THE PRICE OF MEAT.

Otago Daily Times, Issue 407, 10 April 1863, Page 4

THE PRICE OF MEAT.

The adjourned meeting, to receive the report of the lieputation appointed to wait upon the Superinten•leut, and to urjre that the importation of cattle from Melbourne aiid Sydney should be'allowed, was held at the Provincial Hotel last evening. There was a jjood attendance. . ■ ■ . _

Mr E1 De Carle, who presided, snid tliat Messrs Nash and K'ooper. and himself, waited, upon His Honor on-Wednesday j-the Provincial Secretary being present during the interview. His Honor stated that it was quite put of his power, or that of the Government, in any way to relax the restrictions upon i&iportationi' He. read'to the deputation a kmg letter troiu the. General', Government, stating:' Jhat before nny thing was done.in the inatter,''the assent of the (Jeneral.Government must be obtained. His Honor stated that he and his .Executive were anxious to do sill they coulii to further the object sought; but they were powerless. Mr'Nash urged theadvisaKcnessof throwing open all the neighboring colonies but His Honor thought that it was' not" at all likely that any such thing would be allowed" but his own view was that importation from Twofold Bay 'might lie permitted. VVTwn- the deputation submitted the resolution adopted by the nieeeting. His Honur suggested that " Victoria and New South Wales" should be substituted for " Melbourne and Sydney;" and he apparently also meant to include Adelaide and Tasmania. From Tasmania, he said, he had received communications on the subject, aud. he hud also been in communication with Mr Xyle, from Western Port. But he decidediy objected to importation from Western Port, believing that it was much too near Melbourne to be consistent -with safety. His Honor further stated that he should like to have a memorial presented to the Government, embodying- all the information obtainable by the deputation; and he suggested that the alteration he had pointed oat in the resolution, should be form-illy made by tha adjourned meeting. In conclusion, his Honor repeated that he and tha Executive would do nil in (heir power to meet the emergency. The memorial, if presented, should be forwarded to the General Government, and should be supported by all the facts and reasons which could be obtained trom officers of the Provincial Grovferument; and the Government would be glad to receive suggestions, not only from the meeting, but from the public. On tlfe mption of Alr'Jji. J^Aim, socqnded.by Mr S. fr. Isaacs, it was resolved:— '! That in the oriijju^J resolution the" words ' Vic'tor'a, j^ew iSoiijih \7ales, Tasmania, aud Sooth' Australia,' be substituted for the words ' Melbourne aud Sydney.' '< Mr Nash said he should like to add to the report of the Chairman, that his Honor stated that when he took upon himself the responsibility of allowing cattle to be imported from Gipps Land, the Governments of Canterbury and Southland made very strong re-

fao'nstrances to the General Government; and he (the Superintendent) was thereupon informed that as Gipps Land had been proclaimed free from disease, his act was countenanced, but at the same time such restrictions were imposed that it was impossible for the ■provincial Government or Council to take any further steps without the^ sanction of the General Government. '1 he instructions on that point were imperative. ' . Mr Isaacs said that the fact was that some twenty or thirty gentlemen, who were large owners of cattle ■were banded together to prevent anything like free importation, and they were holding their stocks, with » view of getting the highest price possible. They did not care a pin.abouc the 20.000 of new population—they regarded them as strangers, and cared not a straw whether they starved or not. The doors ■were shut against progress and free Iradebyafew mnn who had the land locked up and held all the cattle. The people would huve to break through law and everything else, to get what they wanted. The mreting was composed of tradesmen and working men. They could not send a deputation to Auckland: and if they could the deputation would not bo listened to. Tho*e men were ruling the people with a rod of iron. . They were every day setting more wealthy; they < were making 1/25 to 1.30 aluadof their cattle; when by importation they could ba had at L 8 or Llo—and wealth was power in this matter for the people—the newcomers—had no :voi°e. in anything. When there had bo n a great hubbub—a fl^lit, aud 200 or 800 men killed—then we should get all we wanted; but it seemed as though we should never get it by quiet mean 3. Mr Nash said ,thafc it was useless! and wrong to Maine the Superintendent or the OouDcii ; for he. was satisfied thftt they were' powerless in the matter. That they were 80 was ouly auother rensou for Separution ; for it. would be raoustrous to suppose that with existing relations, and after the instructions received from the General Government, the-Superin-tendent would take upon'himself to give what was demanded by the resolution of the.lart meeting. He moved, " That the gentlemen appointed as the deputation be appointed a Committee to draw up a memorial embodying all the information that ran be collected : that it be presented to the Superintendent at the earliest opportunity ; and that he be requested to forward it to the General Government, and to give to it. the support of himself and his Executive." Mr James Fishbr seconded the motion, which was unanimously adopted; and the proseedings terminated with thanks to Mr De Carle for presiding. ' '■ ■ -