A BOLITION MEETINGS.

New Zealand Herald, Volume XII, Issue 4296, 20 August 1875, Page 3

A BOLITION MEETINGS.

DIiVONPOKT, NORTH SHORE. A me;:: isc of the electors, ratepayers, anil residents of this district was held last evening, in tlie Deronport Hall, to consider tlie Abolition of Provinces and Local Government Bills now before the General Assembly.

On the motion of Mr. Oliver Mays, secon led by Mr. W. L. Kees, Mr. W. Aitken was called to the chair.

The C'hati'.mak read the advertisement couvciiiug the meeting. He hoped that every speaker would have a fair and impartial hearing. Mr. Oliver Mays came forward to move the lirst resolution. He did not think it necessary to go into the history of Provincialism. It was admitted on all sides that Provincialism was no longer able to do the work for which it was intended, and which it professed to do. He believed that all the revenue it had at present was derived from the publicans' licences and one or two uncertain sourccs. There could hardly be supposed an occasion or necessity of bringing together the Provincial Council during the present year. The time had been when, from the isolation of several parts of the colony, some such system as Provincialism was desjrable, and perhaps necessary. But any such necessity existed no longer, even though they were admitted to have been necessary. The provinces had created jealousies in various parts of the colony, which were of themselves a considerable evil. Tho divisions of the colony were cou-stitut-j'l by arbitrary boundary lines, which create d distinctions that brought considerable .suctions of the people into a conflict. He believed there never was a time when so much excitement, so much prejudice, was sown broadcast by the Press against the policy of a Ministry, as was the case against the proposed Abolition and Local Government Bills. H.e believed that very few people had read the Local Government BilL He had taken tho opportunity of reading it carefully. 1 i"e believed that it would place 75 per centt ! the districts of the colony and province in a better condition than they were in before. He averred this from gathering up the provisions of the bill, and informing himself of their meaning. (Where is the money to come from':) He (Mr. Mays) was not Colonial Treasurer. It was the businefe of that high and responsible officer to say where it came from. If the Colonial Treasurer could not tell them, lie was quite sure he (Mr. Mays) could not. (Laughter and cheers.) But even if the Colonial Treasurer had not the power to give them anything, the District Road Board of Devonport would be better off than before under the proposed Local Government Bill.

Mr. O'Suea : In our district (Takapuna) there is no police constable at all. What are we to do? * *

Mr. Mays: Join us. The district of Devonport had raised on the average £190 a-year. The sum received from Government on the average had been about £S0 a-year. It would therefore be easy to understand how much better off Devonport would be under the system that was now proposed. Auckland had been kept back, insulted, and snubbed, in consequence of its having submitted to be governed by petty Provincial cries. So long as there was the Provincial scree;, between the Government and the peo;ik', it would aid the double Government and enable those who had an interest in it to uphold a system of popular misleading. There had been Acts and Amendment Acts, and Amendments of Amendment Acts had been pas3ed, until they became heaped up to an extent that made continual reference to the Superintendent necessary, so that even a pound could cot be erected without getting his signature. He (Mr. Mays) admired SirGeorgeGrey—his patriotic feeling, singleness of mind and purpose, but in this matter he thought Sir George Grey mistaken. He would prefer to see Sir George Grey at the head of the colony than at the head of a province, lie would heartily wish to see the lickspittles, the beslaverers, and the toadies that hung about Sir Geore Grey, abolished. If Sir Geor"e Grey should become unpopular, he would owe that result to the evil counsellors who were about him. It was eaid the projiosal was one of nomineoism. Did they think thai any Government would persist in nominating persons obnoxious to the people ? No. It would be suicidal to do so. There were defects in the bill. By one of the clauses cf the bill, education, asylums, &c., were to be provided for out of the funds of the colony,, unless otherwise provided for by law. Now education was provided for by law—and a most iniquitous law. The very operation of that law contributed to the unpopularity of Provincialism more than any other scheme. Any district that was willing and able to pay for the education of its own children should be allowed to do so. It was a great defect in the proposed Abolition and Local Government Bills that the Auckland scheme was to continue as " provided for by law." Let there be free schools for those who cannot pay. Another defect of the bill was the localisation of the land revenue of the South. He thought the proceeds of the land revenue should be put into one chest, and be applicable to the improvement and the wants of the whole colony. But, whatever were the defects of the bill, it was an immense improvement 011 the present state of things. He moved, "That the meeting heartily approves of the proposed abolition of Provincial Institutions during the present session of the Assembly, and the substitution of a system of local self-government ; but protests against those clauses of the Abolition Bill which provide for the continuation of Provincial taxation and the localisation of the land revenue of the Southern provinces."

The Chairman waited a considerable time that the motion might be seconded. He asked a second time whether any one in the meeting proposed to second the resolution.

Mr. Sibbin : What is it about ? (Laughter.) Mr. Rcst seconded the resolution. Mr. \Y. L. Rees came forward to move an amendment, and was received with loud cheers. H« contended that Mr. Slays had. kept so far away from the real effect of the bill that he left the whole subject in the greatest obscurity. When that gentleman said he believed in his heart, he shewed beyond any question that his heart was at the remotest place possible from his head. But the fact was that while this wa3 called an abolition measure, it was not an abolition of provinces, but an abolition of Superintendents, who were the elected choice of the people, and I rovincial Gorcrninents and Councils, which were also the products of elective opinion,—and to place ill their stead were nomines3 who might be, for the time, the merest abjact creatures of the Ministry. Provincial districts were preserved ; but the power of tho poople to elect their own administrators

was swept away. The people naturallyasked that this right wli.ch they possessed should not bo taken from them until they had time to consider what was proposed. The fact was, that there was a perfect jumble of finance, and by the mixture of the General Government and Provincial accounts a complete muddle had been created. The Ministry was anxious to cover their own errors by getting these bills through as quickly as possible, because they knew they could not make ends meet. The fact was that on the face o.f the statements made by the Government, a sum of £1,400,000 was deficient upon tho immigration scheme. What did tho meeting think it cost tho Governmont in expenses incident to raising the loans ? —£270,237. A Voice : W here did it all go? Mr. Bees : Mr. O. Mays would perhaps bo able to tell. But was it any fair pretension of interest for the public service that urged the Ministers to this haste ? What were they afraid of ? Why should they be anxious to rush this measure ? Simply because they know that the bill was objectionable ; that tho discovery of the real character of tho bill would defeat their objccts. The effect of placing over the people mere nominees would lead to future mischief and trouble, —possibly to disturbance. How would the people get work done which those nominees might choosc to leave undone ? It might come to the point where men would say that self-preservation was their first and only law. If it came to that they were on the brink of revolution. The people asked nothing but time and opportunity to examine, and that a bill which caused a radical change should not be thrust down their throats. The nominees of the Government would bo their creatures, with a great deal more power, and less to do than those whom they displaced. The people would be placed to a great extent at tho pleasure of these nominees, but whether or not, the people had a right to oxamiue and take heed that it should toot be so. He therefore mored, "That in tho opinion of this meeting it is absolutely necessary that the people of New Zealand shall havo a full opportunity of examining the proposed constitutional changes; that such proposed changes should only be dealt with la a new Parliament; and that this meeting views with great alarm the evident determination of tlieMinistry to put the measure through in the expiring Parliament, and they would request %he members of the province of Auckland to use every constitutional means they can, to delay these bills until the electors have had an opportunity of making such examination." (Cheers.) Mr. William Brown seconded the amendmeut. He thought Mr. O. May? had made a great mistake. If the bills were lit to have, they were fit to look at; if they werc'not fit to have, and not fit to look at, then they ought to bo opposed might and main. (Cheers.) Mr. Shea supported the amendment. If he could give any weight to it, it was the best thing he had done in his life. Mr. Mays had made a great mistake. Mr. Buchanan" said none of the meetings held were Provircialist. He admitted the expediency of a change. Therefore it was desirable * that time should be given to examine the change now proposed. Some time ago they heard of a movement to make Sir Donald McLean permanent Nativo Minister : they might hear of a permanent Colonial Treasurer. Ho heartily concurred in the amendment.

Mr. G. M. Heed, iu reply to loud calls, said it were better he should not addrees the meeting, as it might be said they relied on outsiders. He concurred iu the view taken by Mr. llees that it was not an abolition of the .Provincial system that was proposed. The bill before the Assembly would rather perpetuate it—except that it would be in a form that might be used tyrannically, and the people would have no control.

Mr. G. Staines and others having addressed the meeting, Mr. O. Mays replied. The amendment was put and carried by a large majority, only five hands being held up in favour of the resolution. The number of electors present was about 250. A vote of thanks was passed to the chairman, and three cheers were given for Sir George Grey, upon which the meeting separated.