TRADE DEMONSTRATION. MONSTER MEETING.

Otago Witness, Issue 1341, 11 August 1877, Page 5

TRADE DEMONSTRATION. MONSTER MEETING.

For some tune past, considerable degression nas existed in the iron and kindred trades— a depression shared in, though to a lesser degree, by various other classes of artizans. Overtures were made to ' the Government unsuccessfully to have the railway, bridge, and other plant manufactured in the Colony, and so give employment to those whom it was alleged were induced to come to our shores upon unfair representations. The Amalgamated Ironworkers* Association, one of the oldest trade societies in Otago, took the initiatory step, being the most directly interested, and determined to have their wants brought before the House of Assembly in an unmistakeable manHer. They therefore convened a meeting of the working classes about a fortnight ago, and drew 'up a penes of resolutions affirming the desirability of menufacturing the rolling and other- stock in tbe Colony, which were carried, and afterwards forwarded to Mr A. J. Burns, member for Roslyn. To strengthen his hands, and at the same time enlist sympathy with their cause, the idea was happily conceived of making a demonstration of working men of all branches of trade, to take form of a torchlight procession, and afterwards to pass a series of resolutions setting forth their desires, to be forwarded to the Hon. Minister for Public Works and the members for Dunedin and suburbs, •ad requesting their co-operation. Saturday evening last was appointed for the Demonstration, and a finer night for such a purposq^oaW nothavebeenselected. The procession was toformatthe Central FireßrigadeStation at 6.3o,'but long before that hour the various trades had assembled at the places appointed for them to rendezvous — the ironworkers at the Brigade Station, tailors at the Douglas Hotel, labourers at the Cargill Monument, Ot&go Typographical Association at Sibbald's Hotel, carpenters at the Athenaeum, bricklayers, plasterers, and bootmakers at the Glasgow Pie House, painters at the Temperance Hall, and tanners and curriert at the Post Office. Proceeding by various routes, they assembled at the Central Brigade Station, taking up the several positions •esigned to them. A large number of torches were served out, and on the arrival of the 6.40 train a contingent about 300 strong from Port Chalmers joined the ranks, and the procession commenced its march in the following order : — The Caledonian Band, playing an inspiriting air ; ironworkers, to the number of 400, with flags and banners — one bearing the motto 'Encourage Local Industry"— models of steamengines and steamers hope aloft, and a quartz crushing battery. A striking feature here was a lorrie drawn by two horses, on which was a forge with several men engaged riveting a boiler, the bright sparks flying at every blow of the hammers' producing a capital effect. An•ther waggon from Messrs Tteid and Gray's establishment, tastefully decorated with evergreens and Chinese lanterns, contained a double furrow plough and a chaff-cutter,- emblems of the enterprise and energy of that firm, and indicative' of the. .manufacturing resources of Otago. The brass, copper, and lead workers, also bore evidences of their handiwork in the shape, of copper pumps, brass roller-skates, and •ther ' articles. Next in order were the labouren, followed by the Otago Typographical Association, over 100 strong, bearing a very handsome silk banner with the inscription "Associated to'protectour rights, notto infringe uponthoseof others," the words "Industry, -Justice, Unity, Iriendship," being in the corners." Then came the carpenters and joiners (including all wood-wdrkers), a drum and fife band, bricklayers and plasterers, bootmakers, 150 in number, with': two/ banners having inscribed upon them ..respectively ••Unity is strength," and .United we stand, divided we falL" These were followed by the painters, tanner 3 and cur-rie»,-the latter having for their motto " United to benefit, combined cot to injure ;"' the tradesmen from Port Chalmers being next, the general, public bringing up the rear. Although; it was impossible to ascertain the. exact numbers, there could not have been less than, JLsoo trade representatives in the procession.' ," At the corner of Princes street there must have beeti two or three thousand spectators. Tbe entire route was densely thronged with 'peoplej and nearly every window commanding anything like a good view of the procession was occupied by the fair sex. Prom, the Working Men'a Club a number of banners and flags were carried over the street, and on reaohing this point the processionists were greeted with cheers, which were returned with heartiness. From the rising ground in the Octagon, a' better view could be obtained than at any point on the' line of inarch, and here, as might' be expected, a vast concourse of people had assembled. And, indeed, ip wa3 worth a little discomfort to witness the living panorama winding its' way round the lower side of the Octagon. The lurid glare of the torches, combined with the brighter hues of the coloured fires, which lit up the whole place, and rendered every outline distinct, the shrill shriek of the fife, the rumbling of the drums, waving ot flags and banners, produced a most animated yet earnest^ scene, such as has never been witnessed before in Dunedin, and seldom, we make bold to say, in the Colonies. Opposite Moray place the Operative Tailors joined in, having with them a handsome banner of blue silk, bearing a representation of Adam and Eve on the one side, with Genesis c. iiL v. 7. at the bottom, andthe^Lamb" on the reverse. Proceeding down jflßorge street, the demonstrationists turned »is> Frederick street, went along Great King street, up Hanover street, back to George street, and into Prince 3 street, arriving at Messrs Guthrie and Larnach's yard shortly after eight o'clock. The utmost good order prevailed throughout.

THE PUBLIC MEETING. The public meeting was held in the arcade of Messrs Guthrie and Larnach's building. The place was crowded, and there could not have been less than 30C0 people present. The chair was taken by The Maxor (Mr P*. H. Leary), who said : I appear here to-night in my official capacity to preside on the present occasion, because I belieye that the (sympathies of the citizens of Dunedin are entirely with, this movement. Personally, I take great pleasure in presiding, because my own -sympathies .are heartily in Accordance with this movement also. I trust to night you will not in any resolution which you will pass, or in the speeches made to you, endeavour to overstep the mark. It will be a grave mistake, in my opinion, if you make any attempt to affirm the principle "of protection, because if you do you will raise a powerful opposition against you. [A Voice :No fear.] I suggest to you that you should point out to c y?vernment that there is a large number of skilled workmen in this place in want of labour, and that there is plenty of work for them to do ; and that instead of sending Home the money to purchase manufactured goods, they should give the work to the people here, and Keep the money in the country.—(Applause.) Gentlemen, though we may be able to get railway carriages and various other things cheaper from the Home country, yet you know well that it is not always the thing which costs least which is the cheapest. lam pretty well convinced, having spoken to people capable of expressing an opinion in reference to

these railway carriages, that though they may be imported cheaper, they are far inferior to those which can be manufactured here. Though the carriages made here cost more, they are cheaper at the money than the " rattle traps " imported from the Old Country. Ido not intend to take the wind out of the sails of the speakers who come after me, and it is my duty to preserve order ; so I will not say more, except this : that 1 trust this evening the language of the speakers will be temperate and respectful, and also that any repressntation made to the Government will be made in respectful language, because if you go about it in that way, you are more likely to get what you are aiming at than if you adopted any other way. I may state that Mr Eeeves, the late Mayor of this city, is now in Wellington as a delegate from tbe City Council, and before leaving he wrote me a letter to the effect that his sympathies are entirely with the object of this meeting, and if he can, while in Wellington, forward your views, he will be moat happy to do so. So we have a friend upon the spot who will endeavour as far as possible to give effect to the views you express this evening. I have been requested to ask you will observe that smoking does not take place here during the meeting, for as Messrs Wuthrie and Larnach have placed this handsome building at our disposal, we should not endanger the property in any way. I will now call upon Mr Dungan to propose the first resolution.

Mr Dungan : Mr Chairman and Gentlemen : I wish that some person more capable of speaking to this important resolution had been chosen to propose it. It is fortunately of such a character that it does not require much said t© recommend itself to your approval. The resolution is as follows: — "That the system adopted by the Government of importing the manufactured material required for public works is not only injurious to a number of aitisans at present idle in New Zealand, but is 'detrimental to the interests of the country at large." Some time ago an order was sent Home for the manufacture of the great crane at Oamaru, and was refused on account of its importance. That order was afterwards carried out by_ Messrs Keid and Gray, of this city. That is proof positive that undertakings of a first-class character can be carried out in this colony. That the system adopted by the Government is •' detrimental to the colony at large," must be patent to everyone. The funds of the colony have been expended in bringing out immigrants to the plaoe, and if these oannot obtain labour, they must beoome a burden, and will have the effect of increasing the amount of taxation. I may tell you that I stand here as the representative of the Typographical Association, which feels bound to support this movement for two reasons. The first is, they con. sider it their duty to assist everyone fighting for their legitimate rights. That is the primary motive. The second is, that they, as well as othei tradesmen, aro interested m this movement, for, with regard to the printing profes aion, it is well known that tons of telegraphic forms have been imported to the colony. No one who lus seen these forms will be well pleased with the .surface of them. They are enough to make people's temper as rough as the surface of the paper upon which they write. Tons of them which have been imported could be as well done in the colony. So, viewing the matter in a selfish light, it comes home to everyone. # As there are several speakers well up in the. iron trade to address you, I will not ■detain you longer, but will move the resolution which has been placed in my hands. Mr Chandler: This gathering is not only a ■complimsnt to your Committee, but it is also proof positive that the issues are very large j that our movement is a good one ; and that it is the unmistakeable determination of the workmen of Dunedin to obtain what every man has j a right to^pbtjain, and to stop that insane policy of the Government of importing everything which can be manufactured here. We believe that there is a time when it is base to suffer ■when we ought to act ; -to bite the dust when we ought to stand erect as men ; to positively submit when our rights should not only be heard, but felt by our Government.— (Cheers.) We believe that that time is the present. Upon all sides we hear of distress and poverty, and of vast numbers of men being out of employment. And not only that, but we believe that there are hundreds of men who are now in want, but who ate manfully trying to keep their distress hid from the world. Tins slackness of work is not confined to Dunedin alone, but from every centre of population we hear the same state of a burdened labour market, of deputations waiting upon the Mayors of the different cities or upon the agents of the Government, asking for employment. _ We submit that the movement we have now in hand ia the right step to take to bring about a remedy for these things. But the Evening Star, or the editor of thai »tar, says that is entirely our own fault, as no inducement was held out to mechanics, except country mechanics, to come here, and that as we have made our own bed we must lie upon it. I do not think that the editor of the Star can haveread that wonderful compilation "The Official Handbook of New Zealand," or can have known what was said by the apostle of Glasgow or the ploughman Holloway, who finds that it pays better to get immigrauts at so much a head than to follow the plough. He says that instances have come under his knowledge where the Whitechapel tailor ha 3 come out for a ploughman. I question that, for I think that the Whitechapei bird is too smart for that. He might come out as a newspaper correspondent, or as an editor, but he would not come as a ploughman. It is a pity that the editor did not keep back one of these Whitechapel tailors, a3 he would have been worth a mint of money to Barnum, and the Government would have knighted him for the production of so useful a subject for our lunacy conductors. Hewouldalso be useful to evolutionary mends, who would be able to prove from him that there was a little of the ape left in man yet. We have been told that all the mechanics, except country mechanics, have come out here under false pretences and representations. But every one knows that under the immigration system, the agent demands that the applicant shall furnish certificates stating his name and occupation, where last employed, and how long employed, also certificates from his employers and from two respectable householders as to his character, so not .only would a man who came out under false pretences have to give a false statement concerning himself, but he would have to gee his employer and two householders to act with him in the conspiracy, or else to forge their signatures. I contend that that is unlikely that such a case has occurred. Perhaps there nave been one or two, but they are the exceptions, not the rule. For a tailor to leave a large manufacturing city and constant employment, to break up the associations of home and kindred, and to come to a country where there was but the slightest probability of getting employment at his own trade, and where there was nothing for him but the plough and pick and shovel work, of which he was entirely ignorant and incapable, was worthy of a madman, but not of a rational being. It would be far better for the Star, iustead of tiying- to whitewash these agents to say something like this: " By whatever means the men have been induced to ccme here, now that they are here let us givo them employment. For though the manufacture of rolling atock may cost ien per cent, jnore than getting it from Home, let them

have it by all means, for if they cannot get employment they will go elsewhere. Because by doing this, th 6 money that would otherwisa be sent away will be kept in circulation here, and the Colony at large will be benefited thereby." We believe that the system is a rotten one, and as I heard a. gentleman in Dunedin say the other day the only persons who would suffer by the change were tue nephews, uncles, and sons-in-law who receive such nice commissions. We believe that every country must depend upon its own resources, whether material, or men, or whatever it may be. We say that it is ridiculous to send 3ome for such work when a great part of it can be manufactured here. If the present Ministry will not remedy this matter, perhaps the working men of New Zealand will put in one that will. It •was said by the great Augustus that he found Rome a city of brick and that he left it one of marble. We would say to our statesmen, "Woik iip the resources which you have, and thpn you will be able to say that you found New Zealand a desert, but that you left it not a sheeprun, but a large manufacturing go-a heao. country, possessing a happy and contented people, manufacturing their own work, and perhaps exporting their goods to other countries. We contend that our movement is the one which is needed, and we expect that the workmen in the other large towns will take up the same stand, and we hope that the time will come before long when our employers will have to extend their premises, and erect new and larger machinery, and that we will see every workman in Dunedin at present, and those who will come after them, fully employed, and contented with the Colony in which they live. I now second the resolution.— (Cheers). The motion was then put and carried unanimously. The Chairman : The second resolution will be proposed by Mr Hogg, President of the lailors' Society. Mr Hogg : Mr Mayor and fellow-colonists, it has devolved upon me the request that I should propose the second resolution to be submitted to you this evening, and I can assure you that it gives me much pleasure in coming forward to do so.— (Applause.) The time has arrived when the residents of this city will show that the state of things at present existing in the city shall be ohanged. A gentleman the other evening said there was not so much distress for want of employment in this city. If be is present, I should like to see him come forward. Taking him as one of our representatives, I say, " Save me from my friends ! " Mr Fish, in his speech at the Temperance Hall the other night, said there was not such a bad state of affairs in this Province, and that things were not so bad as they are represented. I make •bold to dispute that statement with him. I have been— and lam proud to say it—Secretary to the Society of tho trade to which I belong for 10 years. At all events, it was initiated in 1865, since I arrived in this city, and with the exception of about twelve months, I have been continually its secretary. In 1 the course of my correspondence and communications with the members of my Society and the trade, I think I can speak with some degree of truthfulness as regards their prosperity in every branoh of the trade, and I thinfc I can give some idea of the cause of the poverty of trade in that particular branch. I think there is a cause for every .effect. I ask, what has caused the state of affairs we have borne for a long time ? If I had time, I might reply to that splendid leader in the Evening Star. He reports that tailors are required who can earn L 3 10s per week for this week. Now, I should like to see it, and so would a hundred men in this city. This letter was mine which was sent in reply to "Old Identity," wLo wanted to get up a testimonial to James Adam, the man who made fine promises and induced people to come here. The earnings of the tailors in Dunedin during the last eighteen months would not average 30a per week. And in the face of that, advertise ments .were sent to the British Northern Times "Tailors wanted for New. Zealand."— This, gentlemen, was stated in a Home paper that SCOO tradesmen, enumerating tailors, blacksmiths, engineers, and others, were required. Five thousand, gentlemen, and not a few. Now I think I know the writer of that article in the Star. I do not think Mr George Bell would sully his pen by writing such an article. (A Voice : He is in league with the Government.)—( Applause.) I hope not. (A Voice: He is paid for it.)— ( Applause.) There were 250 tailors in the list of immigrauts— 3o here, 11 here, 9 there, 7 there, and 8, and so on, stiE coming along. As I wrote my letter, one vessel was said to bring 11, and it was only two. There were 250 tailors and 400 shoemakers, and several thousand pairs of boots imported by the same vessel. Ido not know what they would be for, unless for the shoemakers to wear. I have been unwell for the last week, so that I have not been so active and well informed on this subject as I might have been. They used to import " thirds " clothing for the armed constabulary for the North Island, because the tradesmen could not make them here. The speaker illustrated his assertion that the Government was like an unthrifty and careless housewife, neglecting to utilise the means at home. It is the duty of the Government to spend money in the country when they can employ skilled labour here instead of sending it away. I have been told— and it is no exception I suppose— that L 20.000 or L 30,000 has recently been sent away for machinery which could have been as well suppUed here. Now, suppose this firm (Guthrie and Larnach) .having all this capital and maahinery lying idle, and then importing articles to supply the market. It wculd be the_ greatest folly. It is the same absurd idea with regard to the Government. I think the Government should be bound to assist the country and buy things in the Colony. We get sending capital out of the country. — (A Voice : Cut it short.) Those who are building fine business premises should receive encouragement from the Government, who should open up the interior, complete the chain of railways, and thereby assist our farmers to export large supplies to other countries. If the Government continue to send money away that we ought to have expended here, I do not think the country is likely to have its interests advanced. I now have much pleasure in moving — " That in the opinion of this meeting it is the duty of the Government to do all in its power to keep capital in the Colony, and that the system at present carried out —of importing that which can be manufactured here — is not the means by which that desirable object can be obtained, but a policy more likely to impoverish than to benefit the Colony.". I see by the papers that the Government want a lot of sleepers, I think that because they have got so much wood into their heads, they will want to take the contract for the sleepers themselves. — (Laughter and applause.) The Chairman : I would suggest that the mover and the intending seconder of this resolution should confine themselves to arguments in its favour. I do not think it is judi cious to say much more about the mismanagement of tho Immigration Department — (Cries of "No," and npplause.) Gentlemen, allow me to say this— l would suggest that the speakers Lo this resolution should show arguments v/hy it should be adopted. — (Applause.) Mr Bragg : On behalf of the Carpenters and Jpjn.ers J second this resolution^ became it is a

matter that affects them as much as any other trade in New Zealand. I will not weary you with a long speech. There is no doubt that we Lave men in the colony capable of manufacturing railway carriages, or doing .skilful work of almost any kind ; and there is no doubt that there is energy in the colony to have the works satisfactorily carried out. We have seen railway carriages in the Old Country, and some here. I went and inspected some carriages that had to be imported and put together here, and I came to the conclusion that I could build them cheaper than I could put them together. — (Laughter and appbuse.) It is the duty of the Government to look ahead a bit. If we look at the increasing population, we shall begin to wonder what we are going to do with our boys. (A Voice : What about the girls ?)— Laughter. We must look to the rising generation. We dont want them to be all clerks and counter-jumpers. No, we want to bring them up for the credit of the colony to develop its resources. Several speakers having to come after me, I now have much pleasure in seconding the resolution read by His Worship the Mayor.— (Applause.) The motion was put, and declared carried unanimously. Mr Moss, representative of the Engineers and Ironworkers, said : Mr Mayor and brother tradesmen, the resolution which the Committee^ hive put into my hand needs but little to be said in favour of it, in order that the truth of it may be impressed upon every man here. " I do not thiuk that we need go to the iron trade alone to prove that the rolling stock and bridge material required in New Zealand for public works need be sent Home for. I think "that every man who has eyes to see with, and ears to hear, may know that better work, as large work, and work as well finished, has been done in Dunedin and in New Zealand as has ever been brought into the Colony. The first speaker made a slight error which I wish now to correct, one of the largest jobs done in Dunedin in the iron trade, and which was referred to, was the 25 ton crane for Oamara. He said that the crane was made by Reid and Gray, but thatis not so, a3 the firm which manufactured it is the same which has since turned out the dredge Vulqan. You will agree with, me, that Messrs Kincaid and M'Queen, who came here 15 years ago as moderately poor men, have shown the Colony as]a whole and the Southern Hemisphere, that they are not backward in taking anything put into their, way. —(Cheers.) Gentlemen, in the face of the energy displayed by Messr3 Kincaid and M'Queen, by Mr Davideon, and by my friend Mr Wilson, when in business, I wonder that every right-thinking man, that we have here the energy to do the work, and the enterprise to lay out the capital in machinery. There has not been a job jet' here but the firms have had to put up the machinery to do it. But apart from what private enterprise has done, the Government has put up large plants. They have one at Hillside comparatively idle, and they hare also a large plant at the Port Chalmers Graving I) jek head,' capable of doing all the heavy forging which they have imported, yet it has lain therefor ' four years idle, and wasting. " The shop at Hillside was perhaps ostensibly for doing their own work, yet it ,is only employing about a dozen men and boys, while it should two or three hundred. I say that we have no engine running upon the New Zealand railways but we could have made here, as well as they could at Home. Of course we know what, to a great extent, is the reason of this importation. If the work were done here, there would not be so many commissions to come out of it. That is what, in Ballarat, is called "the kick."_ It is "the kick" business which uoes it._ If "the kick" business, and commissions, which are taken by hundreds of Government officials, were done away with, the heads of departments and the advisers of the Ministry are well aware that there are. energy, skilled labour, and appliances here to do the work. I contend that the resolution which I have moved requires very little to be said in support of it in order to prove to.you that it is one which we should adopt. Wecon- ' tend that we who have made the Colony our home, who have spent our money in it, and have been induced to come here, have a rigkt to demand from the Government a fair share of this work. There is another matter which I hope the reporters will take a special note of — that is, that this agitation h not one of the chronic Dunedin unemployed agitations. Thi3 agitation is a bona Jide one, and I may state that the Committee who have got it up are for the most part men in constant work. But I am sure the time has come when we who are in constant employment have a right to step forward, and demand that work be found for our brethren in the trade who have not got as good a chance as we.— (Cheers.) Yesterday, wheu in front of this mill I ?aw two of my brother tradesmen who are as well able to go into any shop and do work as I am, wielding road scrapers and scraping the road for the Corporation. If ever I felt humbled as a tradesman, I did then, for I felt my professional feelings touched, and I considered it was a clis grace to this country that it should be importing hundreds of thousands of pounds' worth of material when we have good mechanics here, and men who would take a road scraper rather than be paupers. I felt ashamed that we should live under sued a Goveroment. Ido not denounce the Government of New Zealand in this matter so much as I do that system which they hive hardly power to check— l mean the system of being ruled by the heads of permanent departments. For though the minister in Wellington is the political head, he is not the real head, but those secretaries who who have splendid salaries and who at the same time have the "kick. 51 — (Cheers.) The motion which the Committee have put into my hands 13 this:— "That in the opinion of thb meeting New Zealand can profitably manufacture the rolling stock and bridge materials required for the public service." Gentlemen, I have one further remark to make, and it is this: The merchants in Dunedin — men whodraw their comfortable competencies from retail trades — should bear this principle in. mind, that we are trying to impress upon the Government that it would be better for them and for the whole community were these works manufactured in the Colony. I saw to-day in Princes street a lot of iron column j which had just come off the ship for a large drapery establishment. This is taking the profits out of our pockets. — (Cries of "Name," "Name.") I trust you will hear me. lam not accustomed to speaking, and I tryst you will give me a patient hearing. As a representative of the iron trade, I tell you we have just cause — I say just cause — as citizens and tradesmen for what we are doing. It was the iron trade which gave the first movement to this agitation. The other trades which are not so directly interested have come forward in a manly way to support and help us. I contend what affects the iron trade or any trade that pays high wages, affects the whole of the community, for it is well known that the majority of the 'mechanics live in the suburbs, and spend their money among the storekeepers there. The money paid by two or three large iron manufactories, and spread over a wide district, benefits large numbers of persons. Men who receive high wages are not backward in spending their money, nor, generally speaking, are they men who hoard, it up. There is another matter to which I wish to refer, The Govern-

ment have not only been guilty of importing rolling atoek which might have Deeu made here, but have also brought out stuff with which they are actually reclaiming the Harbour here. One gentleman said at the Temperance Hall that he believed the Government would import road metal if they could get it for one-halfpenny cheaper. They have actually imported tons of iron rust when all the shops in town are glad to throw it out to reclaim the Bay with. 1 contend that a great deal of the evil we have to contend with springs from a want of supervision over these heads of departments and .agents, rather than from any fault of the political heads of departments. But if those political heads and the Houses of Parliament are to be 'impressed, surely such a demonstration as this, got up at a week's notice, and by half a dozen men, ought to have that effect. I regret that thd Star, which has the largest circulation in Dunedjn, and which, being a cheap papt*r, is taken into every home, did not do its duty by taking up our cause, instead of writing us down, as it has done. As the mechanic who is going to second ' this resolution may have more facts [before you I will now conclude by proposing the motion, and I think that no one will have any difficulty n affirming its principles. , Mr Wilkinson :- In ccming. before you to,iiight I wish some one else bstter able than myself had been chosen to second this resolution. As one who has taken an interest in the demonstration, I may say that it is gratifying to me to see bo' large a number assembled upon so short a notice to help us in our cause. Tf the .Government needed proof that it was the unanimous desire of . the people of Dunedin that the works which they are' sending home fov should haye been done here, had they been present to-night they would see that such Is the cas6. It is very little that lam going to say, as my friend Mr Moss has so completely exhausted the subject, and the best thing I can do is to leave in your hands the motion which 'has been so ably put before you. The motion was then put and carried unanimously. Mr Baxter : Mr Mayor, and, I may also say, Ladies and Gentlemen — As I am not accustomed to public speaking, I will not detain you long, and I trust that you will give me a patient hearing, lam one of the pioneers of this agitation, and I was one of the few who decided to bring the matter before our workmen generally. If we look at the skilled labour and the machinery we have got in this country, we shall be surprised at tho large orders that are being sect Home for things which we can easily produce here. The figures (Were so high that we could scarcely believe them at first. One said that LIOO,OOO was sent ;Home, and another said that another LIOO,OOO •was sent, for manufactured material. There is' ,so muoh machinery, so many public places, and so much" material manufactured by our em« ployers, to the entire satisfaction of the Government, that we began to make ourselves heard — •that it was time to begin to put a stop to this, .and the last meeting in the Temperance Hall I took place, and I can say that there has never Jbeen anything like to-night's proceedings in the .colony before. When we first began to sp6ak 'about the matter, we were told by sonw that it I would be regarded as the old unemployed question. This agitation'is encouraged by met in (constant employment, in order that we may look at the matter heriously. lam glad that | this question, is not being considered by .the iron, .trade alone, but by every trade in the colony,' which has as much interest in it as the iron trade itself. Now ; the iron trade is suffering very much by the introduction of iron rolling stock into the colony, but when we suffer others suffer with us, and we are grateful to think that, we have the sympathy of others in this meeting. . „We must make an effort to have our 1 material used for manufacturing machinery! I have not much more to say. When I came tothis meeting to-night I had no idea of speaking. The Mayor said that we should bring forward .arguments. I certainly think we could bring' forward arguments against the radical mo »-ements of those in authority. In the Glasgow Daily Herald and Glasgow Daily Mail, there' are advertisements for blacksmiths and engi-i ' neers and other tradesmen. lean, place them" in the hands of the editor of the Evening' Star' if he wishes it. However, solid arguments are wanted. I think that we are as able to manufacture the material that is imported to this colony as any manufacturer hi the Home' country. — (Applause.) Now, I wish to refer to another paper. In the Witness last week it says :-—" Very like a whale,"— that we cannot manufacture the stuff' as well as we could in the Old Country. . Many of you gentlemen have come from England and Scotlaud—(A Voice: And Ireland.— Laughter and' applause) — and Ireland ; all the three countries. Many of you have been employed at the manufacturing of rolling stock for the colony," and in the manufacture of locomotives, boilers, and mary other things for tho colony ; and many of our engineers have been employed in making machines for' the Continent and all the Colonies of New Zealand and Australia. The Continental Inspector comes ixi with his silk umbrella, and the' JtEome Inspectors also come in and thoroughly inspect the machines, while the Is ew Zealand" Inspector would come in and look at it and allow the machine to be passed. — (Laughter.)' Now, in New Zealand we have competent inspectors and surveyors who will have things done properly. I will move the simple resolution that I hare to bring before you. It bears its own recoinrnon elation, and reads as follows : — " That a copy of the foregoing resolutions be forwarded to the Hon. tUs Minister of' Public Works and to the members for Dunedin and suburbs." — (Applause,) Mr Pearce : The importance of this matte demands the attention of all classes of society. The importance of this resolution demands tho attention of every man tha,t wishes to see New Zealand prosper. I believe that here in New Zealand there are plenty of men who are capable of manufacturing the railway rolling stock, and material required for our public works. Gentlemen, when I look at this building I say it speaks volumes for the manufacturing activity of this city, and I think that a country that can undertake such great undertakings as; thi* colony has done, making breakwaters,, dredging our harbours, intersecting cur interior with a network of railways, surely have the enterprise to construct the rolling-stock which is required to iuu on those railways. Geutlemen, I believe that it would be profitable for New Zealand to manufacture the rolling-stock that sho wants. Mr Burns, the member for Eoslyn in the House of Representatives, tells us that he has ascertained from various fs:ms of New Zealand that locomotives can be manufactured here at a trifle above the price of the imported articles. I ask, is it profitable for a country t» borrow money and then send that money back to the country from which it was borrowed to feed the artisans there, while hundreds of our own mechanics are walking about ur employed? I say that a part or the money would be better spent here and circulated amongst thf community. I second the resolution. On tho motion being put, ifc was carried unanimously. Mr Moss proposed a vote of thank? to Messrs Guthrie and Larnach, which was carried by acclamation. A vote of thanks to the Mayor for presiding ended the proceedings.