SUPERINTENDENCY QUESTION. PUBLIC MEETING AT OTAHUHU.

Daily Southern Cross, Volume XXIII, Issue 3016, 27 March 1867, Page 5

SUPERINTENDENCY QUESTION. PUBLIC MEETING AT OTAHUHU.

the constituency of Auckland as a candidate for the Superintendency: Thea would be the time to ask him as to his future polioy. He (Mr. L.) believed ; him to be a man of experience, of integrity, aud übilily. He had watched him for the last ten years, and bad formed aa opinion of him and others, and he believed him to bo the fitting candidate. He had heard other names mentioned — ("Name") — Mr. BuckUnd, Mr. Albyn Mar tin— (cheers)— and Mr. O'Neill. He had not heard of his friend Mr. Creigh ton yet ; he had no doubt he would make an excellent Superintendent, and if he had been mentioned he (Mr. L.) would havs had some delioacy in opposing him ; but as he was not a candidate he ( vir. L.) would take the three names. There were some . ambitious people, but they wanted the £1,600. The depression that had taken place in the city seemed to give ambition to many candidates-— not to get the work of a Superintendent — but the £1,500 a year. He had no difficulty in determining in bis own mind that of the' three gentlemen named as candidates Mr, John Williamson was the best man. Mr. : W. Buokland said he had been of opinion that the meeting ought to adjouru, and come together ab a future time to consider the public questions affecting the province, on being duly convened for this purpose; but they noW had something to go upon. There was now a specific proposition before the meeting. The meeting bad two 1 of ttie ackow- ■ ledged agents of Mr. John Williamson before it,' and they were called upon to consider that gentle- i man's claims upon the constituency. ' (Bear.) Allusion had been made by Mr. Lewis to himself as a candidate ' for the Superintendency,' and ■ he' would just say in reply that he" was not a candidate for the office.' -< He remembered on one occasion, alter sitting up late at the Provincial Connoil, meeting his friend Mr. E. Maclean, who had just oome into the room, on his return home at a very early hour in the morning. Mr. -Maclean asked him whether he did not think he would be better engaged spending his time in the development of the resources of the country than in attending to politics ; and he thought hisi friend was right. (Hear.) He, intended to take his advice hereafter, and attend 1 to the development of the resources of the county,! and 'set an example to the settlers. (Hear.) But tiiis he would say — that, if he should ever become a candidate for the Superintendency, he never would employ a teetotaller to ask a rote for him'.' (Laughter, and prolonged cheers.) The admission which Mr. Lewis made that the candidate 1 , he w,aa "prepared to support was so steeped, in debt; and embarrassed that his creditors 7 promised, not to take steps for the recovery of what,was owing ( to then! for two years and a half, was the most 'extraordinary ' he ever heard. Was Mr. Williamson a free' agent ? ("Yes," and "No.") It was an insult to the common sense of the meeting to flay that a man so circumstanced could be a free agent. (Hear, hear.) He had no 'personal feeling^ against Mr. Williamson. On "the contrary, he' had given him his vote for years, believing him to' be honestly desirous of doing" the 'best he could to promote the interests of the province ; and he still believed his mind was bent upon that object. Like Mr. White he (Mr. Buclcland) had been in 1 Mr 1 . Williamson's Executive, and had disagreed , with him. He found that Mr. Williamson ■was obstin'a'te in carrying out his own views. ' ; ' Mr. F. WtoE said he had never been a member of Mr. Williamson's Executive. Mr, Bucklaud misunderstood 1 him. What he did 'say was, '' that Mr. Williamson' told him that although? he 'was a member of Mr. 1 Whitaker's Executive he 'was opposed to many acts of his Government. ' Mr. Bttckland said he hardly thought that Mr. 'Williamson was so lost to all sense of public propriety 'as to go rfttlnd Amongst his friends and tell ' them' what transpired ,in the Provincial Executive. l ' V ' * Mr; Wbite said that Mr. Williamson had' not . come to him : he had gone to Mr'. Williamson, who ' told' him so. ''"'',' Mr. W. Bttckland remarked that' it was the same ttiihg^ He did'not believe that Mr. Williamson had told any one what had happened at the Executive table of the province. ' With regard lo'Mif!' William* son's policy, he would simply, Isay that he .either wasignorant of political" science," or ignored 'it; altogether." On either horn of the dilemma he must be impaled, Mr. Williamson had all along acted t)n the principle that population was wealth, and had. pawned the lands of 'the province to increase population, whereas it wa's '6nly- an elem6nfcof li wealth.'', population, without 1 capital,- -wasnotTre'altb^'ifc was the Very opposite. ' " Without population, 'we should not h'ave paupers, and without population capital would be e6mparatively valueless. Capital u and' population 1 were, therefore,' the' elements 1 of wealth. Mr. 1 Wil- - liamaon would increase population; an.d expel capital. _ If,' therefore, Mr. Williamson 'were elected ' Superintendent, he must altogether abandon ' his ■past policy, or plunge the province still further into' ruin. He had 'on a farmer occasion ■plunged the province into debt to carry out- h' is. theory ; and every act of bis administration was calculated to bring about the ruin which had overtaken the province.' (Hear.)' But had Mr. Williamson changed his policy ? By no raeaas. They were told by his agents that he was'in favour of free trade in native land, whereas' he was'a party to the passing of an Act last session which locked up every adre of native land. (Applause.) There was no mistake about it ; and if anyone said' the reverse he would deceive the people. They were likewise told that the old system of the province competing with private individuals for native land, and part-, ing -with it to satisfy " : <he ' forty - aore .men, .was, to be continued j by u Mr. . William- , son,, ■ This was simply .to perpetuate the , system which had been condemned even by* its pro•moteri. But Mr. Williamion had not .abandoned i the idea. They wanted free trade in native land, >>nd retrenchment. /(Hear.) It mattered vety, little who was Superintendent, -for he saw plainly that, so far as Auckland, w»a concerned, provincial institutions were done ; and it was their own&ult. They had elected Mr. R. Graham, and he and. Mr. Daldy could not have inflicted more harm on the. province than they, had done if they had intended to do' so. ..The debt of the province now amounted to .about three-quarters of a million, not reckoning the threemillion loan; therevenuewasdecreasing, and he thought six months hence they could not do more than pay .the interest on the loan. The Council last session saw these thinga coining, and had invited the Superintendent to reduce the estimates. ' .Neither -Mr. Whitaker nor Mr. Williamson would qive way, and the consequence was that the revenue did not meet the. current outgoings. If they had consented to a reduction then, they might] have gone on for some time longer, but now it would be necessary to reduce the expenditure from £46,000 to £25,000, and that would not meet the case. He would be- an unpopular Superintendent to undertake that duty, but it mast be done. For the last few years he had been afraid to look these things in the face. The evil was drawing closer and closer upon them, and assuming larger proportions. The depression ,from which they were now Buffering' was mainly owing to the removal of the seat- of Government. He had seen this at the time, but when he heard Mr. Newman saying that he, would rather lose the seat of Government close up one of our saw-mills, and Mr. 'VP'hiUjce/ making a calculation that ifc would not be a, Joss of sixpence "per head per annum to the people of Auckland, he had no hope in the place. When their leading men t took this view of what was ruinous, to the settlement, , he, knew there was no hope., The question of Separation, wfw invplrediu, this; and he had to say that (he had refuted a aeatTin the General Assembly, last ,eleoj'tion because he was opposed to the movement, and ' would'notmisrepresenttheieleotors. (Hear.) He thought the Separation cry was a .mistake, when they found tnatVa very, large, ampunt was annually spent , in, tbe ' Npttli Island, inexcess of .its ; revenue, r,This mpiiey, came from the Spuiti'Tßlipd^ i wol r4 willingly, tal^e upon itself j'the thKe-piillionlqanjto be relieved of all future, demands on .account of the native war.. At this' time h,e though $le, jse^lera, would do well ,to, b'e careful in' their qhoiice 1 of Superintendent. With an overhanging^ de))^ a falling,^ve'nnei, and war in the Waikatd imminenV they , ftught to ■, be , very cautious regarding^ wia^ tp.ey did,. He thought the settlers ought to take .time, to, consider this question", and would therefore 'moye./bywa.yof amehdinent, that this 'meeting 'be adjourned to, this day week, at four" o'clock, to take into consideration ithe poetical position'©? the, province. f " „ : >, ' "•jStr. Ba^SBTT seconded the amendment, wh^iph wa3 ( put meeting, , after a, little sparring, \ ind adopted. „ tl , I ! . ' The effect of the amendment is altogether to jset .aside Mr. Andrews^ resolution. '^ ( '. ' j V, $hv' meeting' then separaied,' , , „ 'j