THE ABOLITION BILL.

Globe, Volume IV, Issue 362, 10 August 1875, Page 2

THE ABOLITION BILL.

MEETING AT SOUTH RAKAIA

A public meeting was held at the South Rakaia Road Board office on Monday, the 9th instant, to consider the Abolition Bill.

The meeting had been called by Mr G. Wason, chairman of the Board, according to requisition. The chairman having explained the nature of the business for which they were met, in the course of his remarks said, that while agreeing with the general principles of the Bill for the abolition of the provinces, and that as the Government had stated their willingness to accept any amendments which did not interfere with the general principles of the Bill, he would suggest to the member for the district that the clause in the Bill empowering the Government to place a nominated Superintendent over the heads of the Shire Councils was objectionable. If the Shire Councils or Road Boards bad not sufficient governing

~ ■ ■' J** tfc power in themselves, then the whole Bill was premature. But he was satisfied that, throughout New Zealand, there was that governing power in the districts, and it waa therefore that he objected to the Government having power to place a delegate over the heads of the Shire and Municipal Councils. With regard to the important question of the land fund, he could not agree with the Government proposals, and it was hard to disagree with them either, for they were most liberal to the Road Boards and Municipalities, but he felt satisfied that their money would not last for any length of time to carry out such provisions, and therefore he should advocate that the principle established by the Timaru and Gladstone Board of Works, should be carried out throughout New Zealand. Every district should receive its percentage of the land fund and no more, from the land fund direct, The remaining 75 per cent should be handed over to the General Government for the good government of the country. Those districts which had received their percentage or more should be put on the same footing as the municipalities, and then the General Government would dog be hampered by the provincial districts, and would not be troubled to raise money for the impecunious districts by Treasury bills or other means. In fact, his main objection to the Bill was that it did not go far enough. He hoped to see the provincial districts completely obliterated. They knew no more, and they had no more interest in Timaru than they had in Oamaru. They knew no more, and they had no more interest in the Amuri than they had in the Waipara; and they should remember that, in the first place, they were New Zealand colonists, and not the colonists of any one given spot. With regard to the Local Government Bill, he wished to suggest to their member the advisability of granting to any original district with extent of freehold land four times as great as that of the new districts, and upon petition of four-fifths of the inhabitants, the same powers as the Shire Council. He did not know with what district or portion of district they could amalgamate with advantage to themselves or to the Government, and he was certain that the Amuri district could not amalgamate with any other district. He begged to move the following resolution: —“That this meeting cordially approves of the abolition of the provinces andthegeneral principles contained in the Abolition and Local Goverment Bills,” The resolution was seconded by Mr Gordon Holmes. Mr C. N. Mackie proposed, and Mr E. S, Coster seconded, the following amendment: —“That this meeting cordially approves of the proposition contained in the Bill entitled the Abolition of the Provinces Act, 1875, and is of opinion that the colony as a whole will derive great and lasting benefit from the constitutional changes therein contemplated, and, moreover, believes that no good will be gained by delay in passing the Act during the present session of the Assembly.” The amendment having been put to the meeting, it was declared to be carried unanimously. After a vote of thanks to the chair, the meeting separated.