THE SUPERINTENDENCY. MR. WILLlAMSON AT THE THAMES. (BY OUR OWN REPORTER.)

Daily Southern Cross, Volume XXV, Issue 3820, 16 November 1869, Page 5

THE SUPERINTENDENCY. MR. WILLIAMSON AT THE THAMES. (BY OUR OWN REPORTER.)

On Saturday afte noon his Honor the Superintendent again addressed a public meetiugut the Thames, fiom a platform erected in Graham's paddock, between Shortland and Gr.ibamstown. The weather wan most uufavouia'.le for au open-air meetiug- indeed, it could hardly have been worse, for there was a thoroughly soaking raiu falling during tho proceedings. Probably there were near 2,000 persons present at first, but the rain caused a considerable number of those ou the outer edges of tho crowd to retire very speedily. Mr. Williamson went down to the 1 names in the ' Koyal Alfred ' atedtnei, and ou landing he was not ouly received most heaitily, but flouie uuhusifts-ts amongst his supporters hoisted him and bore him off to the pace of meeting. Juat as tho plutforrn was leached, a mott wrong thing was done by some person or persona who were upon >t ; the reporter for the Thumes Advertiser being violently pushed, or pitched oft. Mr. William Kowb was chosen to be chairman. He fad(ttiab before he proceeded with the buaineas he inu3t express his sorrow that one of the reporters had left the etaoe. (Interruption, and cries of "He was pm.htd off.") Whttlur he left the stage or was put off, his desire was th«t the reporter wtuld return to the sfc*ge. Was the repoiter at baud ? (Cries of " He's here at the back.") He hoped the leporler would agaiu coma up und take a seat at the tabla. They were there th.it day tj give fair play to everybody—fair play in the beginning, fair play in the middle, aud fair play to the end. (Hear, hear.) If, then fore, Mr. Berry was still present, let him return to the stage, and he should have fuir pl»y. [Mr, Berry did not returd.] They were assembled to listen toone who was * candidate for their suffrages. He need not tell ttiim that they jrould shortly bo called upon to exeicise tho most important duty they could exerc.se in regard to tie State and the country with which they were connected. It behoved sach elector, therefore, to give his vote with all the intelligence and all the conscience he possessed. Jhe giving of a vota was a duty not to Le performed without thought or care, or without examination into the merits and demerits of thos* who were befora the constituency as candidates. He had addressed xn&uy a meeting of diggeis. He was, he need Bcucely say, a digger himself, aud had been bo from an early period of hit life ; aud of one thing he was pioud, namely, the good order th»t wa", as a rule, maintained by diggers in connection with all political meetings. He was sure that the present ineetiug would uphold that character. (Hear, hear.) He was not only au old digger, but he was au old politician, and lie had long been connected with the politics of the prowute of Aucklaud. (Cries of " Aud houesitly. too;" and "What about a Mining Board ?") When that gentleman wtnt mining he (tvlr. Rowe) would tt 11 him all about a Miuiugßoaid. (Laughter.) He had been connected with the politics of Auckland for 25 yeais ; and he had been for tho moat of that time, connected with the ! gentleman whj would presently address the ineetiug. He had been conuectpd with Mr. Williamson in the government of the province ; he had seen him in the Provincial Council ; and, though he had differed with Mr. Williamson on many occasions and on muny que»tions, he said unhesitatingly that he had never uem any taint in the performance of his duties, but he had pursued his courfco consistently, honestly, and with the best iutentious, ever debiting above all things cli.c to promote the interests of the province of Auckland. (Cheers.) Those were facts, and they gave Mr, Williams >n a claim upon the electors. He had the further 1 claim that he bad on ouo or two occasions taken the reins of the province when other men shrank from them. A candidate addressed the electors laßfc Saturday wlio told them that ha had been Provincial Solicitor ; that he got £400 a-year ; that by-and-by he got somewhat less ; and that ultimately he retired. He (Mr. Howe) could tell the meeting the reason for tkat, for he claimed some honour and credit for having leeD an inbtruineut inputting Mr. Gillie» in that position. Mr. Gillies, as Provincial holiciior, got a salary of £400 ayeai; but he abo received feus for doing the work of the province, so that bis salary was not £400 only, but £500, £600, or even £1,000 a-ycar. Mr. Gilliea did not go into the l J iovincial Council. He drafted the bills, but they had to be fought through the Council by others, and he (Mr. Rowe) wai one who, as a member of the Executive, endeavour«d to do that. The province had meanwhile gone downhill, and he thought that it was rather too bid that one man should get the pay, and another do the labour ; therefore he «aid to Mr. Williamson, who was then Superintendent, " I will do this no longer; Mr. Gilhea must go iuto the Council, or we muiit get auother Solicitor." Mr. Gillits wai communicated with. But did ha go into the Council 1 Not he. The province was going downhill ', and Mr. Gillies was not the man to connect himself wit'i it ny going into the Council. That was the reason why Mr. Gillies gave up the office of Provincial Solicitor, aud there was no other reason ; had he gone iuto the Council he might have been enjoyiug the emoluments of office up to the present time. Mr. Williamson, let it be repeated, had become a candidate for the Supenntendency when others would not do so. Mr. Williamson found the vessel on a lee shore, and everybody said she would be wrecked ; but the •kipper had navigated her clear of the rooks, and now the fair- weather sailors would like to get on board and become her officers. (Laughter and applause.) It would be unjust and ungrateful to Mr. Williamson to send him about his business when bettsr days for the province had returned ; and the people would not do anything of the sort. {Cries of "Mo.") For the sake of their own character for honesty and honour, they would do ali they could again to return M>. Williamson iuto tho office which he had so long and so well filled, (Applause,) Mr. Williamson, who was received with loud cheer*, said that when last he appeared there, and addressed a very large meeting of the inhabitants of the Thames goldfields, he thought that he should not be under the necessity of appearing there again. On that occ&tion, he endeavoured to put befora the inhabitants a pioture of the past and of the present condition of the province, and to explain the views he entertained in relation to the conduct of the affairs of the province for the future, should he again be honoured by baing elected to the Sup<*ii.tendency. But, during the interval, his rival had bten at the Thames, and had reiterated statements which he made on the hustings, to which ho (Mr. Williamson) had not thsn an opportunity of replying, but to whioh he now sought to reply. He need not, on auoh a day as the present, recapitulate what he had said as te hio own views ; and he would confine himself to replying to thos« charges which had been unfairly levelled at him by hia rival— first, when he could not reply, and, eecondly, behind his back. On the huatiug* Mr Gillies qatd that he (Mr.WiNUmpon) had, during tho last session of the Assembly, depriypd the miners of the opportunity of recprding their votes at the Super* Jntendental election. He was in the Houte of Representatives when $he bill enabling miners tp vo^e in the election of representatives, npfc only in provincial Oounpils but in the Assembly, was introduced. Mr, Grtllies had taken aa active interest in framing that bill, and l.v had charge of it in the House. If any now preient were in Otago at the time to which he was referring, they must recollect that Mnjor Richardson's term of office was about to expire j that that gentle* man was likely to become a candidate for reelection ; that the party which supported that gentleman dreaded— he would not say that Major Richardson hirrweif dreaded — au opponent ; aud that th,at party thought, If ihe piiueja * wero avowed to h»ve a rote, their pet candidate would not be choien. (Hear, hear.) The»efore it was that the right to vote for a Supedateodent wm withheld from the miners, and that they were only entrusted with power to choow rtpreeenUtiveg to "it in a F rovinoial Council or in the

Assembly. What did the party who supported Major Richardson, of which party Mr. Gilliei was oue, dread 1 They dreaded that Mr. Mieaudraw would come forward — Mr. Macandre* 1 , whom Mr. Gillies despiteri, persecuted, and abused ; aod leit he, a liberalminded candidate, should corns forward and bo returned by the snpport of the miner?, the miners were kept out of the power to support him. That waa the real reaion why the privilege of voting at Superintendental elections was denied to the miners. During the lust session of the ABiembly, Mr. Swan brought forward in the Assembly a bill, which Mas meant to embarrass tame of the Auckland members. Its object waa profesiedly to give to the miners of Auckland tka right to vote nt Superintendents] elections, but the majority of the members — at the close, as it might be said, of the term of the Parliament, and pending a general re-adjustment of the electoral districts— would not lu ten to any su< h. proposal for partial legislation. He was oue of thoie who refused to sanction the bill. Why ? He believed that, if he again became a candidate for the Super in tendency, he would be materially benehted by the mine>s being ablis to vote ; but he knew that many of the miners had become so attached to this district an to be enabled to put their nam^s on the electoral roll, by virtue of household, or of leasehold, qualification?, so that they would be no longer kept oit of voting in the election of Superintendent. It waa to that fact he referred on the hustings, when he said that the miner* were now rightfully in the position of giving their votes as free men in the election of Superintendent, aa well its in the elections of members of the Provincial Council and of the Housa of Eepresentatives. When Mr. Gillie*, lawyer-lilt* 1 , turned that remark round, and took advantage of his own version of it, he knew right well what were the facts ; for he (Mr. Williamson) never hid hit motives for the vote he guve last session. (Hear, hear.) If he had united with Mr. Swan, what would the representatives from the other island have said to him ? If he had endeavoured to obtain for the mim-rj in Auckland a greater power than was desired for their own provinces by the members from Nelson and Ofcago, until the proper timo for a general re-adjustment of representation had come, it would have been charged against him that he sought, by giving the miners the right of vitmg, to secure for himself an overwhelming majority. Many of the Auckland miners were now on the rolls as citizens ; and upoa those rolls he was prepared to meet Mr. Gillus. (Cbeerc.) Aft r his expeiiences dining his recent journeying* in the northern poitionu of the island, he could say confidently that neither Mr. Gillies nor hia warmest supporters — those who had contributed so largely towards Mr. l>illies'» expenses in this contest— (hear, hear)— would be able to keep him (Mr. Williamson) out of that position iv which ho desired to bo again placed j desired, not for his own advantage, but that he might be euabl-d to carry on to completion undertakings which he believed would promote the public welfare, and, by the assistance of the Council, to work oat a general policy for the good of all in the province. (Cheers ) He confessed that he desired to ba re-elected — (a Voice : And why should you not ?) — iv order that, after passing through i deep discouragements as connect td with the province, he might in the brighter day* rule over the province for the promotion of the the benefit of all interested in it. The tiuao I had coma when the miners ware produciug j wealth which they naturally desired to invest, by seourinp, in the province wbioh they so much liked, lands for permanent homes. It waa his desire that that desire should be realised; and if he was again placed in the Supermtendeucy, and if he bud around him a faithful and trustful Council, ho assured the miners that those who were pleased to throw in their lot with the old pioneer settlers would have opened to them the means of >loing so, and that they would be welcomed as strong and willing helpers in the development of the great resources of the province (Cheers.) Mr. Gillies had charged him with a desire ta keep the miners out of powers which they might have enjoyed iv othor colonies, as regarded the management of naming matters— had brought elnp-trap accusations as regarded Mining Boards. He had never refused to the miners any such right. (A Voice : " Yes, you have ;" and cries of "Put him out," followed by some confusion.) He trusted that no opponent of his would be removed or in any way interfered with ; but he begged his opponents to bstan to him fairly to the end, and then to put any questfons they pleased. (Cries of "Hear, hear,' 1 and "That's '.he way.") When he last addressed a meeting here at the Thames, he stated his reasons for not acceding to a request made to him in the early days of the goldfieldf, as to a Mining Board. If he bad acceded to that request on behalf of the few then upon the guldfields, as compared with the present numbers, what right would the bulk of the miners have had in the appointment of a body which some miners undoubtedly thought would be capable of conferring great advantages ? What be desired to have seen done w<ts, that the real practic >1 miners — men who had worked on other fields and had thus acquired knowledge— should elect thoie from amongst themselves in whom they had confidence ; that/those so elected should meet and confer with him ; and that, together, they should efcrive to produce such a set of regulations as would be conducive to the geneial benefit of the goldftelds. That wan what be proposed. But when meu who said they had been Appointed by some meeting held at Captain Butt's corner, came before him a» delegates from the miners of the Thames — when those men pretended to be practical miners, though he knew them to be practical painters, subeditors of newspapers, and so on — when such men claimed to be the representatives of those really practical miners who had endured the hard toil of the early days of the goldfield, he refused to listen to thoae men. He refused not alone for the reason he had stated, When he was at Wellington, he consulted with gentlemen who had had * good deal to do with the management of gold fields iv other provinces or countries, and they advised him to be very careful as to Mining Boards, for that, while those Boards were very often conducive to the advantage of a few, they worked mischief to the great majority of miners on a field. He was still free to act in the manner which he believed to be wisest and belt, with a view to amending the regulations ; and when the representatives of the gold fields took their seats in the Provincial Council — and h.« trusted that those chosen, o.s auoh representatives would he men, who w«JI understood the real necessities of these fields— he should nut he above listening to their advice. It would, indeed, be shame to him if he set himself up as determined to frame, or to enforce, regulations which were not generally oonsidared to be conducive to the welfare of the mining community. If ho was again elected as Superintendent, he should, when the Council met, endeavour to give to the miners larger representation than they now possessed ; but he begged the miners to be most careful in the exercise of their present instalment of representation, and to eleot — not men, who desired to secure a*la,rips a,s members of mining boards, but practical men who would desire, and who would be able, to assist the Superintendent, whoever he might be, to frame suph regulations as werp be&{ ioj |h.e interests oi the community. (He>r, hear.) Ho need scarcely say to his present hearers thai, as the holder of the delegated powers, he had sot done anything but what he bad felt it to be hi* bounden duty to do, having regard to the interest! of all concerned ; for the management of the goldfields did not aloae interest the minors »ad others settled on the fields ; it interested and affoofced the whole provinoe. The goldfields were now yielding to commerce and industry, as connected with •very class of the community, advantages which the early settlors of Auckland never thought they would possess, f^om end to cud of tiw ppfoY^uc,* t\\« heueficial ejfepts of the gdldipldg were felt, Not to dwell on tho benefits which commerce had received, the settlers in tho outlying districts were now looking forward to a, good market for their stook and their agricultural produce of alt kinds ; and whereas we had hitherto had to import our breadstuff*, w«. should, because the lag* goldfish community had oreated s> mwkttfor itp loon hm oar own grain, in \h\*

• province. The benefits of the goldnVldi had : extended, and were extending, throughout the t province— nay, to it'ier provinces; for many . of the Auckland community of to-day - we're gentlemen who had come into it - from other parts of the colony, bringing 1 with them capital which they wtr« prepared a to invert here. This province mubt, under fc good management, beooms a great and noble 3 pait of New Zealand ; and he trusted that, L not only would the miners benefit themielve<>, { but that, by the work of their strong arms, t every other class of the community would be i benefited. He believed that the time had i fully come when there •hould ba §uoh a Coni ference as he had suggested, for the modifica- » tion of the regulations as to leasing, as well i as generally. Capital muit be united with • labour, and labour mutt be ready and willing i to unite with capital, in the development of ' this great goldfiold, or its vast treat urea would remain unwurked, and practically un- j discovered; and that fuct should never be lost sight of in the management of tha field. 1 Questions arose during the last aeasion of the Assembly as to the adjustment of the export duty on gold. However desirous the Auckland members were for a modification of the duty, thera waa strong reluctance on the part of tha Middle Island members to consent to it ; but he behaved that next session some adjuafcmentjwould have to be arrived at. Let th» miners make known their opinions ou the subject in the Provincial Oouneil, and then, whatever he could do as Superintendent to give effect to those opinions, he would do moat heartily. (Cheers.) He would not, in such weather, detain his hearers by lepeating explanations ho had given eKewhere, in reply to s'.atements by Mr. Gillies, *s to the removal of the seat of Government question. Mr. Gillies had charged that, during the period when great destitutiou wai existing in Auckland, Mr. Williamson was content to continue receiving his salary, as Superintendent, whilo he himself was assisting, out of his own pocket, to relieve the destitute. He (Mr. Williamson) had in hia hand a paper which would venfj / the statements as to Mr. Gilliei, which had beeu made by the chairman. It was a statement copied from the books of the Treasury as to the fees which Mr. Gillies nceived as Provincial Solicitor, in addition to the salary of that office. During hii former tenure of the Superinteudeuey, he (Mr. Williamson) had never been able to get from the Council, for his Provincial Solicitor, a higher salary thau £800 a-year, for which all the work of the office had to be done. Mr. Gillies, before he would consent to act as Provincial Solicitor during Mr. Whitaker's term of office, {insisted on having hipf salary fixed at £400 a-year; and from the 28th February, 1866, to the 30th Jnne, 1867, ho received as salary £593 12s. 2d. But over aud above that sum Mr. < illiea received during the tame period, out of the funds of the province, £329 lls. Bd., for feea>nd other charges. The particulars were stated ou the paper now exhibited to the meeting. (Laughter.) And, as the chairman had stated, when it was insisted that Mr. Gillies should, as Provincial Solicitor, take a seat in the Council as some of his (. redecoisari bad done, he positively declined to do so. It was offered to Mr. Gillies to get the representation of one district vacated, so that hii return could be secured ; but Mr. Gillies ' spurned the idea of undertaking such menial duties a« those connected with, the Legislature of the province. He would not acctpt an [ offered seat in the Council ; for he had, forsooth, ouce been Attorney -General of the colony for a short time ! Tke consequence was that th« Government was compelled to iuuittt upon Mr. Gillies retiring fioin the office ' of Provincial Solicitor. It wa« done in the * mildest way possible, of course ; but such \ wera the circumstances under which Mr. ' Gillies left office. Mr. Gillies, whatever he might say or imply to the contrary, wai well ' paid for the small amount of duty he per- 1 formed for the province ; and the office was a ' aource of considerable income to him over and ' above the salary and fees already stated to ] the meeting It need hardly be explained , that the gentleman who held such an office had many perquisites that were luorativa * enough. Now, Mr. Giliits asked that he ' ■hould be elected Superintendent. Well, ' when a gentleman statrd that, if elected tj ( the office, he would saoriice his private ' practice— a practice which wti certainly a ' valuable one — which might, perhaps, be set ' down as yielding between £3,#00 and \ £4,000 a-year at tho present time — , auu" would accept instead the salary \ pertaining to the office of Superintendent, which was fixed by law at £800 a-year, it * must be suspected that that gentleman had ! some motive whereby the balance between i present income and future salary might b« : made up — that be bad in view some interest * to be served in connection with tha Superin- ' tendency which might compensate him for ' what he sacrificed. Were we so publicspirited a community — or, rather, was one \ class of the community so public-spirited — as to abandon a large and certain incoma for ? a salary of £800 ? Mr. Gillies, unquanti-m- j ably, had a large and lucrative practice as a ; lawyer. What reason had he for giving it up, J so as to fill the office of Superintendent, \ uuless there was something behind, to which "■ ha looked as to make up for the difference ? £ He (Mr. Williamson) desired to Bay that, X though the taunt hail been directed at him <j that he would be dependent for hit return on f the votes of the maa of the- Thames, suoh ' would not ba tha caia. Aftar his j urneyings ~ through she noith of the ' province, he * was confident of his return, and of receiving E not only the votes of the miners of tha J Thames, but al o those of the old settlers in tha outlying districts, which he at one time * feared would not lie given to hia. If he was 8 spared through the next tsrm of office, and £ enabled to carry out his views- and to oarrr r them out he would spare no pains or toil — 7 he was sure that he should be enabled greatly b to promote tha interests of the community ? generally. He wpuld not attempt to detain I 1I 1 his hearers in the rain, by entering on topics * with whioh he had dealt at previous meet- f ings ; but he would be happy to aaswer x questions, and, if auy of Mr. Gillies's friends c dsuired to continue tha proceedings, he would J be happy to meet thoie gentlemen under tha * cover of a roof, and there to answer, frankly r and fearlessly, any questions they might put ' to him. He prayed his hearers to j urine c calmly, and to chooio fairly and indifferently £ betweeu the candidate*, remembering that s a Superintendent was to bs chosen for four c years, and that, if they chose badly, they * might find long before the four years had * expired that serious damage was being dona to " their interests and to the bast interests of the * province. He prayed his hearers to approach ] the eleotion day, and to rote on that day, x under tha influence of consideration*! such a* * he had suggested. Ho prayed his bearers also ' to use their inluenoa with tha eleoUra, so that \ fair play might bo observed, in every sense, on * 'I hursday next. Let every elector go calmly ' to the poll, with a clear recognition of the ! importance of the proceeding in whioh Me was ■ taking part, so that the man whom they ehese \ by their votes might ha one in wham they could thoroughly confide ; and, after that ] election, let them, in the same spirit, proceed to elect those who, as members of the i Provincial Council, were to Msitt tha J Superintendent. Ha sincerely trusted that j tha result would he, that the provinoe ' lof Auckland, would be rendered prosperous ! and happy by the exeroise of the votes of tha electors on tha present eeoasion. (Loud ! cheers,} Captain Seine asked a question which, as ' ht *s it could be heard, was to the effect — ! W hat fees does Mr. Wj nn receive as Provincial ' Solicitor, and what is the difference between ! bis position and that whioh Mr. Gillies held? | Mr. Williamson : Mr. Wynu'a. salary is £400 a-year. Mr. Wynn is. a. mam her of the ! Provincial CotmoiL Ha sU» at the Executive ' Con.no.il boitrd when be is called upon so to do, and he advises with the Superintendent and Exicutive, bis opinion as a lawyer being given : when it is required. Mr. Gillie,s received £400 a-year, but he was not a member of the ' Provincial Council, and he did not sit »t tbe ! Executive Board, to assist in carrying on the business of the country. So ■ Mr. Wynn devotes a considerable t.ca* to duties which Mr. Gillies never perforated, \i Mr, Wynn conducts private „ oa^to, the Qqvernme.nt nothing to do with (bat. H W • privilege whioh every Provincial

Solicitor has ; which the Attorney-General cf the colony has ; and which the Attorney Generals of England and Ireland aivvay enjoy. ' ' Mr. R. Ross mav*d, " That this meeting has every confidence in .his Honor, John Williamson, Esq t and pledges itself to v«. ever; exertion to secure his return." Mr. L«NG secoaiied the motion. A show of hands was taktu, and the motion waa adopted amidst loud cheer*, about twenty hands only being visible as against it. A rote of thanks to Mr. Rowe, for presiding, wa* adopted heartily ; and Mr. Williamion was again hoisted in the arms of some of his enthusiastic supporters, and borne aw*y in the directi n of his hotel. The following aldreas to the elootors of Hastings and Tapu Crock has bten iatiud by Mr. Williamson ;—; — ; " Gentlemen, — On my rsfcurn from my riait to the North, on Tuesday last, I saw that Mr. Gillies, my opponent in tbe present con* test, had addressed you in suppoit of his own claims to tbe office of Superintendent of this province, and that, after hearing Mr. Gillies, with a courtesy and fairness to myself which I f«el deeply, you determined to suspend your judgment until I should have an opportunity of being heard, Sines then, I have made every exertion to gain the time required to enable me to addrtss you personally ; but the pressure of public business, and the fact of my having previously pledged myself to meet the eleotora of Otahuhu, Drury, and Waiuku, have put it out of roy power to do to. But I purpose addressing the electors of ths Thames goldfields, of which jour district is an important part, on Saturday, the 13th instant, and on that oooaslon I shall go fully into all public questions affecting the goldfield? and the miners, and shall make specul reference to the questions which were raissd at Mr. Gillies '« meeting. I make this explanatioa, gentlanen, not for the purpose of influencing your decision in the approaching erent, but in recognition of your chivalrous conduct to me during my absence. I trust that you will accept this apology for not addressing you in person as made iv all good faitb, and that the oburae which I propose to take to meet the difficulty will b« satisfactory."