PUBLIC MEETING.

Hawke's Bay Herald, Volume I, Issue 13, 19 December 1857, Page 3

PUBLIC MEETING.

EXPLANATIONS OF J. VALENTINE SMITH ESQ., M.G.A. In pursuance of an invitation published "by J. V. Smith Esq., the member in the General Assembly for the Hawke's Bay and Wuirarapa District, a very full meeting was held in the Royal Hotel, on the evening of Monday, the Tthinst. J. B. Ferguson Esq. having been moved into the chair, — J. V. Smith Esq. rose amidst much cheering, and expressed regret that, for reasons which he had explained to many, he had been unable at an earlier period to meet the electors of this part of the District. He begged them to believe that it was from no want of respect to his constituents (Cheers). He had another object in. coming before them beyond that of explaining his past course in the General Assembly — that of explaining the principles of the party in Wellington, known as the Wellington Reform Association — not, as many supposed, in the capacity of a delegate ; but simply that, on being about to leave Wellington for this District, he had been requested to convey a letter to the chairman of the Ahuriri Settlers' Association, as supposed to represent the settlers generally, and to confer with the electors upon any matters to which the letter had reference. Mr. Smith then read •the resolutions of the Association as the basis of his remarks. To numbers one, two, and three there could be no objection. Numbers four and five opened a very wide field for discussion. If asked his views upon the subject of those resolutions he was prepared to give an answer, but would rather abstain from a long discussion upon an almost endless subject. Number six,

upon the necessity of public works being performed by contract, was one to which i"ew objected. The resolution upon the oiibject of local boards v.-as one that immediately affected this District. The principle it affirmed was one he which he hud always advocated. He was well aware that the great question of the day here was that of separation from the Province of Wellington ; but he need not say that this could only be obtained through the General Assembly, and by the sanction of the Home Government. Meanwhile, the Reform Association — the strength of which in the Provincial Council was 20, out of 30, — was prepared to delegate the fullest powers of self government to the outlying Districts ; and it was his (Mr. Smith's) idea that the best tiling the people of this District could do would be to accept the largest share of self government they could obtain, until they could get entire separation from the General Assembly. (Cheers). Mr. Smith then touched upon resolutions 9 and 10, and proceeded to a subject alluded to in the letter of the Association — the relations existing between the General Government and the Provincial Government of "Wellington. The feeling — almost one of hooii'icy — displayed by the Utter, had been productive of great evil to the Province and was much to be deplored. The Government of a Province was, after all, but a portion of the Government of the whole country, and any confliction such as that referred to was like a house divided against itself. This led him to a subject upon which he had already written in the local newspaper — the failure of the recent negotiation between the Colonial Treasurer and he Provincial Government relative to land purchases. Mr. Smith here recapitulated the substance of the letter referred to ; and also proceeded to rebut certain charges that had been freely laid at his door by the Feathcvston party, also to explain certain votes which he luid given during the last session of the Assembly. He much amused the meeting by explaining minutely ihe far-f.imed compact between the Auckland Progress members and the representatives for Otago, under which the former judged themselves to sar/port the financial system of Fox, and the latter in return pledged themselves to vote for Auckland continuing the seat of Government for four years longer. The inference being fhnt Fox had either been duped by his own supporters, or that he was privy to a compact which virtually broke faith with the Wellington constituency. Mr. Smith having declared himself prepared to answer any questions, sat down amidst much cheering. J. Johnston Esq. (of Wellington) wished to address the meeting with reference to to what had fallen from Mr. Smith on the subject of the late negociations for funds to be applied to the purjhase of native lands. With the permission of the meeting he would read a letter addressed by the Superintendent to Mr. Lyon,, in which his Honor gave a complete contradiction to the statements made by Mr. Smith with reference to his Honor having made a condition that the Manuwatu plains should be purchased first, and the Ahuriri plains lastMr. Johnston proceeded to show tint the other conditions referred ti were sought to be imposed by Mr. Richmond, not by Dr. Featherston, who was willing to advance the money without any condition whatever. Mr Smith replied, and a discussion of some length ensued. Alex. Alexander Esq. said that the object of the meeting was simply two-fold — to hear Mr. Smith's explanation, and to discuss the clauses upon which the Wellington Reform Association was based. He believed that a crisis was bpfore the province, and that it depended on them, in a great measure, what the result would be. Great changes had already taken place ; and, while it was ri:;ht to consider what benefit they were likely to derive from the party now in power, it was also their duty to remember that although this was a young settlement it was one of rising importance — one from which might yet proceed a voice more potent than that of Wellington itself. (Cheers). They had grievances to complain of — grievances that had been felt to be intolerable, and that would not be borne. But he much feared that the remedy for these grievances was not in a Council sitting some 230 miles off. If they must be under a Provincial Government, why not have one of their own ? And with regard to the seat of government, what was it to Ahuriri whether it was at Auckland or Wellington ? In fact, Ahuriri itself had just as good a right to it as any other' settlement. (Laughter) Was it notcentrically situated, and where on. the. Northern Island of New Zealand was there so great an ex-

; tent of available and of arable land ? Cerl cainly not at Wellington ; certainly not at : Auckland; certainly not at N;»v Plymouth. Pie would only remark up.;i oi-e of the re- ■ solutions of the Reform A• ■; :cia.ion — that . which referred to purity of election. Pu- ; rity of election indeed ! The party that ; raised the cry should first purify themselves. . That party, no doubt, numbered many honest and upright men in its ranks ; but they all knew what political agitation was, and : what were its effects. It was for the peopie of Ahuviri, in the midst of all these contentions, to look to themselves and trust to • themselves. (Cheers). ; Mr. Smith observed that, directly, it mattered little to this District in which city ■ was the seat of government. Indirectly, however, it mattered a greut deal ; for the i vory existence of the General Assembly de- ! pended upon its sittings being at a central : I place. i Dr. Hitchings asked Mr. Smith whether, , should this District petition the General As- > sembly, in its next session, for separation . from Wellington, he would be prepaied to support the prayer of the memorial. Mr. Smith explained his views upon .the . question of local sc-if government. (Theae i will be found more fully explained in Mr. Smith's speech at the public dinner). He . pleilgod himself, at the same time, to pre- . sent a memorial such as that referred to, and to support its prayer. T. H. .Fitz Gerald Esq., after a £?w remarks upon the contradictory character of Dr. Fealherston's own explanation with regard to the land purchase affair, proposed . that the General Government should be . a.sked to publish the correspondence upon

the subject. It "was afterwards arranged that the correspondence should, in preference, be called for in the Council. At least so we understood the decision arrived at a Capt. Munn said that, speaking of conditions, the most important condition of all had not been alluded to, namely, — ihat the money was to have been payable in "Wellington, not in the Districts where the purchases were to be made. Mr. Smith, in reply to a question from Mr. Kelly upon the subject of deferred payments for land, said that at present he could only give a limited opinion upon so complicated a subject. He had himself some time since signed a petition having that principle for its object, but he did not then contemplate its application in the wide sense which appeared to be now intended. He thought the system could be applied with advantage to places far removed at the present time from markets, and difficult of access, such as the 70-mile bush, where it Avould be difficult to offer sufficient inducement to people to become bona \ fide settlers. It w 7 as not yet clear to him whether the system could be applied, advantageously to the public, with regard to the run lands. After the subject had been investigated and discussed, he would be prepared to advocate the adoption of such measures only, relating to this subject, as would appear to him most just to the public at large. A desultory discussion ensued upon the resolutions of the Wellington Reform Association, which were read seriatim for that purpose. The meeting concluded by a unanimous vote of confidence in Mr. Smith, as ihe representative of the District.