THE SUPERINTENDENT.

Otago Daily Times, Issue 1119, 22 July 1865, Page 4

THE SUPERINTENDENT.

MR. DICK AT THE NORTH EAST

VALUBY.

Last night, Mr Thomas Dick, one of the candidates for the office of Superintendent of the Province, addressed the electors of the North East Valley District in the schoolroom there. Half-an hour after the advertised hour of meeting, there were twenty persons present. Mr James Hunter was called to take the chair.

The Chairman, in a few words, introduced

Mr Thomas Dick, who said they would be aware that Mr Harris had resigned his office of Superintendent of the Province, and in consequence they had to elect some other person to fill that important situation. There were now in the field as applicants for that office Mr M'Glashan and himself. He thought it was only fair that before asking them to vote for him, he should meet them publicly and give them an opportunity of ascertaining what bis viewa on public questions really were, and of judging for themselves who was the proper person for the office. He was now before them, and they would have an opportunity of putting to him any questions they thought fit. But be would state that m far as electioneering promises were concerned, he did not attach much weight to them. He did not mean to say that if he promised anything, he would perform it; but the way in which these questions were asked at an election, frequently did not give either the person who asked them or the candidate who answered them, a sufficient opportunity of considering them in all their bearings, and which, if they had had a more deliberate opportunity of considering, would have been both asked and answered in a very different manner. Therefore in taking their candidates to task there remained a sort of necessity sometimes for taking a small per centage from the answers which were given. The posit:on of Superintendent looked to be one of great power and importance, but in reali'y the Superintendent wss very much con« trolled by his Executive, who had a considerable say in all matters which might be brought forward by him. He might promise to do something which, when he brought it forward, his Executive or the Provincial Council might object. Under these circumstances it was scarcely fair to expect the candidates to make promises as to what they would do uuder circumstances hereafter to arise. With a number of persons a habit had grown up lately of blaming him for, a good deal of the mischief which had happened to this Province. A person said tohimonlythatday, "Although you have done a lot of mischief to this Province, yet you deserve our support, and you shall have mine." He objected to that view of matters. It was the fact that he bad been blamed for a good deal which he had nothing whatever to do with. In looking over the newspapers, they might have seen him again and again brought up as being guilty of some heinous crime?. At one time he expected a dish of this every morning, as regularly as he expected his breakfast, until he began to think that he must be a very clever fellow, to do all the mischief which was imputed to him. A dreat deal of mud had been thrown at him, and of' course some of it had stuck to him, and in several quarters he was considered a very dangerous public character. He knew that public men must take a large amount of that sort of abuse, and he was content; but he had come before them in order to show his willingness to give an account of the real action which he had taken in all public matters. He asked them to believe that more mud had been thrown at him, and a great deal more had stuck to him than he deserved. Two years ago the Province was

in a prosperous state, and every firm waa hnoj ant with prosperity and hope for the future. The Government «f the day were j ns?ailed with cries from the press, from theGoldfields, and from all the public, for roads. The Government a -reed to borrow L 500,000 for public works, and launched out very considerably for the construction of roads. But whenever the relapse came, that same press which raised the cry for expenditure raised another cry that the Government hid destroyed the Province, by the expenditure and borrowing of which it had betn guilty. It was not fair that they should have been blamed for that, for the Press ought to have come forward and acknowledged, while blaming jthe Government, that it had to a great extent raised the cry. Instead of having been blamed for what thfy had done, they should have been praised for not having done more mischief. Immediately alter the relapse came and the Escorts began to fall off, the Duuedin newspapers began to cry that Otago was ruined, and could not pay its debts. The consequence was, that the debentiwes issui-d for the loan would not sell, anu the Gineral Government loan, for L 3,000,000, coining into the market at the same time, still further depressed the Otago securities. The Province bad suffered severely hy the general depression which ensued, and the value of every kind of property had fallen, and the credit of Otago was now very different from what it was three years ago. But who wa-> to blame /or all this ? Somehow or other he had been saddled with the most of it; but he hail failed to see how he could be guilty ot it. He asked them before voting for him fully to investigate all his pist transactions, and lie ft It satisfied that they would then give him their support. He was neither a prophet nor the son of a prophet, but he ventured to predict that Otago would not always lie in the dust as slie di'l now. Ere long she would arise again, and with the development of the smfces of wealth \shich she contained would speedily set out upon a cruise of permanent prosperity. In this contest, he had opposed to him a gentleman who had not lor many years been engaged in the public affairs of this Province. He would not say one word against Mr M'Glashan, but as a candidate he (Mr Pick) was not placed in an. equal position with him. Mr M'Glashan had the advantage of coming fresh into themarket, and had no blame laid on him for past transactions, and he also came asking the instructions of the electors, and believing that he would be aWe to cirry them out. Now he (Mr Dick) had in his political view?, nailed his colors to the mast. He would ask the electors to place hia past in a fair position against Mr M'Glashan's future, and if in the past he had done his duty, and given them a fair amount of satisfaction, he asked them to let that spe-ik in favor of his future. He askeJ them to do Mr M'Glashan no injustice in this matter, lor if they thought that he was the better man, then let them give him their support. And if, wh£n Mr M'Glashan was in office, be proved to be a good man for the Province, be \rould%ive him his support, and still continue, as he had done in the past, to devote himself to promote the prosperity of Otago in mind, in body, in estate, and in every other respect. (Applause.) He trusted that the electors would now, with candor and honesty, judjie for themselves who should be the Superintendent of the Province. After a few questions had bsen asked and answered,

It was moved by Mr Armstrong, seconded by Mr Ick, and carried—" That Mr Dick is a fit and proper person to fill the office of Superintendent of Ota^o." The meeting separated, after the usual vote of thanks to the Chairman.