PROVINCIAL COUNCIL ELECTION.

New Zealand Herald, Volume IV, Issue 1076, 26 April 1867, Page 4

PROVINCIAL COUNCIL ELECTION.

CITY WEST WARD. A vvnuv meeting; of the olectors of this ward was hold hist evening in the largo room of tho (Jntholic Instilute, Wellington-street. There was a very largo meeting of tho constituency, who seemed to take the liveliest interest in the coming election. Messrs. Gillillan unci (J. fc\ Mitchell, candidates, wero in attendance. Tho proceedings wero diversified by a good deal of erratic Humour on tho part of the assemblage. /.ftur a good deal of preliminary banter, cheering and counter cheering, asking questions, and social butliiiai/c, being tailed : On tho motion of Mr. Stai.ves, Mr. Gee was called to the chair. Tlio Chairman said his first duty would bo to draw tho attention of the meeting to "the advertisement convening. [Read tho advertisement.] lie begged to thank them for calling him to tho chair, 'l'ho porsons composing tho mooting; were not concerned with anything ho as chairmen might say, but what tho candidates themselves would have to say. (Hear, hoar.) They would boar in mind that there was to be a fair field and no f.tvor. (Cheers.) There was to be a fair hearing for everyone, and ho trusted that the meeting would support tlio chair. Ho thought tho lobs noise over tho matter the better. They wcro to hear tho opiuion of the candidates themselves. He would inform any elector who might havo a candidate to nominate that he would bo happy to hoar what such persons ha'l to say. Ho would recommend proposers a?d seconders to bo as brief us possible. Auckland was in a deplorable and degraded position, and it was not to bo improved by noise or distutbauce. He would again call upon the electors to give oaeh candidate an impartial hearing. Dr. Alktirkt proposed Mr. 0. I' 1 . Mitchell. Ho said that ho felt a necessity urge him forward, for the Government was causing tho ruin of tho country. Mr. Mitchell would support tho Superintendent in advocating tho doctrine of pence. He was not opposing 3lr. Gilfiilan, but advocating what Ik; conceived to better tho country. Ho (Dr. Merritl) had seriously considered the state of the country. Tho timo was passed when joking would bo allowable. Was money to bo put against brains ? No. If there was an attempt to rule by money tho peoplo would riso en masse against it. Ila had spent night and day in endeavouring to provide a romedy for the evils which existed, and in 11 few days tlioro would be a cliartor beforo the people, which would striko at the root of tho wrongs that woro existing. Mr, Geohgk Staines Bocor.ded tho nomination. He was warm in tho causo, had a heart to support a good cause, and tho cause was that of his friend Mitchell, a young man, a bright man, and k determined man. (Laughter and cheers.) A Voice : You aro not on tho roll. Mr. G Kii'Fiir : Ho is oil tho roll. Mr. Thomas Mi: it thy : I say you arc not. The Chaiiiman' said that tho mooting was a mooting of tho inhabitants of the ward. Mr. tSTAINua : I come forward as a free and independent elector. Uad nothing to say against Mr. Gilfiilan. Ho was a gentleman, but the person who said he (Mr.Staines) was not on tho roll,ia a cobbler A Vokjh : [10 is better than you—sit down. Mr. Staines : I am not to be put down. Mr. Gil/Fir,lax said tho mooting was a public ono, and every person had a right to bo heard. Ho hoped the audience would hear Mr. Staines. Mr. Staines said ho would not be put down. Mr. 1 Mitcholl was a young man—(shut up)—ho was tho right man—(shut up)—in the right phteo—(go home). Ho would keep them all night— At this stage of tho proceedings a sories of interruptions took place, interlarded with every species of chair, laughter, followed by continued uproar, that lasted for several minutes. Mr. Thomas Mubi'iiy: Good Postor, givo the man an emetic; a pill and interjection. (Roars of laughter.) Anything— Again tho speaker essayed to speak, but tho meeting exhibited a determination not to hoar him. Mr. MiTciri:i,L said that it would only be just to hear the speaker. If thoy wanted to hear tho candidates, they should hear those who brought tho candidates there. Those who came tliero to make a ni.iso wcro better outside. ClliEs : Who will put us outside ? Mr. Mitchbi,l : one, bat. in fairness thoy should hear the proposers of candidates. Any man that, tamo there to disturb tho meeting had much butt or have stopped outside. He hoped that the mee'ing would not have dirty water thrown on it by a lew persons. Sir. 131aek came on the platform, but it was decided that lio was out of order. Mr. BiiAJtR sail the nomination had not boon seconded. Tho Chairman said that Mr. Staines vosa to second tho nomination, although he d'd not formally do 50, it was understood.

Mr. H CoQLAir.vN proposed Mr. ,T. A. Gilfillan. lnat gontlomcm was f?o well Itnown that thero was no need to do more tlian leavo him in tho hands of tho electors. (Cheers.) Jfj"" Siikehak seconded tho nomination of Mr. Giuillan, who was a well-known, a well-tried, and a thoroughly etiicicnt and honourable man. He had long served the province and the colony in the highest Council in tho Colony. He felt it an honour to second tho nomination of John Anderson Gilfillan. hsq. (Loud cheers.) I'lr. C. I*. Mitchell said he did not know that it mattered whether those presont were electors, so a* they were residents. Most of those present ou»ht to ho an doctor. He believed th.it every householder who had not a vote was himself to blame. The process of getting on the roll fsoerr.ed fo be a plow one, and it should be a part of every reform to shorten the period of incubation. But what tho meeting had to deal with that night was the present 3tato of the province, and to consider how that stato might be altered. Ic was necessary to go back. At tho time Mr. hitaker was fleeted .Superintendent they wore sanguine of obtaining separation, lio was to be the last fcuiperintendent; there was to bo an independent Government. These things have not come to pass. Instead ot that tho province had got into an abominable mess. Ho (Mr. Mitchell) had been IS years a colonist, and thy groat part of that time hud been I spent in those colonies where depression camo oftenest, ! and ho had never seen anything like the depression at preseut in this province, and ho had uovor seen depression less honestly and less boldl}* met. The stato of affairs was chiefly owing to their own snpineness. ''hero was a question 113 regarded tho I'rovincial Council, which bad to bo considered, "whether tho Superintendents woro to drivo tho Provincial couch and tho Provincial Council -,vero to look 0:1; whether tho majority of tho members of that body are to bo without anv influonco whatever. Tho stato of affairs was this : That thero "was .£lll,OOO to pay, and only £75,000 to meet it. Those who had gone into figures could 6ay ihat tlioro would not be over £60,000 for that purpose. Ho was glad to seo a railway commissioner present. Somo of the moss was duo to that remarkable enterprise. It might grow to a railway when thero would bo Bomo locomotives, and some traffic tu bo carried, and some travellers to rido in thorn, lie regretted that there had been au attempt on the part of some persons to put only certain persons into the Council for the more purpose of log-rolling. As to retrenchment, it ;vas dear that it there was no public works, no puhlic business to bo done, it was unnecessary to have highly paid officials. Hoard peoplo say the times were astonishingly biul; inccod, if they got worse ho would be disposed to go oil whether ho pot a " cloud" to go away or not. Tho time wa9 when there was a phalanx, but somehow or other when in the least broken tho phalanx was very weak. Had hoard that the last phul-ms was split on a certain rock called the i£ast Coast Titles Act. That was an Act to enable tho Superintendent to prohibit any colonist from purchasing land in competition with him. Tlioro was a great deal said as to residence in tho colony. What did it matter whether a man was in tho colonv ono year or 20 vears so long as intelligence, hone'st ability, and other things wero equal. If they wished to avoid malversation—hobolioved thero had been malversation, for it was malversation when money was voted for one purpose, spending it for another—this could only be prevented by the majority of tho Couneil having the power to check. As to tho forty-acre system, there was no roason whatever for bringing moro persons out hero, and no reason why those who are hero should offer a bonus for bringing persons to this colony. A Voice : To stop it would do away with swindling. Mr. Mitciietx : It would 110 doubt do away with a great deal of swindling. He knew a gentleman who had bought a land order for 10s., and the same gentleman subsequently bought an order for 4CO aercs for £ 10. Tho supposed value at home was 011.) thing—the value here was another thing altogether. He wished it to be understood that he did not imply any blamo upon those who introduced tho system or carried it on. At the same time, it was not necessary that moro people should bo brought out in the same way. Tho land should bo blockcd out at au upset price, and if labourers or other work-peoplo were wanted, tho whole of their passage-money should be paid, and whon they camo hero land should bo available at n price within their rcach. A Voice : Are you in favour ot increasing the population ? (Laughter and cheers.) Mr. Mitchkli, said that ho would go in for retrenchment, for respo-ißible Government, for education, for opening up tho country, for taxing land unoccupied which had been granted by tho Grown. He should bo happy to do all in Ilia power to promote tho interests of tho constituency. Mr. J. A. (llf.!'ll,r.AN said that it was fourteen years ago since he had stood Deforo the doctors of a district of the city, in .Shortland-street, as a candidate for tho then suffrages. And than, and since, ho hoped he had done his duty. Ho. wa3 glad to see so largo a meeting of the electors. Ho thanked tho gentlemen who sent him tho requisition. 1.(0 hoped, at all events that—ho having come before the constituency—llo was at least welcome. There was soma discussion about promises to be given by candidates. Ho was prepared to givo ono promise, namely : that lie would do his duty. (Cheers.) And when ho failed to do that, upon tho representation of tho constitneney, ho- would bo happy to resign the trust into their hands. First, as to his policy. Ho had always been an advocate for obtaining Crown Grants for thn native?, upon the obtaining which they might sell their lands to Kuropeans if they liked. Thero followed, of course, the necessity for opening up tho country : tho facilities for sowing grass ; and he would say to tho meeting that thorc never would bo prosperity" ia Auckland again until it exported wheat.' As to retrenchment, that was a subject that did not admit of discussion. ft must como ; all admitted that. Then as to peace with the Maoris, ho fully eor currcd with tho recent address of his Honor, wherein ho stated that there never would 110 prosperity until there should bo lasting peace with the Maoris. A VoicK : How about retrenchment. Mr. Gii/FtMAx: Whon a proposition was mado to givo a bonus to tho executive, ho and an old friend 8too;! up and inovod and seconded that the proposition should be cancelled. That was how about retrenchment. (Cheers.) Ono thing 110 did hopo that this would ho a friendly contest. If Mr. Mitchell should beat him, ho would bo the first to shake Mr. Mitchell by the hand, and if ho beat Mr. Mitchell ho trusted that gentleman would act iu tho same way. (Cheers.) Thero would, so far as he was concerned, bo fair play and good fooling. That was all ho had to say. (Cheers.) As for going away,, if thero were twenty ' Flying Clouds' in tho harbour ho would not go away. Ho would stand and meet tho difficulties. Tho Chairman said that tho time had arrived 1 when tho electors might be allowed to ask :tny questions they ploased of candidates. Several oleotors thou put questions to tho candidates, to report which would exceed the utmost limit of space at our disposal. Many of those questions, indeed all of them, referred to matters upon which the candidates had either recently given their opinions, or their opinions had become widely known. A desultory conversation ensued, which protracted tho proceedings until 10 o'clock. Mr. Cabman moved that tho mooting do adjourn. Mr. Git/fiixan asked permission of tho meeting to move a voto of thanks. Mt. Mitchell seconded tho motion, which was passed by acciamation. Tho motion of Mr. Cadman was carried, and tho mooting adjourned at 10 o'clock*.