 Reid resumed his seat amidst.loudapplause. '- ' •* A large numher.of ;9therjtoas.ts were proposed i and responded to, and the proceedings' we're only ; brought to; a closer at , half-past-11, when' the : whisle ef the engine was heard, and the Dunedin -', visitors hadto leave." , : } ; 7v- ?:",;-"/