THE SECOND RESOLUTION.

Otago Witness, Issue 2668, 3 May 1905, Page 29

THE SECOND RESOLUTION.

Mr A. Bathgate then moved — " That those present at this meaning form themselves into a league, to be called ' The Otago League,' to carry out the objects stated in the first resolution." He said the audience would, no doubt, acknowledge the truth of the old adage, which said the Lord helped those who helped themselves ; and he thought that applied to communities as well as to individuals, especially if the Government was substituted as the source from which the help was to come. That this was so might be seen from the remarks made by the Premier, who advised the people of Canterbury to agitate for the Midland railway if they wished for a greater expenditure. He had great pleasure in moving the motion entrusted to him, as the contemplated formation of the league indicated that the community had at last awakened up to the necessity for ■ helping itself.) — (Applause.) Mr Mackenzie j Sad" referred to the apathy and sonjngleace

| under which the community had been sufferI ing for a great many years ; probably the I abolition of the provincial institutions had a great deal to do with this, — ("Hear, j hear.") Mr Mackenzie had given figures j to show that Otago had not progressed in I the same ratio as other provinces, but ihis was due in seme measure to eircumj stances over which the community had no control. The advent of large steamers gave Wellington the advantage of a distributing centre, and afterwards Otago seemed to get a sort of spirit of resigned fatalism, i and folded its hands and said nothing. But | the old spirit of 25 years ago was not i dead — it only slumbered. (Applause.) j There were then many men who were always ready to battle for the rights of Otago, but of late years men had con-

tented themselves with growling amongst themselves, which did not do much good. He might refer to recent attempts to wrest j from this community its Mining School, and those attempts aroused the citizens, including that old warrior. Mr Donald Reid — (loud applause) — to battle for their rights. Yet there were those in the community who said we must either submit to the loss of the School of Mines or let our j Medical School go; and now the Colonial | Treasurer had been paltry-spirited enough ! to try and withhold the £250 to which the Mining School was entitled. As he I (Mr Bathgate) said, the spirit was not | dead, and this movement was an indication that it was going to rise again. — (Applause.) The previous speakers had referred to many of the points he had thought of, but there was one aspect of the spirit of resignation he might refer to, and that was the information contained in the Journal of Labour. There was published every month a list of the men em ployed on cooperative works throughout New Zealand. He had been in the habit of taking from these journals every year the number of men employed in the North Irland as j against those in the South, and he found generally there were two mem employed jin th© North Island to one in the i South. According to the January issue, which was the- latest issue he had. there were 1215 men on railways in the North i Island and 872 on roads, while in the South j Island there were 663 on railways and 219 lon roads. He had brought these figures I under the" notice of a newspaper representative, who said the paramount claim of the North Island Main Trunk railway moist be considered. Even if those claims were to be considered, that was no i*eason why facts should not bo published.— (Applause.) The North Island people were, not co mealymouthed; they tooK every opportunity or i advancing their claims, both through their j members &nd their public men. He had 1 i seen an article in a northern paper comj plaining Ibat therei were more miles of railway in tho South than in the North Island, but the editor forgot to tell his readers that th* Scuth Island had a great many miles of railway made, by the Provincial Governments, and that there were in the South Island districts settled and where traffic was ready for the railways of which there were no counterparts in the North Island. The editof forgot also that the North Island had cost the colony large sums of -money over the Maori war. — ("Hear, hear.") He remembered a threemillion loan for the Maori war. Then, with regard to the tourist traffic-. Large sums of money were spent at Roiorua and other North Island resorts, but very little clown here. - The North Island people were quite capable of taking care of thecnselve?. He admitted there might be more work of development to be done in the North Island, but we had to take care down here that the expenditure there was not 100 great, and he thought it had been in the past—(applause) — compared with the expenditure , here. Reference had been made to Central ■ Otago as a fruit-growing area ; when Senor Bragato, the Government vine; expert, was here an attempt was made to get the Government to establish an experimental fruitgrowing farm in Central Otago. Half promisas were made by the Government, but nothing' was done y&t, though there was an -experimental farm in Wellington and a. , fruit-growing farm at Whangarei, so that ! the North Is-land was pretty well taken ; care of. He had no desire to raise the cry ! of North v. South Island, but there were j certain matters in that connection which the ■ league might look into.— (Applause.) Reference had been made to the falling-off in our trade, and there was no doubt that the Harbour- Board was something that should | receive the attention of the league. — (Applause.) The first step might be to try and hay« the board remodelled. — (Applause.) Without reflecting on th» member© of the board-,- though he thought there might be some better men found than some of the members, he thought it absurd that the Government, which had nothing to do witli the harbour, should be represented by three members and the Chamber of Commerce, which was vitally intresled. should have only one.— (Loud applause.) He protested against the idea" that a league endeavouring to show the Government what should be done in a certain district and criticising- the Government for not doing it should be regarded as hostile "to the Government. Mr Arnold had referred to the apathy amongst the shopkeeping classes, but he (Mr Bathgate) thought there vas also far too much apathy amongst tho working clisses. Public meetings had not been attended by the masses as they should have been. — (" Hear, hear.") He considered every man could do something to help — if only by hie presence at a meeting. — (Applause.) Mr James Allen, M.H.R., seconded the motion. He said it needed very few words from him to ask the meeting to agree to the motion unanimously. He did not need to plead the material interests of the people of Otago, for the people recognised that those intei-ests depended upon the development of the country. — (Applause.) If they allowed that developmien* to be diverted • into other channels it would be their own fault. — ("Hear, hear.") He asked, then, were they going to allow their nationality and their pride to sink into nothing? Was it not a matter of pride that this province should hold its own against any other community in New Zealand?— (Applaiuse.) The. object of the league was not to deny to any other part of the colony its just rights to expenditure ; it was not for the purpose of decrying other parts, but only and solely to see that this part of 'the colony, in The distribution of what was going, received its fair share.— (Applause.) The constitution was a very broad one. It did not refer to roads _ and bridges alone — they were very material, — tout it embraced our educational institutions, the Harbour Board, and dozens of other things that the province depended upon for its prosperity, and upon which the prosperity of the city depended. — (Applause.) He did not quite ' agree with Mr Arnold that me.mb.ers h&d, &<>i be.cii working together.

He (Mr Allen) gratefully acknowledged th-e help given by all Otago members and members for Socuthla.nd, and eve*n Canterbury, with regard to one of Our educational institutions, and it was the pressure brought to bear on the Government that saved that institution. — (Applause.) Yet sometimes there were members who worked against eaoh other, whereas Otago should be one, and it had not been one — ("Hear, hear"), — but this league was being formed to make it one — (applatise), — and he hoped never again to hear a discordant voice, whether it was an institution, or a railway, or the development of a piece of country, or the buying of an estate that was concerned, when it was to the interest of Otago. — (Applause.) He wanted to utter a note of warning. He was aware they were very enthusiastic that evening, but unless that enthusiasm was kept alive the league would not be of any good. It must be kept a living thing to be of value. — (Applause.) Itwas quite conceivable that such powerful leagues, exercising no discretion, might force thy Government into wasteful expenditure ; but while they sought only the rights of their districts they were perfectly' justified. — (Applause.) He urged members to work up the membership, and to make the influence of the league felt throughout the province, and let Ot-ago be -united in its just demands. (Loud applause.)

The Chairman said that Mr J. Bennet, M.H.R., was to have supported the- motion, but, being somewhat indisposed, wished to bo excused from speaking.

Mr J. Dunne said it afforded him pleasure to see such a large meeting tha.t night in support of the league. It was a body that ou@ht to have been started long 1 ago, and it was a credit" to the Mayor that he should have taken its formation in hanck i±e was certain that his part of the country would support the league right out.—(Applause.) It was time that Otago looked after ; ts own interests. The object they now had in view was justifiable, because they were depriving no other persons of their rights, but only seeking for protection for themselves. It would be one of the best institutions ever started in Otago. "Virtually Otago was the> bone and sinew of New Zealand. — (Applause.) At the time of the Maori war Otago fotind men and money, the benefit of which, went to the north, and the south would now be doing only the right thing in paying some attention to its own case. — (Applause.) Ho was sure that th© Clutha people would be glad to hear th*fc the meeting had been so hearty, and that the league had been set on a firm footing. — (Applause.) The motion was carried unanimously.