HISTORICAL.

Otago Witness, Issue 1652, 21 July 1883, Page 26

HISTORICAL.

OTAGO.

Part XVIII.

Settlers' Association.

The affairs of New Zealand were at this time managed by a different form of government from that which now obtains. Then fehere ;was only one chamber— a Legislative Council, similar to the present Upper House, inasmuch as its members were all nominees of the Governor, and different in respect that they could be removed at his pleasure, and also that the Governor had a seat in the chamber, and took part in the debates and in all matters of detail along with the other nominees. No doubt this Council consisted of the ablest and most prominent men in the country, and may have been best suited to the circumstances of the time ; but even then it was not a popular institutior.

To give Otago a representative in the Council the Governor nominated Mr W. H. Valpy to a seat. The appointment caused a turmoil. No objection could be taken to Mr Valpy's fitness for the position. He was an influential, popular, and wealthy settler, whose varied experiences in other parts of the world and admitted ability eminently qualified him for the honourable position of a legislator, and the settlers knew their interests were safe in his hands. But the objection was to the position as a nominee. It would not go down with the settlers. A public meeting was held, resolutions were passed, and a remonstrance was sent to Mr Valpy protesting against his acceptance of the office. It was inconsistent with the feelings and principles of the Otago settlers to have anything to do with an exclusively nominated Council, or that they should have the remotest appearance of being represented without actually being so. A long and acrimonious correspondence ensued, of which at the end the principal parties to it expressed themselves tired, and gladly brought it to a termination. Sorre of the smaller fry, however, did their best to foment the strife, but fortunately without success. The great ambition of the settlers was to obtain a Representative Government composed of men selected by themselves, and responsible to their constituents. To further this end it was resolved to form a Settlers' Association, as had already been done in Wellington and some of the other settlements, the members of which would meet regularly, and keep vigilant watch over the interests of the district, and obtain reform in representation and administration. The Association was to consider what was best suited to the wants and circumstances of the small and isolated community, bent upon paying its own way, and making the most of its little revenue. The settlers made no claim for assistance from the Imperial resources, having a firm reliance on their own resources and their ability to dispose of them prudently and satisfactorily.

And it was full time action was taken to check and stop the lavish expenditure of their taxation on officialdom alike unnecessary and excessive. Instances of this were given in the cases of the Supreme Court and the police establishment. The former of these cost the settlers at least a thousand pounds a year, and was quite unnecessary. In the police there were a sub-inspector at a salary of £202, with one corporal and five men at a cost of £440, besides other contingent charges. The strength of the force relative to the population and its orderly character was quite out of proportion, and the idea was to dispense altogether with the Court, and reduce the force to one sergeant, to act as gaoler, and one private in Dunedin and another at Port Chalmers — the whole charge for whom would not exceed £250 a year. The Association was accordingly speedily formed, having a roll of over eighty members ;

rules were adopted, and a committee, consisting of a chairman, treasurer, secretary, and twelve members appointed, Dr Williams being chairman, Mr Macandrew treasurer, and Mr Proudfoot secretary. Great satisfaction was expressed with the constitution of the Committee, as it embraced the combined intelligence of all classes of the community, and ifc was hoped the members would be actuated by a praiseworthy earnestness in attending ia all matters which concerned the public Weal; Unfortunately, however, the result did Hoi come up to hope or expectation. The discordant element which had been the bane of the" settlement in the past was present in the new society, and immediately began its work. Afc its first monthly meeting, at which it was proposed to adopt a petition to his Excellency the Governor which had been prepared, and which embodied the principles which the society wa« supposed to have been formed to further, the Chairman (Dr Williams) took exception to these principles, arguing that it would be a los 3to the settlement if the Judge and his wealthy relatives were to remove from the place, and that the police force was no stronger than it ought to be. In hia opposition the Chairman had the support of only a small following, and so hopeless was the probability of his carrying out his views that he resigned his position both as chairman and member, and was followed by his small coterie of friends, lnis defection did not cause a collapse of the Association, nor in any serious way affect its operations. On the contrary, the result was the infusion of more earnestness and determi* fvl^/^i ■ 11 J lrKe ma i° ri fc.v who remained faithful to their first ideas. The Doctor and his friends were completely defeated. The feud between the parties did not, however, end with the defeat, bub was carried on with additional rancour and bitterness The Association was productive of much good to the settlers and their varied interests! and continued m existence till the Constitution was obtained. In addition to the subjects already noticed the questions of roads, the Xrffiit" Vi Immi ? ra *ion received close attention. Delay occurring in the passing of the Provincial Councils Bill by the Govfrnment, and the expenditure of the settlement being in excess of its revenue, the treasurer being unable to pay the salaries ef the nublie offacers-a state of things alike discreditable and unsatisfactory— the Association convened a public meeting of the settlers for the purpose of reviewing the state of affairs and petitioning the Imperial Parliament thereanent.

The meeting was held in January, 1852, and was well attended, and the proceedings were of a harmonious nature. In the absence of Mr v ™ -^ ams > , the meeting was presided over by Mr Macandrew. The Chairman, in a lucid address, stated his opinion on the position of affairs, calling on them to sink minor differences and act in concert for the common good, borne of the speakers indulged in pretty strong language in reference to the Governor, who, so rar as they could ascertain, had consigned a former petition to eternal silence, acting blandly and sweetly to their faces, but unkind a na untrue at their backs. Others eulogised the Otago Association for the great concern it had shown m the prosperity of the settlement from its outset, for its intense anxiety that the settlers should possess all the solid realities of political, religious, and educational institutions, and because of the withholding of the first of these by a tardy Government, the Association at Home should be invoked to their aid in rousing an agitation in support of their rights and in their appeal to the Imperial Legislature.

The result of the meeting was the adoption of petitions to both Houses of Parliament praying for redress of their grievances.

One of the principal speakers— Mr Cutten— alluded to their position under the police system prevailing as a system of military law under which they should not rest for one moment. Without saying it was likely to be used to carry arbitrary measures against the public, yet they must take into consideration what might possibly occur. The sight was most offensive— and one to which they had. not been accustomed in x ßritain— of men keeping the peace parading the streets with muskets and bayonets, armed to the teeth, watching over some poor sailor who had deserted from his ship and was doing a short sentence on the roads, that being the only class of prisoners they had. It would be much better for the police to take their coats off and work themselves at road-making, instead of incurring the expense on the community of their indolence. It was also an evil and most improper thing to have the whole control of the police in the hands of the Resident Magistrate, thus giving him excessive power over the liberty of the subject without appeal. Such a power was unconstitutional— too great to be lodged in the hands of any one man, were he a Solomon in wisdom.

On another subject the Association gave utterance to a strong opinion — namely, the practice of a portion of the Bench of Magistrates meeting in private, and giving an expression of opinion on public matters without the knowledge or assent of their colleagues. Several instances of this had come to light. On one occasion the Resident Magistrate nad summoned only those Justices to a meeting whom he knew held similar views on a public matter with hi 3 own, and thus only a one-sided report was given. Another instance now occurred to bring the Bench and the Association into collision. The latter body had asked, as already stated, for a reduction of the police force. The section of the Justices who were the friends of the Resident Magistrate met in private, and represented to the Government that the reduction of the force below its present strength would be totally inconsistent with the due and effective discharge of its duties, and in consequence of this representation the reduction could not be made.

On receipt of this information, the As«ociation at a meeting resolved to acquaint his Excellency that there were Justices resident in the district who had not been made aware of the meeting of the Bench, and consequently the representation had not emanated from a full meeting of the Justices. The speeches made were to the effect that the Magistrates had acted in a secret and underhand manner, that the Resident Magistrate had a direct interest in maintaining the force as it existed, that many of the Justices were either Government officers or expectants, and that no representation obtained in a secret manner from them was of any value, as the whole system of government was one mass of bribery, intimidation, and corruption, by reason of the creation of a lot of sinecure appointments.

Application was also made to the Clerk to the Bench for information as to when the meeting of Justices was held, and who were present when the representation relative to the police was forwarded to the Governor, and the reply received from that gentleman was to tho effect that he was not aware of such a meeting having been held. The Governor, notwithstanding these facts were communicated to him, preferred adopting the opinion of the secret conclave in the matter to the declaration of the large body of the settlers made at a public meeting. Nor were the settlers slow in telling his Excellency that his conduct in thlo matter wa's directly the reVerea

to the instructions contained in a despatch from Lord Grey (the Secretary of State for the Colonies), wherein it was stated that the opinion of the settlers should be taken in matters of local administration. The Association, backed up by the Witness, was makiner matters pretty hot in the settlement, so much bo that the Wellington Independent declared that Otago was more politically alive and spirited than any of the other settlements. The majority of the Bench had a strong liking for secret meetings. They seemed to dislike publicity with a perfect hatred, for at a subsequent meeting they passed a resolution that the reporters be for ever excluded from their deliberations.

The Settlers' Association had assumed a position somewhat of a local council standing between the governing bodies and the settlers. Being, however, only a self- constituted body, its power was more moral than visible. At the same time it had removed some difficulties and remedied some abuses during the first year of its existence, which were an ample reward for its labours. The public accounts had been thoroughly investigated, and found to be satisfactory ; the system of surveys and road lines had been brought under notice ; the extravagant expenditure had been exposed, resulting in the removal of the Supreme Court, and the new appointment of a Colonial Surveyor for the district had been checked, thus effecting a saving of £300 or £400; petitions to the Imperial Parliament embodying grievances had beejn forwarded ; the secret meetings of a majority of the Bench had been exposed, their scandalous injustice to the community and secret misrepresentations tc the Governor held up to the scorn and detestation of the public, and their unprincipled endeavours to breed dissensions by misrepresentations and false statements in the Legislative Council, to create anarchy and confusion by the seizure of maps, registration books, and other evidences of titles to property, had met with censure and disapprobation. The more enlightened views of Colonial government which were now progressing would produce a practical remedy for such evils.

Lord Grey's despatch had been considered at a public meeting, and a vote of thanks was accorded for its liberal principles. Resolutions expressive of the system of government under which they desired to live, and devotion to the cause of civil and religious liberty, were adopted ; and it was gratifying to find that although in the earlier days of its existence some opposition was made by a few to the propositions for the public good and the advancement of a liberal system of local self-govern-ment made by the Association, there was now not one who had the boldness to oppose such measures, although perhaps their secret efforts might be unchanged and unchangeable. At the annual meeting a considerable number of additional members were enrolled, and a new Committee of Management elected, a vote of thanks being given to the retiring office-bearers. I. M. I.