COMPLIMENTARY DINNER TO MESSRS. COX AND JOLLIE.

Lyttelton Times, Volume XXVIII, Issue 2140, 30 October 1867, Page 3

COMPLIMENTARY DINNER TO MESSRS. COX AND JOLLIE.

—♦ —- A complimentary dinner was given tc Messrs Cox and Jollie, the representatives of the Tiinaru and Gladstone districts in the Gensral Atsembly, at the Crown Hotel, Temuka, on Tuesday evening, Oct. 22. There was a very large attendance of gentlemen from the surrounding district, and a few from Timaru. The chair was occupied by Mr W. K. Macdonald, and Mr Ormsby, M.P.C., was the vice-chairman. We republish, from the Timatu Herald of Oct. 26, the speeches made by Messrs Cox and Jollie : Mr Cox, who was received with prolonged applause, said; Mr Chairman, the right or piitileg3 that is conceded to me in being allowed first to address the present company is due' both to the fact that I am within my own electoral district, while my friend Mr Jollie is over the border of his, and to the further circumstance of the member for ■Gladstone being overruled by a modesty which is said generally to characterize true merit, many exhibitions of which he had, no doubt, in his long political and parliamentary experience, encountered. The idea of constituents calling before them their represen- . tatives, first to dine and after that to deliver themselves of a speech, is not a bad one j neither is it new, it being a habit very particularly cherished by our brothers as well as our fathers and forefathers in the old coun-try-an approved mode, I am bound to say, of keeping up the constitution of the country, and what is good for the country is, in this case, certainly good for the individual addressing you. In respect to my friend Mr Jollie, I shall not on this ■occasion regard myself as a representative. He is always to the front when and where a man is called upon to speak. In respect to the question of local government he had always held pretty strong opinions. Now that you are in. Committee of Supply, exTreasurer as he is, he may treat you to a financial statement. It would be idle in me to affect not to understand the object that has brought you together this evening, and not to feel gratified at this proof of your confidence. To say much, however, upon this as to the causes of your conidence—«6 far aait affects myself personally, would be unbecoming and not justifiable; to say. nothing would be worse, inasmuch as it would imply that I,under-estimate the result that has been attained, and think lightly of the prospect of carrying on to a successful issue the application of the principle that lies at theiroot of our'recent action,'which is embodied in the:Timaru .and Gladstone Bill, and. bids ; fair to become: the watch-, word or party cry of a'very considerable number of the people of this colony. _ (Applause.) What I have done in connection with this principle is shortly told, ind was not outside of. the duty of your representative. All the causes of my success I can hardly on this occsiaon relate to you. The one great and sufficient canse, however, j feel bound to call your attention to was, that the; principle upon which these districts asked to be dealt with, was sound, and the extent of the application of tliat. principle proposed was just and reasonable. The case was a strong one; it needed no powerful advocacy;;.it succeeded by its own inherent force, assisted, possibly,: by the surrounding circumstances, It asserted itself, so to speak, in the House, and the Legislature accepted it because the colony is well-nigh ripe and ready for some modification of the existing system of Provincial Government. ' The truth is that the colony has had enough of provincialism, but at the same time, clamours for an extension of local government, Let this be a sufficient answer to those who say that any section of the community desires to exalt the General Government at the expense of the people of the colony. The people want local bodies with municipal functions, and possess a willingness at the same time to send representatives to Wellington to carry on the legislation of the country—they ask not, they never have asked for a system which would ignore local legislation and administration in matters municipal. It is not now too much to say that the game is up so far as prorineiah'smgoes. It has few upholders. Its former advocates admit, even in reference to Canterbury and Otago,.that things can't go on as they have done; that expenditure in provincial administration must be curtailed; that the policy of the province in respect to " works" must be carefully watched, and that changes even of a revolutionary character must be entered upon. These are large admissions, and important suggestions to come from the enemy. What more can the friends of the movementof local government desire ? I had a few words to say upon the history of the question since 1861, but almost hesitate to say them. The story is to you as well as to myself so old, and yet as we are no longer standing alone in this fight I would ask to be allowed to say just thus much, that since 1861 we have fought in upholding this principle, on behalf of these districts; one year petitioning and praying for a hearing, the next hoping for success, and in this year realising the first instalment of the fruits of our labour. But you bav? not yet attained the full measure of your requirements. Let me say one word in respect • to the attitude to be taken by the district from this time put. I say, have patience—not the patience of indolence—not trusting to Providence, provincial or parliamentary—hut the patience under continued exertion on your part of waiting for the result which must come sooner or later, and which, when obtained, will be a blessing or a blunder as you yourselves by your action shall determine. You will understand by this that I counsel not the giving,upof the League, and I desire to take this opportunity of recognising the usefulness, of distinct and separate organization having the same object in view. I have asked you whether or. not provincialism has failed under the most favorable circumstances in the cases of Canterbury and Otago. (Hear.) You have very plainly expressed your opinions upon that point. I now ask to what extent has it succeeded in the North Island ? In the South it has failed because of a blind determination upon the part of the provincial centres to ignore the claims of other centos of population to something like a local and independent organization, It has not recognised the instinct of Englishmen to_ be actively employed upon what primarily concerns themselv.s. It has refused to extend the privileges which provmcialists as against the General Government so earnestly contend for on their own behalf; and if it has not fallen, is by its supporters admitted to be toppling over. Of the North I am inclined to say that it never suited them. Even the large province of Auckland has at last sunk under its burthens provincially imposed; and as to the smaller provinces, those of Taranaki mi Hawke's Bay, the sooner they are dealt with under some general measure, providing a more

Jconomical mode of local government, thi Setter for themselves and for the colony n| arge. There will be no opposition to the an plication of the anti-prOvinoial principle k iheir cases. I Lad well-nigh forgotten th( nnaller provinces of the South, but their con lition is known, to yon—their cure is a mattei )f concern to tho Assembly. Mr Chairman, I lave taken up a good deal of time in referring to this question, but under theeircumstances I feel quite sure that I shall be forjiven. I shall leave to my friend Mr Jollfc io referat length to those nincty-two or ninety. ;hree other Acts of the Assembly, the resull )f the labours of the representatives of the :olony in the past session. (Applause.) Mr Jollie, who was received with loud ipplause, said :—Mr Chairman and gentleWen—lain happy to meet you here, and to ;h*nk you for giving me the opportunity of sharing in your gratification that this district m nt last, after many failures, succeeded in securing attention to its just claims, and oh:ained what, under all the circumstances may be deemed a tolerably satisfactory recog' aition of those claims on the part of the general Assembly of New Zealand. In prenous sessions of the Assembly I have had the misfortune and mortification of seeing rour petitions slighted; and, notwithstanding the exertions of many earnest members it the House, and sometimes of ministers .liemselves, a provincial and illiberal policy pursued; the rights of districts such as this ignored, and the claims of provinces and provincial governments alone considered; the New Provinces Act repealed, and the disunities of outlying districts disregarded. Hid apparently confirmed by tho repeated rejection of measures for their relief But we had made an impression on the mind j>f the country j the seed sown and the labours undertaken were not thrown away JUtirely, but have fructified and rewarded us when, perhaps, such a result was hardly to be ooked for during a session in which some )f the first and most important votes and proJeedings seemed particularly unpropitious to ;he cause of local government, or any government which did not adopt a strictly provincial policy. Under these circumstances, the Timaru and Gladstone Board of Works Act nay well be considered something of a iriumph, and of course it is really this that ran have invited my friend Mr Cox and mylelf to join you in celebrating to-night. (Apjlause.) I hope and believe this measure vill be found to be of considerable practical itility to yourselves and the rest of the inlabitants of the district. It affirms your •ight to receive and grant, irrespective of the Jleasure of the Provincial Government, a imall but definite proportion of the land ■evenue which may from time to time accrue, jesides a certain amount of the unexpended )art of the large sums which the province las been authorised to borrow, but which have litherto been expended without any reference o our immediate local wants; and it constitutes a body which shall represent and act ior the district in the expenditure of these unds in a certain prescribed manner, and to ihe best advantage. It is true that the boon night have been granted earlier, and that we lannot now expect to see realised the large iunis which have been derived from land isles within the district in former years, and ilso that we failed to obtain a proportion of he pasturage rents in addition to the proleeds of actual sales, which Tents, some may ihink (and I agree with them), might also iave been fairly and properly conceded, if inly in some compensation for what the diß;rict has lost in past years. Nevertheless I lannotbut look upon the provisions of this kct, with all its defects and omissions, as being of great practical importance, and as japable, if properly worked, of conferring a jreat deal of good on the district, and also securing it from a good deal of harm. But I io not by any means confine myself, nor, Sentlemen, I am sure do you, to the mere pounds, shillings, and pence advantage that we, the inhabitants of the Timaru and Gladstone districts, are to derive from it. (Hear.) [value a great deal more the principle it establishes—that the district, and the people who contribute the revenues of the district, shall be entitled to call some of it theirs, and it back to aid them in the work of lettlement and civilization ; that there are >ther interests to be protected than those of i Provincial Government, and better instruments of expenditure, for certain legitimate ind necessary purposes, at our own doors, or within our own reach; and that against the Eol'y and obstinacy and mistakes, not to say injustice, of Provincial Governments, there ioes lie, after all, an appeal to another tribunal, which is powerful enough, and also not indisposed, to rectify proved abuses, and provide for the better administration of public property and public trusts which it may have too unreservedly and confidingly transferred to the control of provincial authorities in former days. Gentlemen, I should have rejoiced if, in the recognition of our particular ulainis, and in obtaining our share of the benefits that are likely to flow from thechange of policy which this measure inaugurates, we could have seen other districts and other provinces provided forin somesimilarmannerand I did hope that the session would not have terminated without a general application Df the same salutary rule. (Hear.) Mr Stevens, the member for Selwyn, had early given notice of a clause to be introduced into the Public Revenues Bill, providing that 25 per cent, of the land sales should henceforth be reserved to every district; but when that clause came jn for consideration, it was met by the same injection which Mr Moorhouse urged to the Timaru and Gladstone Bill, viz., that it was in appropriation of revenue requiring the Governor's ipecial recommendation; and the Ministry declining to advise that such recoranendation should be given, as had been done n the Timaru and Gladstone case, of course ihe proposal fell to the ground, and the object ias yet to be effected in some other way, and )n some future occasion, if at all. But it ivill be effected, for this principle and pre:edent having once been established, I am luite sure that there must be many parts of ;he country, if not of this province, which will quietly claim to have them applied in ;heiM.ehalf; and I believe also that it would )e wise to extend the same principle to every listrict still in the possession of any considerible estate, the more especially if it Bhall mve hitherto suffered by the absorption of ts land revenue for the benefit of some pro rincial centre. It was my object, when some rears ago I first moved in this matter in the Bouse of Representatives, not to single out >r favour any particular district—not even ;his, although here there was, perhaps, as itrongacase as could well be conceived for ipecial legislation—but to apply one equit»ble rule, one Bimple measure, to every province and locality; and 1 believe if that had been done in 1861 or 1862 the whole country if ould now have been in a more prosperous ind contented state, and the Provincial Go-, rernments themselves the greatest gainers by the change, for it would have checked that tendency to extravagance and speculative enterprise leading to huge indebtedness, which nearly all those Governments have been betrayed into, and the conlequences of which we are now I( suffering as a lolooy, and at the same time would have enabled them to have dealt on one simple and squitable system with all districts, without the ippearance.even of favouritism or injustice to iny. (Hear.) Gentlemen, T hare detained you sufficiently long, but before I sit down! must take the opportunity of expressing my tense at the manner in which your. member, Mr Cox, acquitted himself of the t,swk he undertook with reference to the bill, the passing of which you now celebrate. It is greatly owing to Mr Cox's tact, discretion, and good temper under somewhat trying circumstances, and his personal popularity with members on alr?lde> af the House, that the bill wag s)ipporied v by so large a majority, and intimately earned through successfully. It was not opposition alone that we had to contend against; there were members, thoroughly friendly to the principle of the mca-ure, who neverthflieis urged its withdrawal, and the leaving of the question to 'he Superintendent and Provincial Council, in the belief that they woul& all that was required to carry out our objects. It was pressure of that sort that Mr Cox ha\(o resist, as well as the attacks of opponents, and I am sure the district will never forget that it is owing largely to his determination, perseverance, and moderation in the conduo't of the measure in the House of Representatives, that the Timaru and Gladstone Board of Works Act is now upon the Statute Bool?

of New Zealand. And I slialljonly add, ir conclusion, I do hope that the people of tin district will shew that they value the privi leges that the Aot confers, and the principle! it embodies, and endeavour so to introduci and work it that the results may correspond to the reasonable expectations of its pro motors rather than the forebodings of thos< who look upon the whole thing as a mischie Vous experiment, likely to end in egregioui failure and disappointment. Of course, « great deal—almost eTerything—depends upor the clioice made of members of the Board and I would repeat earnestly the advice giver by Mr Cox the other day at Timaru, that tin greatest care should 'be taken that none hul really competent and reliable men should bs lelected-men who will perform their dutj honestly and wisely, and are above all suspicion ot baing actuated by any oihei motive but that of doing their dutj -of , doing well and conscientiouslj what they undertake. (Loud applause.;