WESTPORT.

Otago Witness, Issue 931, 2 October 1869, Page 3

WESTPORT.

Tho sea has of late been encroaching con* eidorably upon the townnhip of Westport, having destroyed the sohool-house and a cottago adjoining, which was occupied by tho sohookaastor. Tho Westport Times of tho 10th inst. dosoribos the oiroumstance at follows :— Tho deatruotion of tho school was accomplished towards midnight on Monday. During the day* tide it had r<een surrounded by the sea, deprived of aoveral of ita anp> port*, and left in a position altogether very precarious. At night tirao soveral amart wav«s sent it down like a faooto of cards, and on Tuesday moraine thoro was nothing of it risible, in a porpendioular position, but the poroh, Tho frame, flooring, lining, roof, and chimneys wero all scattered indiscriminately, indistinguishable anaoag tbo heaps of driftwood extending along the boaoh for a mile northward from whoro tho building »tood. Dark as the night was, anddongerou* ai was tho experiment of remaining noar the spot, sooros of spootators lingered on the beach till midnight, for tho ♦sensation' of witnessing or hearing the final 'orash' which bronght tho building to tbo gronud, and converted is lrom its pristine proportion* to that form which it usually compared to 4 a oooked hat.' Next morning tho eohoolmaster's residence, whioh had not boon ooonpied for some months, shared exactly the same fate. At an exponio of somo I*l2, whioh the controotor has not yet boon paid, 1% was, aeveral months ago, removed from its original site to what was then ooasidered a portion of perfoot safety. But the sea has determinedly followed ft up, and on Tuesday overtook it, soon ■hirering it into atoms.

"fru, ,!,. \L^'/'. s Jim' :> 'v" < v:' { .""' ■ . Mr Macandrew, M.H.8., addressed his constituents at Barr^s Assembly Rooms, BaloluthVon Friday, Si&pfc. ' 24, 1869.— '''Mr J. "W. Thomson, M. P. C/, presided ; and although it did not appear to be generally known until, an early hour in the morning that Mr Macandrew would address the electors that evening, there was a 1 good attendance, there being nearly' 300 persons J preaeat. Among "those who attended were Capt, Mackenzie, and Messrs H. Clark and D. Henderson, M,P.o.'s. The Chairman opened the proceedings by expressing a hope that the meeting would support, him in properly discharging the duties of his position. The conduct of theitt representative had been well critioised, but that gentleman had taken an early opportunity of meeting his con- . Btituents, and he .trusted that the meeting would accord him a patient, hearing. He begged to introduce Mr Macandrew to the meeting. MjvMaoakdrew, who, on rising, was greeted with cheers and some marks of disapprobation^ said : Mr Chairman and Gentlemen — It is scarcely necessary , for me to say that in asking you to meet me tonight, I did so as the representative of the • Clutha district in the General Assembly of New Zealand, and not as the Superintendent of the Province of Otago. I deem it, right to call attention to this distinction, inasmuch as I find that many are apt to confound the two positions, and to forget that by law the Superintendent of the province is, to a certain extent, bound, in his action and his utterances) by the advice and consent of pthers, be his own peculiar predilections what they may. The member for Clutha, on the other hand, is under no euch restrictions ; he is entitled to act and to speak on his own responsibility, and in such way as to him may seem best for the pub lie interest ; he is, in fact, a free agent, and therefore more independent than the Superintendent of Otago. It is now upwards of two years since I set the example to the other Otago representatives, by meeting my constituents at the termination of a session of the General Assembly, and giving them an account of my stewardship ; I regret, however, to say, that circumstances have prevented my following up this course, the more especially as I feel convinced that my political conduct during the sessions which intervened, would have elicited a similar expression of confidence and approval on the part of my constituents to that which I received upon the occasion in question. It will, perhaps, be recollected that one of the most important points of approval which I received at your hands was with reference to my action in having opposed the Land Act in 1865 and 18G6. In 1865 I succeeded in throwing out the Bill, on the ground that its tendency was to tie up the lands of the province as against agricultural settlement. E also managed to satisfy the House of Representatives that the Bill had been approved by the Provincial Council without the knowledge and sanction of the people of the province ; that if left over for another year it would come up again in a different shape, as regarded the pastoral regulations, and, in fact, that .free selection would, in all probability, be the order of the day. Well, gentlemen, in 1866, the Bill again made its appearance in precisely the same Bhape as it did in 1865 ; but neither the people nor the Provincial Council took- that interest in the matter which I had anticipated, and my efforts to throw the Bill out were fruitless. Tho Aot as it now stands therefore beoamo law, and many of tho difficulties whioh I hod foresoen have been actually oxporienced. Little did 1 think at the time that it would fall to my lot to administer an Aot which I did my best to defeat. Perhaps one of the groato&t difficulties which those who are called upon to tid ruinator a Land Act have to encounter, is the apparont inability of tho people to distinguish between the power of legislation and the power of administration. I have found practically, as the adminstrator of tho Land Act, that I have been held responsible and held up to public censure for carrying into effect the provisions of an Aot to which I was, as a mombor of the Legislature, strongly opposed, And which I did my boat to prevont from becoming law. Gentlemen, as the land quos'ion is apparently the ono of all others which at present occupies tho largost aharo of pubUo attention, and as my action in the Genoral Asiembly with roapoot to the quoation has brought down upon my devoUwl hood the viol* of newspaper wrath, I ahull, with the permission of the mooting, at onco explain tho real position of tho matter. You arc, no doubt, »waro that the Provincial Council, during last towion. appointed a Select Committee to enquire into tho neoossity for proclaiming now Hundred*,. And before prooMding further, lnuyaaythatl

I hope I snail be paraonedif lamspme'tbatfpS^^W 1!'1 !' wSnt te'layW matter fairly before you;; Wellj 'after examining a great many witnesses, the Committee reported in favour* of some five' or", six additional Hundreds. This report was adopted by the Council and forwarded to the Governor by the Superintendent, with .an.. urgent request that the Hundreds might be at once proclaimed. . l Simultaneously with the , request from the "Superintendent, His Excellency received several petitions strongly protesting against the proclamation of these Hundreds, and similar petitions to these were presented to one, if not both, Houses of the Legislature, In order that you may fully comprehend the whole working of the affair, I may mention that, in each. session of the Assembly, a Joint Committee of both Houses is appointed, consisting of some fifteen or twenty members, called the Joint Committee on Waste Lands. To this Committee are.referred all questions affecting .the waste lands. of the Crown. Accordingly to this Committee was referred the Superintendent's application for new Hundreds, and the petitions against the same ; as also the report of the Commission, which had been appointed last session for the purpose of enquiring into the working of the Waste Lands Act in Otago. Many of you are no doubt aware that, in the session of 1868, a petition was presented tp the House of Representatives by certain settlers in the Clutha district, complaining of mal-administra-tion of the waste lands bjr the Provincial Executive of Otago— -which petition by the way was not presented through the usual channel, the representative of the district, a circumstance which, to my mind, at the time, had considerable significance. We hear a great deal now from certain parties, when it answers their purpose, about ignoring the Provincial Council ; but there was no word^ said about ignoring the Provincial Council then, and accordingly the petition was sent, not to the Provincial Council, but to the General Assembly. Well, gentlemen, the result of this petition was the appointment of a Commission at a great cost to the Province. This Commission perambulated the Province from Dan to Beersheba, took an uncommon amount of evidence, visited every locality excepting that in which the J petitioners, at whose instance the Commission was appointed, resided. The report and the evidence, which I now hold in my hand, are far too bulky to read to you, nor would it be for your edification were I to do so ; to use the words of the principal Commissioner himself, the whole object of the Commission was for the most part a piece of rot. Wellj as I Baid before, the Waste i Lands Joint Committee had this report and evidence submitted to them with the view of enabling them to judge as to how far and upon what principle additional Hundreds should be proclaimed. I may ohherve that during the tirat month or six weeks of the session the Superintendent repeatedly kept dunning the Government about the proclamation of the new Hundreds for which he had applied. The answer invariably was that the Government would take no action in the matter pending the report of this Joint Committee on Waste Lands. In duo time the Committee reported, and recommended that the proclamation of Hundreds should henceforth bo regulated by law, according to the terms and conditions prescribed in the report. The Committee's report was embodied in an Act and brought in by the Government ; the Act, as based upon the Committee's report, made no provision for limiting the compensation to runholdors, nor for defining tho improvements in respect of which thoy would bo entitlod to compensation. 1 may state that tho Bill as introduced did not come into my hands until within half an hour of tho second reading ; and hurriedly glancing ovor it, I saw nothing very obieotionable in tho Bill excepting; the unlimited and undofined compensation, and on the question being put I voted in its favour, on the understanding that I should ondoavour to limit and doft no the compensation in Gommittoo. The BUI was road a aocond time without a dissenting voice, Le. f its principlo was affirmed, overy Otftgo member giving it a tacit support. 1 unhositatiDgly gave notico of the following amondmont, to bo moved in Committee as an addition to aootion eight : "Providod always that such compensation shall in no ciuio excood shilling* per aero, and tlmt no compensation shall bo granted for improvement* othor than foncintr, land ploughed, and Uid down in English gratsos. It will bo observed that I loft tho Amount of compensation blank, to bo filled Afior deliberation as to what might bo doemod fair and equitable, Aftor tho seoond rosding of the Bill, a eauous moot ing, that is, a meeting of all tho OUgo morobort oC both Homo*, was csllod for tho purpoio of considering the Bill gonerally, find my proposed smondmont in particular. At this mooting tho prinoiplos of the amendment were unanimously

tb "see the Attorney-General and get them incorporated witti the Bill, which he did.: At a subsequent meeting the , Bill was gone over section by section ; and I , may say that the great object of the Otago [members was to , agree, if possible, amongst themselves as to the various provisions of the Bill, so as to prevent what what was termed an Otago free fight upon the floor of the House. With this view the minority agreed to give way to the majority, , after, it was found, that there was no such difference of opinion about the Bill as to make it worth while fighting about. When the meeting came to fillip the blank in my amendment, all sorts of maximum rates were proposed, from 1 s 6d to 7s 6d an acre. Ultimately it was agreed on all hands to fix the maximum at 3s 6d, when a portion, and 2b 6d when the whole run was taken. The whole of

the members agreed to this limit, but when the question came up in Committee of the wh<>le House, Mr Wood, of Invercargill, proposed a reduotion of Is in each case.-— (Applause). He was supported by Messrß Reynolds, Howorth, Mervyn, and, I think, Bradshaw, contrary to the arrangement which I understood had been agreed to at the meeting. ; Mr Wood's amendment was carried by a small majority. I may say that 1 voted for the larger sum, inasmuch as it was the distinct understanding at the private meeting, and because I then was, and still am, of opinion that there may be Borne cases in which even that figure would not be adequate compensation. In fact, the Government has been already paying 4s and 5s an acre for agricultural lease blocks on the gold fields, and that in respect merely of the unexpired portion of the old licenses. When it is considered that the maximum proposed to be fixed was in respect not only of the unexpired portion of the original license, but for ton years'

lease in addition, it must be obvious to

the most ordinary comprehension that the runholder within goldfields will be infinitely a loser by this Bill. It must be ! borne in mind that it does not follow that the compensation must necessarily be 2s 6d an acre in all cases. It may not be Is an acre, all will depend upon the actual loss to the runholder, the extent of his lease at the poriod of cancellation, and its annual value to the lessee. Gentlemen, I am perfectly satisfied that had this question of compensation been decided at any public meeting in

xc province, the higher maximum would have been cheerfully agreed to, so willing and anxious ore the bulk of the people to deal fairly and even liberally with the runholder. I have a strong presentiment that had I opposed the second reading of this Bill, it would have been carried in its original shape in spite of me, and those who might have supported me. As it is, my amendment took the sting out of the Bill as recommended by the Waste Lands Commission, and rendered it to my mind a most useful measure, and under which land can be at any time acquired for settlement in any part of the province, either within or without goldfjelds, upon reasonable terms, and with which the province can have no difficulty in complying. And now, gentlomen, I should like to know how many of those who are loudest in their denunciations of this Bill, and of its supporters, have actually read the Bill, or know anything about its provisions — this Bill which we are told is going to ruin the country. I ask you to listen for one moment to its actual provisions. In order to show the grounds upon which tho BUI was founded, allow me to read tho preamble, which sots forth that — "Whereas by 'The Otago Waste Lands Act 1866,' it was provided that nothing in tho said Act contained should be doomed to alter or in any way affoot the power of tho Govornor from time to time to proclaim Now Hundreds. And whereas, by ' The Goldfields Aot 1606' it was declared that, except as therein provided, any district proclaimed as a golafiold should not bo subject to tho provisions of the Waste Lands Act And whereas, upon the issuo of pastoral loasos. pursuant to tho provisions of tho said Acts, certain instruments styled ' doods of covonant,' woro entered into botweon tho Superintendent of Otago and certain pastoral tenants of tho Crown, which, instruments contained conditions on which such loasos wore issued. And whereas tho Governor was pleased recently to appoint Commissionon* to onquiro into tho modo of administering the »aid Waste Lands Act in Otago, and tho report of such Commissioners has boon duly made. And whereas, by reason of tho various public and private rights and intorcsta conoornod, it i» desirable that tho constitution of now Hun* dredi, whether within or without any district prool&imod m a gold field in the provinoo of Otago, should be regulated by Uw. " The BUI then goen on to provide that Hundreds may bo proclaimed in (my part of the provitioo whothor within or without goldfieldi, Hitherto they oould not be proclaimed wi&ta roldfieldf. It then provides that

for agricultural purposes ; -that no Hundred shall exceed ls,ooo*acres in extent ; that upon any Hundred being applied for, the Governor shall appoint one or more officers to enquire into the circumstances of the case; that those officers B'hall have power to examine witnesses on bath ; that they shall report to the Colonial Secretary; that if the report be favourable the Governor shall proclaim the Hundred within six months ;, that if a portion of a run is taken the runholder shall be entitled to compensation not exceeding 2s 6d an acre, in respect of the determination of his lease; thatrunholders may within twenty«one days elect to relinquish the whole run in the. event of -my portion thereof being taken, in which case the maximum compensation over the whole shall no(j exceed Is 6d an acre ; that no compensation shall be allowed for buildings or any improvements, other than fencing, land laid down in English grasses, ploughed-up, or drainage ; that compensation- shall be paid -within three years of the date of ascertaining the amount. The rest of the Bill is chiefly technical, providing for the mode in which the arbitration is to be conducted. Section 15 legalises the deeds of covenant, which previously were regarded by some as so much waste paper, but which has secured to the province somewhere about 300,000 acres, free of compensation, in respect of the ten years' renewed tenure. Thiß is probably worth all the rest of the Bill put together. The last section provides that all assessment on stock shall form part of the land revenue of the province. Gentlemen, such is the Bill of which I am said to have been the author, but with the initiation of which I had far less to do than those of you who signed the celebrated petition whioh led to the appointment of the Waste Lands Commission. All that I have been guilty of is that, in common with the fifteen other Otago members, 1 supported the Bill, and thereby succeeded in getting rid of what I conceived to have been ,its objectionable features, as originally proposed. But, gentlemen, even assuming, for the Bake of argument, that the Bill was an objectionable Bill, I fail to see why I should be singled out as the only pilgarlio of all the Otago members. It is, to Bay the least of it, somewhat singular that the Bruce Standard should have wanted the electors of Ciutlia to subject me to political crucifixion, while its own member is to tie let off soot free. Not one word of such advice does the Standard vouchsafe to the electors of Bruce in the way of calling upon Mr Cargill to resign, Gentlemen, the truth is that the whole of thia agitation has been got up for a purpose, and that purpose, lam sorry to say, is not any anxiety whatever for the public interest. I do not believe that those who are at the bottom of this agitation and who have fanned the flames, Bee in the Bill any interference whatever with the privileges of the Provincial Council, or any curtailment of the principle of Hundreds. The truth is, the whole thing has reference to the next Superintendental election — (applause and disapprobation) — and the circumstance of the member for Clutha being the only man who is singled out for public opprobrium is, to my mind, conclusive evidence of the correctness of my assertion. Depend upon it, however, the parties in question will discover that they have for once overreached the mark. So much for the Otago Hundreds Regulation Bill, which you were falsely told in leading articles and otherwise that I was the father of, and whioh you were i told with equal truth is an infringement of the powers and privileges of tho Provincial Council. Those who know me best are well awaro that no man in Otago has stood out more firmly for the maintonanco of tho rights of the Provincial Council in their integrity than I have done, and I must oonfess that the charge of infringing their principles comes with a very bad grace from those whoso proclivities are well known to be anti-provin-cial, and who, if it answorod their purpose, would willingly sweep away tho Provincial Council tomorrow. I maintain that tho Otago Hundreds Regulation Bill, m far as the proclamation of Hundreds is ooncornod, loaves tho Provincial Council with precisely tho samo power as it has had all along under tho Land Act of 1860— ».«,, with no powor at aIL If you wUI take tho trouble to road tho Constitution Act and the Land Aot, you will boo that tho Provincial Council nover has had any power to proclaim Hundred* ; it it therefore absurd to Bay that it has boon deprived of power which it never possessod, and uever could oxorciso. Praotically. no doubt, tho Provincial Council hu recommondod tho declaration of Hundreds, and this it may do still if so disposed. What the Bill provides is that should tho Provincial Council reoommend Hundreds, too question of their, proclamation shall not bo loft m heretofore to the oaprfoo or discretion of the Colonial Government of the day— or depend upon the i&fluenoes, vn or con, whioh may be brought to bear,

and whacOometimis'pe^TOught' ( to upon' eveW 'the'^Gen^ral'Wvern^nt W self.' " According ib "this' Bill u 'ii° matter not who the Gbv^ruor's advisers niay be, they may each and 1 all b'e\ the most unmitigated" squatters, ' each, Having \ &tf interest' in 1 the particular run whi6h may be affected ; nevertheless, the Hundreds must b6 proclaime'din compliance .with certain conditions— conditions, which I must say are in " themselves reasonable, and quite within the power of the province to 'comply with. In short, by this Bill the General Government has denuded itself of all discretion' in the matter of the proclamation of Hundreds. It has laid down a cast iron rule, the practical effect of which, deny it who please, will be to set free, when required, on reasonable terms, the country which, I think, w#s so unfortunately locked Up under the Goldfields Act, 1866, and the Waste Lands Act, 1866.' For the last eighteen months,! have been running tho gauntlet of all manner of personal abuse at the hands of a portion of the public' press. lam said to have been in league with the squatter. "Bought over"— that 'is the term! lam charged with having granted, 1 indiscriminately, the renewed lenseaVand thereby tied up the country ; the fact being that I have no more to do with them than any of you. It waa all done before my time, and now that, as member for Olutha, I have deemed it my duty to Bupport a measure for unlocking the lands again, and enabling the Government at any time to aoquire Hundreds for actual settlement, when required, I am. also abused and ' charged with some horrible corruption — some personal aggrandisement at the hands of the squatter — charges thus made by men who' apparently measure other men's corn by their own bushel. 1 must say it is very hard lines — first to be kicked down because the land has been locked up by somebody else, and next to be kicked because of assisting somebody else to unlock them' again. This ia j precisely the kind of treatment which is supposed to be most beneficial to my health. Gentlemen, there is another Land BUI which has become law, whioh was introduced at the request of the Provincial Council. That is the Otago Waste Lands Amendment Act. It provides for the assessment of stock within Hundreds. I think it very probable that there may be considerable outcry against this Bill when it comes to be put in force. I trust, however, although I have come in for a fair share of abuse over this mea- 1 sure, that it will be borne in mind that the Bill was the unanimous emanation of the people themselves, through their representatives in the Provincial Council, and that, although approving of the objects of the Bill, I was but the instrument of the Provincial Council in the matter. In some parts of the country the abuse which nas been heaped upon me was in connection with this Bill, which has by many no doubt been confounded with the Hundreds Regulation Bill. Gentlemen, before departing from the land question, I trust I may be pardoned for saying a few words expressive of my regret that in this young country there should be even a few men amongst us who, through the press and the platform, are otriving to set class against class. There is no man in Otago more desirous than I am to see vigorous political life pervading the whole body politic, but the political life whioh is being engendered now appears to me to be a spurious political life. It is the ! life of prejudice and of passion, an against the political life of reason and reflection. The great sin of which I have been guilty is that I have not used the I influence of my position in running a tilt j against one of the greatest interests in the I province. It is oharged against mo as a j crime of tho blackest dye that I am the friend of the squatter. lam not awnre that I entertain any peculiar affection for the squatter. I can safely say that, publicly speaking, the squatters as a body have been no friends of mine. I have thorefore nothing that I know of to be grateful fort but, gentlemen, I should deem. myself unworthy of being your representative, unworthy of the position which £ occupy," if X could suppose myself capable of being the enemy of any one | interest in the country, least of all of that interest to whioh tho province owes so much, if not more than to any other. What necessity is thore, lot me ask, for antagonism between the agricultural and tho pastoral interest? Is not the runholder the same flesh and blood as the rest of the oomravmity? Does ho not contribute a very largo proportion of the money which goet to mak« our roads and bridges, and to subsidise out road boards? Hm ho not, ia virtue of this contribution, | acquired vostod right* in equity, if not in Jow-*ight« whioh we aro bound to respoct—richt« whioh I for one, however much I differ with tho polioy which oonferrod thorn, would sooner retire to my cabbaM garden than be ft]p**ty to too rtpudJoUonoi? Ton may ity upon it,

Watß poHticFas;wiir as to morals^ the, "'<•%& " dCto^h'ersVaa byj'^l feel that I have detained y,ou so long, with this, qudestio, vexata^ the land questionjthat there is.yery little time lejt, to advert' to the . others subjects which came before^ the? General Assembly. The 1 first few weeks of the -session' were occupied' by a trial of strength between the Constitutional, Provincial, or Peace party ; and the [Revolutionary, ' Despotic, War party. Fortunately for the country* the Constitutional party prevailed by a majority of eleven. In consequence of the' subsequent defection of what was termed the Canterbury Cave, that majority j dwindled down to three or four. You will j therefore see that it was a pretty heavy struggle for the new Government to maintain its ground throughout the session. However, keep its ground it did, for which the colony id largely indebted to the' unanimity which distinguished the Otago members, of whom twelve sailed in the same' boat. Gentlemen, there have been 112' Acts of Parliament upon various subiectß before the House during the session, seventy-three of which have become lawj besides any amount of. resolutions. But after all, the greatest event of the seßßion, and that which will publicly exercise moat influence upon the destiny of the colony, Was the breaking up of the Stafford Ministry. If I was asked, what has the colony gained by the substitution of the Fox Ministry for that of Mr Stafford? I should reply, "much every way." It has gained peace instead of war, in as far as the action and , polioy of the new Government are concerned. Instead of a daily increasing breach between the colony and the Imperial Government it has substituted friendly relations. Instead of a standing army of 3000 men, with colonels and captains and majors without] number, costing the colony at the rate of Ll5O per year per man, it has substituted an Imperial regiment at a cost of somewhere about L4O per man, , and an armed constabulary of 600 to 800 men. Altogether the saving to the colony may be reckoned at L 250,000. Instead of sowing broadcast throughout the colony the seeds of disaffection towards existing institutions, fostering a spirit of political discontent, bent upon establishing one central despotic power under the guise of protecting outlying districts, it has substituted a Government which is bent, as much aa possible, upon leaving the people throughout the various provinces to themselves, to work out their destiny in their own way, —(A Voice : They did not do that in respect to the Bill that waa passed during tbe last session. ) Instead of j expending hundreds of thousands of pounds of the people's money without their consent, the change of government has given us the assurance that no money shall be spent without their approbation, and that should any emergency arise requiring more money than has been already voted the representatives of tho people will be at once called together. Gentlemen, it appears to me that these are no small objects which the colony has gained from the change of Government, advantages in whioh Otago, aa an important section of this colony, largely participates. The direct pecuniary gain which has resulted to this province is also somewhat considerable We have secured tho refund of our accumulated sinking fund, at least of that portion of it which represents or has arisen in respect of the converted portion of the loan, amounting to somewhere, I expect, about L 40,000, not one sixpence of which would this province ever nave fingered under the Stafford rdgime. The provinco is also enabled to overdraw its Bank account to the extent of one fifth of its previous year's income, t. c. , the pastoral rents which are not payable till the Ist of October may bo expeuded in anticipation. We have also obtained Crown Grants for tho University of Otago of 100,000 acres pasture land by way of ondowmont, which it is very doubtful wo could have procured had tho late Government been in power, bont as they were to have tho endowment conferred upon a New Zealand Unjvorsity somewhere about Cook Strait. Tho groat feature in the policy of tho present «s compared with the lato Government is, that thore are to bo no further loans for offensive war purposes. If any more loans aro needed for the subjocMon of tho Maori rsco, the proceeds aro to bo oxpendod, not on gunpowder, but on roads and bridges, and in tho prosoontion of pnblio works in tho North Island—such loans to be oharged against tho particular locality in which the money shall be expended. And in order that thore may bo no possibility of the allocation being shifted on to the shoulders of the Middle Island by a subsequent Aot of the Assembly—as was onoe don* before — it is proposed to secure the allocation by on Imperial Act. Suoh, gentlemen, area few of the results which have boon atItainsd by the advont of tho present Miniitry—wsulU whioh, to ray amd, amply wwnnl tho lopport whioh I hire gift a

ing yo,u A , were,!, ,t£, $c ( tdit ( the subjects'' which 'have ""occupied the attention..of, the, -Assembly.-, I, shall, .only ,very- briefly ,allude ,t& &• few..,, °* them in whioh you may >be supipoaed to bß,much - interested. First, I. shall allude to the question of an* import duty on cereals. I. gave notice' of a motion on this subject, which, at the request of the Government, I withdrew 'in favour of a similar notice by the Commissioner of Customs, whose province it was to move in the matter rather than a private member. The motion was lost by a majority of three. 1 feel assured, however, that it is a mere question of time, and that public opinion is fast progressing towards protecting native industries. Although I have always upheld the principle of Free Trade, and believe still that this is the true policy which should regulate ' the commercial intercourse of nations, ' still I am inclined to think that the circumstances of young countries do not admit of Free Trade doctrines being carried out in their entirety. In the Australian Colonies, the United States, and British North America, there is a duty on cereals, whether for protection principles or principles of revenue, I know not, and I do not see why New Zealand should be the solitary exception. lam happy to say, that I this session succeeded in carrying the West Coast Settlement Bill, which was thrown out last year by the Legislative Council. Under this Bill T hope to be able to form two flourishing settlements on the .West Coast of this province. I also carried a motion for the abolition of Steam Postal Subsidies, both intercolonial and interprpvincial, at the expiry of existing contracts, and for subsidising a line of steamers between San Francisco and New Zealand, calling at Tahiti. Should this line succeed, it will bring us thirteen days nearer England than at present, in which cose our contribution to the Suez line would ce*se. Another Bill which I managed to carry through the House of Eepresentatives was the Otago Loan Bill, enabling the Province to borrow L 50,000 for certain purposes, amongst others, for the endowment of a Olutha Kiver Trust, LSOOO. The Bill, however, I regret to say, was thrown out by the Legislative Council, which seemed to have a peculiar down upon Otago. It is somewhat pitiable to see the rejoicing which seems to animate some of those who represent public opinion over the loss of this Bill. From the circumstance that L4OOO a year, for 27 years, was to be set aside out of the pastoral rents, as interest and redemption of the debt, it has been alleged that the Bill was another blow at tho Hundreds system — another dodge on the part of the squatters to secure possession of their runs for all time. Really one has no patience with such wretched twaddle, and might well' exclaim, "Oh, judgment, thou hast fled to brutish beasts, and men have lost their reason. " Why, it might as well be said that the guarantee on the Clutha railway is a blow at the Hundreds system, inasmuch as the whole revenue of the province—pastoral rents and all — will be plodged to guarantee the interest. If people would only take the trouble to read the Land Act for themselves, instead of listening to the leading artioles of a class of newspapers which could not exist without something sensational, they would see a provision by which the land could have boon taken up at any time on giving twelve months' notice. This clatis.o was inserted for the express purpose of enabling tho loan to be converted into the colonial loan which is certain to be authorised, probably .next session, for Provincial public works. Another most important measure which' was introduced and passed was the Government Annuities Aot. This Act enables the Govornmont to grant annuities and carry on tho business of lifo assuranco. Tho importance of tho measure it is difficult to overestimate. It would tend to foster provident habits and prudent forethought in the best of all securities, viz., that of tho State, nnd place tho public treasury J largely in funds. I boliovo that tho tnoa- ! sure will immortAliso its author in tho history of Now Zealand. Gentlomon, I ahull now conclude, as doubtless many aro desirous of putting questions to mo, which I shall endeavour to answor to tho boat oJ my utility. I will only add that J havo ondeavourod, as your representative, to aot to tho best of my judgraeut for tho promotion of tha gonoro) intoront And the most satisfactory ovidonce to my own mind that I havo done right is that, had I tho SQAiion to go over again, I do not know thai thero is one vote whioh I would giro differently. Tho schooling of tho Bruoo Standard and Harold have had bat little effeot upon my mind ; for, after all, the ! writers who sot themselves up ia those, luminaries as public censors aro but mon ! of like passions with ourselves j, arid, probably, wore they known, it injght be found that ov©» ray hurabio political experienoe and sagacity might be deemed notgmUyinlariortothoirV At all •rent*

tEey "may" defend! upon, it that iihaffT f,, sacrifice, f my . psn' . cd¥vl#i6ftY'af ' vrh&H is' bes ; t,, ty anjr consideration, either "of ambition] or of Belf-interest. 'If, the electors of' Ciutha are ofo the^same . opinion as .the, newspaper editors .to whom;, I have referred— viz., ;that I have sold them, aud am unworthy of their con- . fidence— all 1 can Bay ia that lam sorry for it, and shall of course submit as many a better man as done before me ; proud, however, in the consciousness that I have acted for the best, and that the future will do me justice. Gentlemen, much as I shall regret the untimely termination which threatens a political connection of long standing, I _ shall always cherish a grateful recollection o£ the past, and it will be some satisfaction for me to know that should I be ambitious of a seat in the New Zealand Parliament, which I am not, there are other constituencies ready to , avail themselves of my services; indeed I may Bay that since the' "No Confidence" resolution which was passed, and by which I was condemned without a hearing, I have been offered a seat elsewhere. But, gentlemen, I don't believe that the majority of the electors of Olutha desire to throw me overboard during the remaining session of this Parliament, at all eventß.— (Applause, and a Voice : We will see about that presently.) At all events, 1 may say that my ambition is made of sterner stuff thaa to take that for granted without some farther evidence than I as yet am possessed of., lam aware that for a number of years past there has been a small coterie who would cut my throat, politically speaking. I have many other, friends, and when I find that it is the wish of the majority that I should retire 1 shall do so. Gentlemen, I thank you for giving me so patient a hearing, and am now ready to answer any questions. — (Applause). The Chairman remarked that before any questions were asked, he desired to remind the meeting of the distinction to which Mr Macandrew had drawn attention as between his position as a representative of the Clutha district in the House of Representatives, and his position aa Superintendent of the Province. He trusted that in putting questions, gentlemen would keep that distinction mmmd. Mr Jenkinson : Are the squatters who have leases of land outside gold fields entitled to the same remuneration as those who have leases of land inside gold fields ? Mr Maoandrew : Yes ; there is no distinction under this Act. I have always thought it unfair that there should be that distinction, and that is one satisfactory feature of the Aot that it hag abolished thai distinction. Mr Jsnkinson : How do you reconcile the statement that yon are an out and out pro* vincialisr, when tho Provincial Council agreed to recommend certain Hundreds Regulation* and yon opposed the recommendation, in the General Assembly ? Mr Macandkew : I am not aware of any resolution of the Provincial Counoil that I opposed in the General Assembly. The Provmoial Counoil passed resolutions which recommended the proclamation of now Hundreds, whioh I supported. That ia the only resolution I know anything about. There is no resolution that I ever received bearing upon the subject which was opposed by me in the General Assembly. Mr Jknkinson : Was the 6s an acre given to the sqnatters who had given up a portion of their land? Mr Macajoxrkw : Within gold fields as high as 6a per aore has been given ; 4s has been the average for blocks of land within the goldfield* for agricultural purpose*. There has been a number of blocks Arranged for daring the last IS months within the terms of the Go'dfields Act, whioh provides that, with regard to tana taken in blooks, ths> compensation is to be fixed by arbitration. Thore is no limit fixed. The arbitrators are to be guided by equity and good conooicnoe. Wo fonnd it better to arrange with runhoUlon privately than to go to arbitration. Mr Jbnkinsqn : Why cud you support the. Ss6d\ Mr Macavdrkw : I conceive that the nra« holder within goldfioldo will bo a great lnaor by tbe arrangement of 2s 6d per. acre, inasmuch as he hna b«on hithorto. receiving 4«> and as low as 2t 6d, if a poriioa of the run is taken ; whortias in this oaeo he cannot receive more than 2s Cd i! a portion of th* run is taken, and Is 6d if the whole ran i» taken, and ho may notroooivo Is or oven 6d j it all depends upon the extent of bis lease, tho nature of tho run, and tho loss to which ho will be subjeoted. It does not follow that tho maximum is to ho paid, but tuort aro certain oxtremo oases in whioh tho mudmum will not bo adequate compensation, Mr JKNKitiflOX : Did you at tho nwotfnj of tho Otago mombors, when tho $a <d wa* agreed upon, uso your influence fa hay» tho turn fixed bolowttut figure Mr Macandrkw : No, | agreed to that flguro, wliioh was a cowpromU*. aud, i&-fnct r a largo majority agreed to it Tho proposals ranged from \s 6d to 7« Od. I sgroed to the/ 3t Od beoaqse 1 think thero ore oasss ia whioh, it Is not an adequate oorapensabioa, \do aot say so as a rulo. As a rule, pro* oably thsy may not cot more than Is. An EuteiOß t U ft tru« thai, as reported in Hansard, you said that the Bill did not alter sxistiog regulations ? Mr Maoakdhiw t Yes. An Ilxctor t Ar« you of the mum opioloa, itiU? %

Mr Maoandrew : KMX M : ■ „ < t*i . An Elector : Did thedesirablity of fixing a maximum compensation ' for improvements as -well as a maximum aoireage compensation strike you? • ' . Mr Maoandrbw : I do not ace now it would be possible to fix a maximum compensation for improvements. . It is practically impossible to go so. An Electors Are you aware, that Mr Vogel introduce! resolutions altering the principle in the runholders' leases, and that they were rejected ? Mr Maoandrew was understood to say that he was not aware of it. Ca'pt. Mackenzie : Are you aware that the pastoral tenants— l do not mean those persons representing constituencies— asabody exercised any influence with the General Assembly in regard to this obnoxious Bill ' Mr Macandrew : I am not aware that the pastoral tenants of Otago exercised any influence. 1 believe that the petition from the Clutha district exercised as much influence as anything. I feel particularly confident that had I opposed tho second reading of the Bill, it would have been passed as originally introduced by the Government on the recommendations of the Waste Lands Committee, in spite of my opposition, and those who might have supported me. „.,,. Capt. Mackenzie : Did you consider that, in consequence of the General Assembly having passed this Bill, the pastoral tenants of Otaao are justly branded as Ishmaelitea ? An Elector : That is not a proper quesMr Maoandrew : I don't think it is. An Elector : Why did you support the BUI? _ . . ... MrMAOANDBEw: I supported ifcbeoause I knew it would be passed whether I supported it or not, and that it would be passed in a very objectionable shape if I did not support it. My objeot in doing so was to enable me to amend it. Ido not know whether you can understand that, but in connection with politics you 'can accomplish a good deal as a friend whioh you could not do as an enemy. An Elector : Would you vote for the repeal of tho Bill next session ? Mr Maoandrew : I am not prepared at the present time to say whether I would do anything of the sort. But if I find that practically the Bill is a failure, I may vote against it. I should, however, like to give the Bill a fair trial Mr Johnston : Did you approve of limiting the extent of the Hundreds to 15,000 acres? Mr Macandbew : Yes, I approved of that. I believe it was the limit approved of in the Provincial Counoil. Mr Gillies gave me^hat idea. He said, I believe, that 15,000 acres should be the maximum quantity. There is no limit. After a Hundred is proclaimed you may declare other 15,000 or 1,000 acres. Mr Johnston : What ia your opinion as to the small Hundreds ? ...... .. Mr M>aoandrbw : I think that the small Hundreds would be more manageable than the large Hundreds. Mr Johnston : Are you m favour of declaring that the half should bo agricultural MrMACANDREW: That is a matter Ithink to be very immaterial whether it should be one- half or one-third ; practically, I believe that most of the l*nd here is considered agricultural. If the arbitrators appoiated be Wellington men, no doubt tho too of Maungatua will be deemed agricultural land, i.e., looking at tho matter from a Wellington point of view. They would have no interest fn the province, and their ideas of agricultural land »re undoubtedly very different from ours. An Elector : It baa been doolared that it was designed to take tho management and declaration of Hundreds out of the hands of the Executive, and place it in the hands of the Superintendent. Must the Superintendent aot upon the advice of his Executive, or upon his own responsibility ? Mr Macandmw : Most certainly upon the advioe of tho Provincial Council. The Superintendent cannot recommend any new Hundred without the advioe and consent of rho Exeoutivo Uouuoil, as representing the Provincial Council. Mr Johnston : Is that stated in tho Aot ? Mr Macvnwmsw: It is implied in tho Waste Lands Act of 1800. Tho word Superintendent is used as representing tho Provincial Counoil. Ho novor aots on his own respontibility in a matter of that kind. Mr Johnkton : Doos tho Act giro moro or loss power in regard to tho declaration of Hundreds to tho General Government ? Mr Macandkkw : I>sa power. Mr Johnston : In what respect ? Mr Macanohbw : It gives loss power, booauae it takna away all discretion from thorn. Hitherto, wo found consider tblo difficulty in getting Hundred* proclaimed. This Act providos suat Hundreds must bo proolaimod within six months. An ELKCTon : Do yon approvo of tho p*ymout of compensation direotby tho Governor ■without rofcrenoo to tho Provincial Treasury ? Mr Macaniwrw : Tho revenue first goes into tho hands of tho Governor, bofor* it row into the Provincial Treasury. Xt it an broad as it it long. tn answer to another question Mr Macam>bkw said : We are not handina mythlnß over to tho GenerM Government more Own they had boforo. We are rather tying them down. Ido not want to evade any question . There has been a great amount of misapprehension in the minds of roany perlions in wgwd to thU rarttor, and I with to give v full *n explanation as possible, in order that all mUunderstandiDg* may be clUpelltd, NrJonnmrt Had ih» Sttpwinteadeot,

[under tW Act of 18i36, power to debl&e* fo 'declare a Hundred after having recommended it?; "'.',' ' \ - Mr Macandrevt : There is no specific rule which prevents him deolining or withdrawing any recommendation.' • ■■ ■ Mr Johnston : Did you 1 approve of that part of the Act -which was not read tonight, and which gives the Superintendent power to decline ? Mr Maoandrbw : I think it is a very valuable clause. It is as,f ollows ,:— " When such award has been made if the Superintendent of the Province of Otago shall within three months elect to abandon the proclamation of such Hundred it shall be lawful for him to signify such election to the Governor in writing and thereupon no part of the said district shall be proclaimed a Hundred except after fresh proceedings for that purpose taken under this Aot and the right of every holder of a lease within the district to compensation in iespeot to the proposed proclamation and under any agreement or award made in contemplation of suca proclamation shall absolutely cease, Provided always that if any award made in contemplation of such proclamation it shall appear that the holder of a lease as aforesaid is entitled to payment of any sum of money on account of costs charges or expenses inonrred by him in and about the arbitration aforesaid his right to payment of such sum shall not cease by reason of the abandonment of the proclamation but such sum Bhall be paid to him in the same manner as if the proclamation had been made." The words do not refer to the Superintendent individually, but to him as the mouthpiece of the Provincial Counoil, — a party through whom the Provincial Council communicates officially with the Governor; and the object of this clause is to enable the withdrawal from an award, if considered extortionate. Mr Johnston • Supposing that the Superintendent was personally opposed to the proclamation of a particular Hundred, could he, by the Aot, put it off indefinitely ? Mr Maoandrtsw : The Superintendent must be guided by the Executive Council — unfortunately, perhaps, sometimes. — (Laughter.) An Elector : Who appoints the Commissioners ? Mr Maoandrew : The Governor. An Elector : With the advioe and consent — Mr Macandrew : Of his Executive Council. Mr Jbnkinson : If you had been present when the Bill was introduced to reunite Southland and Otago would you have voted for it, and, if you had voted for it, don't you connider it would have been an injury to the Province of Otago to take a province in hand that was bankrupt ? Mr Macandrew : I was sorry that I had left Wellington when the Bill was brought in. I have not seen the Bill for the reunion of the two provinces. It was not printed when I left Wellington. Tho Bdl is a permissive Bill, as I understand, not an imperative Bill, but ono to savo time, and to enable the two provinces, through their respective Provincial Councils, if they could arrange, to unite. If I had been in Wellington at the timo I should have supported the Bill, beoause, in every respect, I think it is desirable that tho two provinces should be united. I believe the province of Southland haß yet an estate whion under judicious management is quite capable of meeting its obligations. The political and economical advantages of uniting them is ohvious. It would bo the first step towards one province in tho Middle Island, and would no doubt lend to the annexation of a part of Canterbury in the first instance and ultimately of Canterbury, Nolaon, and Westland. With regard to this debt, whioh is a colonial obligation— assuming it will bo a loss to the colony, whioh Ido not believe— this province is responsible for a great portion of it, for really Otago is to a great extent, the colony.— (Applause »nd laughter. ) I wish it to bo distinctly understood that this Bill was merely a permissive Bill, and no action could take place without the concurrence of tho people of both provinces, and thero was a olause I believe that left the provisions of the land regulations intaot. However, I have not consulted sho Bill sufficiently, and oannot therefore apoak with certainty about it. Mr Jemunson : Is any progress being made towards the accomplishment of a railway between here and Duuediut— (A. laugh.)

Mr Macandiikw : Gentlemen may laugh, but it is no fault of mino that tho railway h*s not born proceeded with boforo vow. I have been a pnrty to the expenditure of a considerable sum of money to get it done, bnt 1 was not in a position to ovoroomo legal difficulties that atood in tho way. Thoy are now being ovcroomo. Had tho question not boon nakort me, I do not think I should have i alluded to the subject, becauao tboro havo been to many promises made, and so many slips between tho oup and tho lip, that I wished to soe tomo actual pro«roM boforo I announced it. But tho reason wo did not aucoeod boforo undor Mr Young's minion was beoftuto ho could not got % contractor in England to toko tho contract within tho limit of L 400.000, whioh v tho limit wo wore entitled to gwranteo interest upon ; and subsequently wo found that tho railway could be made here, without going to England, for lots thin L 400.000, provided we could guarantee interest upon the borrowed capital. i A private individual offcmi to advanoo the money to tho Government ; but unfortu. natoly, tho Government could not dew with him, becauit tho Uw provido* Uml il shall be by a private company only. An OrdUumoe was patted which, on. abM tfc* ialtml to b* p*id on eftpiUl,

Whether, paid tip or borrowed, I trust arranger mentis now being made will soon come to a head. last night, ' just fts I was leaving my office; I received a letter from parties in Melbourne; offering to' lend 1 the money, on conditions to be prescribed by the Government. The Government is now engaged preparing' the conditions on which it will give the guarantee. lam glad this, question has been put, because it is of far more im. portance than the Hundreds Regulation Act. I had hoped (that my tenure of office would have been distinguished bjr the commencement of the line, and lam in hopeß it will be so still. I intend to cast my political life upon the chance, and run the hazard of the die on the subject. An Elector : What were your reasons for agreeing to the pledging of the security of the pastoral rents for L 5.0.000 ? Mr Macandrew : Simply because I cou'd not get the Bill passed otherwise. It was either that or nothing. An Elector s You will mortgage L 56.000 a year. , Mr Maoandrew : No; only 14000 a year. The sum to bo paid over to trustees is L4OOO a year out of the pastoral rents as security. An Elector : What security was there that the money would be paid ? Mr Maoandrbw : The security of the Government, who receive tho pastoral rents, and who of course will take oare that the J money is paid over before the province gats j its portion. I may say that I think the future difficulty will be to restrain the bor- 1 rowing propensities of the colony. I believe that we are getting into a reckless system of borrowing. The one extreme is as bad as the other, and leads to the other. Mr J. H. Jbnkinson said he must confess that he came to the meeting with a feeling adverse to Mr Macandrew's general policy, more particularly in connection with the Ofcago Hundred* Regulation Bill. He thought, however, that he had given fair and' satisfactory reasons for acting as he had done. He therefore begged to move the following motion: — "That the thanks of this meeting are due to our representative for his elaborate and satisfactory explanation of his conduot in the Houso o£ Representatives. "— ( Applause. ) Mr Robson moved as an amendment, 44 That in consequenoe of Mr Maoandrew's conduot in connection with the Ofcago Hundreds Regulation Act, this meeting is of opinion he should withdraw from the representation of tho district." The original motion was carried on a show of hands by about 40 to 18. Mr Macandrew said he felt obliged to the meeting for the vote they had passed in his favour. 16 was a source of satisfaction to him, and he must say he was sorry he should have given bis old friend, Mr Robson, diesatisfaction. He could only say that he would not like to represent the district another day, if he thought Mr Robson's feeling was participatedinbythegeneral body of the electors. As a role, he would prefer to soe the district represented ty a local member, and he must confess that he looked forward to retiring from the district on that ground. There were many men nmongat them competent and qualified to represent them. However, in the meantime, unless ne found that Mr Robson's opinions were more largely participated in than they at present appeared to be, he should endeavour to attend tho next session of the Genoral Assembly. They might readily conceive that it was little benefit for a man of regular habits like himself to aifc up till three o'clock in the morning.— (Laughter.) He again begged to thank them, and to say that so long as ho represented the district, it would be his endeavour to command the confidence of those who had confidence in him. He begged to olobo tho proceedings by proposing a vote of thanks to tho Chairman. — (Applause.) The motion was unanimously agreed to, and The mooting then separated.