THE OTAGO LEAGUE.

Otago Witness, Issue 2675, 21 June 1905, Page 58

THE OTAGO LEAGUE.

; A MEETING. SOME FORCIBLE SPEECHES. •- The first general meeting of members of 'the Otago Leaguo was held at the Town Hall on Thursday evening. The Mayor (Mr J. firaithwaite) presided, and there were rather W>re than 50 persons present. Those present included Messrs Millar, Bedford, Arnold, Sidev, and T. Mackenzie, M.H.R.'s, \F. C. Thomson, W. Burnett, G. Fenwick, W. Gow, W. Fels, W. T. Talboys, C. R. iJhapman, R. Gilkison, J. Hazlett, W. Hen- [ •deraon, H. 0. Campbell, Dr Batchelor, J. TWilson, A. Bathgate, W. Barron, C. R. Smith, G. Crow, M. Cohen, R. M. Clark, JD. E. Theomin, J. Loudon, J. B. Waters, V. Barr, A. Cable, R. Bauchop. J. Cook, i tW. A. Wathen,W. D. Stewart. E. Herbert, • jW. Hay (Clutha), W. Moore (Milton), R. ( ptJornian (Wanaka), A. C. ■ Iversen- (Alexandra), J. Harrison (Taieri County), R. Cation (Tuapeka County Council), E. Wilson . -c-JMosgiel), " and others. Apologies for ■ Absence -were among others, from . " jjWessrs-J". R- Smith (Naseby). G. L. Den- i fciston, , Jas. Allen, M.H.R., and J. Ben- 1 , - 'Betts.<Roxburgh), the^eh'airman stating that . t •^e'last-na : med'.prentleman suggested a strong , -.'Beputation : to?WeUington^ in connection, he '-%>jjesumed, ■ -with ihe Roxburgh-Lawrence Railway. - >'* The Chairman said there wdfe no cut and Bried procedure before the meeting. They • very much sympathised with Mr Christie {the founder ,of the league) in his recent • bereavement. The object of calling the tneeting was first of all to lay before country Visitors the objects of the league and to ; Answer any questions and receive any sug- \ gestions they might be able to make, next to report progress, and lastly to elect three , jbaembers to complete the executive. Fur- ; . t'her, it was desired to increase the member- ' 'chip. The league consisted so far of representatives of all classes in the- community, fcoth town and country, and further it must . be distinctly understood that it was nonJwlitical. He might say that he would at - " Dn'ce resign his position as chairman if he any of the. members designed to Jrake this league a political league. The "objects of the league were to consider such questions as the reduction of port charges, Railway construction throughout the country, tourist traffic, and any other matter vitally ' Effecting the 'interests of Otago, These questions affected all classes throughout Otago, porkers and merchants alike. A short time _igq the league had a, very, satisfactory initia~Sion, .being, launched "under very favourable - 'jnispiees. Since then the' league had been t.'-ieiive, .and .had- los,b.:no^ime in getting to' *, the principal things it bad v.tabe was /to. .assist the 'Xawrenee-Roxburgh ! inooiriing . executive " *£ theleague^gßing^wifch the -oo'mmittee to up,~.its representations- in- *n interview /.'WiihF the Premier, -asking -that an amount 'Jfciiight be .put o» the. Estimates for the con- : ; Srnetioii ,>of ~<t&tc ', Jine^-frotti Lawrence to Beaumont. 'The ' Premier definitely promised Shis' would be done" "next session, so, eg far, j mome good had 'been ttone* by the league. tthe Otago League earnestly desired to assist Ihe V. Otago* Central 'and" Cittlins ' River " fceagues. It was riot desired to press these . aeagues -in any way to* become component ~t »arts of the Otti'go 'League,' if they thought Ihey could r go on "etaing {heir work better ppart. _,"Bufr if if would conduce "to the prokresa of these : separate leagues, that they Should become component 'parts of the new league," then the Qtago League would bo Wy- too glad ;fcp Xt once., bring about so Jesirable an object. The league had also supported the University -Council in an in- 1 ifirriew with the Premier, when a gtfant for Jlie School of Mines was asked for. In , loneluding, he eimply asked country visitors ' j» support the league,- for it was as much io their" interests, to do so as it was to the] ■interests of people of the town. Unless jfchere was unity in both town and country in jrtgard to the objects of the league, they fenould accomplish very' little indeed. So jar, in his opinion, the people of Otago had 1 fceen very apathetic. Be was, in fact, very icrry indeed to see the apathy exhibited at % meeting a few minutes previously in conjheetion with the Otago Central Railway , league. If such apathy was to be the fate j pi the Otago League, and he hoped it was j jnot, they might as well close down at once. ' Jiut he>. hoped for better things, for it wa9 , |o -the interest of all in both town and country that this league should have its ! Objects pushed -forward as energetically as possible, and fpp that purpose they required • $o increase the membership as much as ; ,- Possible, and in addition to that, they re-] ■ J^uirext~fuhds/ Une country might not think ] city" should do everything in the ' Sway of .contributing funds to an object of ihis sort. He hoped the whole of Otago Jwould band its energies towards promoting )the success of this league. He felt certain j the league would eccomplish a great deal j jpf good if they could all only work together harmoniously. — (Applause. ) The election of three members to complete the executive committee was then prop&eded with, Messrs D. E. Theomin. C. R. Smith, and J. Cook (Port Chalmers) being jiroposed and unanimously elected. '. Representatives of local bodies were incited to make their presence known, and toe following names were given in: — J. Harrison, Taieri County Council; William Say, Clutha County Council ; R. Gilkison, JTincent County Council ; W. Talboys, Dromwell Borough; W. Burnett, Manioioto; W. Pels, Queeiistown ; Richard "Norman, Wanaka; Messrs John Cook, A. Cable, and Robert Bauchop, Port Chalmer3 Progressive League. - MV Cable, in announcing the presence of ithe representatives from Port Chalmers. ■Jbroughfc before the meeting the necessity of to larger dock at Port Chalmers. It was a imatter that affected the welfare of Dunedin ! 'as well as Port Chalmers, and it was . Jjincerely hoped at Port Chalmers that one J j6f the earliest works of the league would flbe an 'effort to assist that very desirable .project. The matter was really one that -affected the whole of Otago.— (Applause.) Mr W. ■ Moore, Mayor of Milton, assured !lhe that if the people of Milton jeould • do anything to advance the interests • hf the league they would do so very (Applause.) • Mr Richard Norman urged the necessity l>f the league taking up the matter of irrigation in Central Otago. At present many streams were running to waste which ' Knight "be lifted up to the adjacent lands Without much expense. Some of the drier lands were a long distance from the itKeams. and in. that case am.

scheme would he required, necessitating ' probably assistance from the Government. In one place where water was very scarce he would like to see the Government construct a water race of about 20 heads, so that many in the district would benefit, and to do so they might buy out the existing water rights. He referred to the benefit accruing to Egypt and India through extensive irrigation schemes. In parts of the Upper Clutha Valley he saw ground that had been improved by cidtivation carrying enormous numbers of sheep. At Omakau he also noticed the good results of a water supply in the fine grass that covered much of the land. Another matter the league might take in hand was that of excursions to Wanaka, Cromwell, and other places on the goldfields. This would give people an opportunity of see.ing the vast resources of Central Otago. Mr A. C. Iversen thanked the members of the Otago Central Railway League for what they had done. If it had not been for the fact that ths league had been continually knocking at the door the railway would not now be halfway to its present terminus. — (Applause.) He strongly supported the securing of more water for the district. Those who had been on his property would know what the land if watered would produce. — (Applause.) On the Earnscleugh Rtin there were 5000 or 10,000 acres of land that could bo cultivated for fruit gardens if supplied with water. At one point of the . Fraser River it would be possible to make an excellent reservoir , which would store sufficient water to supply \ all the Earnseleugh" land and more besides, i He would like the league to take this 1 matter of irrigation in hand. He thought j the only way the Otago League could be ! a success was by districts forming branches.; of their own, and now and again they j could send representatives to Dunedin to j bring before the general body what was | particularly desired in any district. — (Applause.) The fruit-growing district extended from Roxburgh to Wanaka. The whole of the Molyneux Valley was the best country to be found in the colony for stone fruit. — (Applause.) BAILWAT CONSTRUCTION. Mr Malcolm, of Heriot, next addressed the meeting. He said he had been wondering whether the league was going to take up every project brought before it, or whether there would be discriminaf : <>n against political jobs. It seemed to iiim that the Otago League should try to put it 3 veto on any political job, for political jobs would be recommended to it. For instance, many of these who had lived in the part of the country he came from were under the impression thai the DunedinRoxburgh railway would simply be a monstrous political job. He knew that Dun&din men were interested in securing the Roxburgh, railway; but, in spite of articles that had ' been appearing ,in the Times, one might almost as well try to build a railwayup a chimney, as, try fo" carry it up the v Molyneux Valley: He did "not expect this would" meet nvith .the approval of the league. — (A Voice.: " Hardly likely " ; and laughter.) He did not think the league should take-up anything that was simply' a political job. There were other schemes, of course, which could' be justified on every footing. There was the Catiin's River railway, which Dunedin was more or less interested in, that had been progressing at the rate of half a mile per year. They all knew that was a railway that would pay, and the Catlins district did not require irrigation.— (Laughter.) They had been complaining in Otago that West Coast objects had not been justified, and he considered the league should not undertake to put forward everything that was brought under its notice, but should see that any scheme wo\ud be such as would return good interest on money expended on it. - Mr M. Cohen said he would not have addressed the meeting had it not been for , the extraordinary remarks of the gentleman from Kelso, who had taken on himself to tell Dunedin and Otago people their duty. As representing the Catline Railway League, he (Mr Cohen) might say for it that, for reasons best known to itself, it had decided to maintain its separate existence, and, if it failed in its efforts to secure adequate expenditure, then it would certainly seek the co-operation of the larger body. The Catlins Railway League did not intend to desist in its efforts, for it knew the value of the district as well as the gentleman from Kelso, if not better. But the Ca.tlins League was not selfish; it recognised that there were other railways having great claims, and, as- a -member of the Lawrence-Roxburgh League, he took leave to tell the gentleman from Kelso that that railway from Lawrenoe to Roxburgh should have been completed five-and-twenty years ago. — (Applause.) It was_ owing to the apathy of Dunedin people it had not been commenced long ago. He quite admitted that ; and it was still their own fault that- they had allowed the enemy — he called them so rightly, those men who could not attend to their own business, but must endeavour to put their hands on Otago's public works — to -come in and attempt to divert the railway along an impossible route. — ("Hear, hear.") The people of Otago were not going to submit to that sort of thing any longer. If they took a comparison of population and material wealth, Otago had not had anything like the railway constructions those districts from which the agitators against Ofcago'a interests came from. Otago was not going to submit to parochial sentiments such as had been expressed by the gentleman from Kelso. It wae to fig^ht for the rights of the province that the league had been inaugurated, and it was gioing to .«ee that something like equality of votes was given to Obago public works. — (Applause.) So far as the Otago Central line was concerned, he was satisfied it would be in Alexandra in the next 15 months, and if the league bestirred itself and the people of Dunedin bestirred themselves, it would reach Clyde about the same time. Personally he would be satisfied then, and the people of Otago must turn | their attention to the Lawrence-Roxburgh line. He was convinced, despite the> prognostications of the- gentleman from Kelso, that those present would yet live to see the line well on its way up the Molyneux Valley to Roxburgh. — (Applause.) Mr Earnshaw said lie was amazed at the speech just delivered by such a leading 1 representative and citizen as Mr Mark Cohen. Mr Coihen was satisfied with the expenditure on the Catlins line, and was satisfied to carry the Otago Central to Clyde. . Was the Otago Central not authorised to go on ■ to Lake Hawea ; was land not sold in that district on that understanding? He went on to refer to the great amount of money voted, but unexpended, and said that in advocating a cessation of the work at Clyde there was no greater enemy to Otaco than < Mr Cohen. (

' The Mayor it was not wise to travel outside the objects for which the meeting was called. He did not desire to see any controversy. Mr Barron said he thought the meetingshould 1 eject any such sentiment as coming from the league that the Otago Central should stop at Clyde. The railway was authorised to Lake Hawea, and the Government had sold land up there on the distinct understanding with the settlers that they would have the railway -within a few jj r ear.?. It would be a broach of faith wjth the people in that grand country beyond Cromwell and up to Wanaka and Hawea to simply finish the line at Clyde. — (Applause.) Mr Hay (chairman Clutha County Council) said he presumed they were there for 1 the purpose of seeing that the money voted year after year for railways and other works was expended. Much had been said about the apatay of Dunedin people, but he said the members of Parliament — he did not care who they were — had shown apathy. They had neglected their duty in not seeing that the votes were expended. The members of Parliament should form themselves into a league, and if they did so it would be a very good thing for the interests of the province. There were 11 membeis, and if they formed a league the Governmnt would never be able to pass votes without expending the money. He moved — " That, in the opinion of this league, it is the special duty of the Otago members to co-operate for the complete expenditure of all moneys voted for works within the province, and that at ! the general elections every candidate should j be piedged to see to the expenditure of such i moneys in the event of his return 7 to Parlia- | ment."— (Applause.) i The Mayor suggested that the latter olause of the motion might give it a political appearance, and that, as it was a general \ public meeting, the motion should read i " that this meeting," and so on. ! It appeared, however, to be the wish of I the meeting that the motion should stand. Mr H. D. Bedford, who was received with applause, seconded the motion. He ' did not think the%motion a political one. It simply expressed the hope that there would be co-operation on the part of Otago members to see that votes were ; expended. He did not agree with Mr ' Hay in his condemnation of Otago members for not having secured the expenditure of votes. This was not the experience of Otago alone; it was the experience of the whole colony, with the exception of the West Coast.— (" Hear, hear.") Nevertheless, it was a good thing that Otago members should band togetlier. It was an anomaly that money voted should not be expended, and it was time the colony put ! a stop to this sort of thing. Parliament should see that the Government, made an effort to expend the money put on the estimates. — (Applause.) I Mr Cohen said he wished to utter a | note of warning. The very thing the Mayor had said would not bo allowed was being introduced. There was a distinct political element about the latter clause of the motion. Mr Burnett (representing Maniototo County Council) said all these leagues were political: there could be no help for thai. The point was to distinguish between politics and party politics. He remembered being one of a deputation to Wellington when they were told by the Premier they had no business there, that they should elect good men and get the money voted and trust to them to get the money spent. The Mayor said he thought the last part of the motion should be deleted. Mr H. D. Bedford, M.H.R., said it was "surely within the scope of the league to pledge every candidate to support the Otago Cenutral or the Catlina line, and if so, surely there was nothing party political in. pledging them to secure expenditure of votes.— {Applause.) A member of the league said he thought, the pledging should be left to the constituents. Mr J. A. Millar, M.H.R., said he would like Mr Hay to tell him what a member was to do to get the votes expended. It seemed to him (Mr Millar) that some speakers did not understand the position. The money came in from month to month, and the votes were only an estimate of revenue from the beginning. Supposing, the money did not come to hand for some reason, supposing a loan was not successful and the Government had not the whole money in hand, were they to understand that the Government was to be turned out for not expending the votes; otherwise where was the reason for the motion unless it was to be said that the support of Otago would be given to any Ministry which ■would give it railways, roads, and bridges. He would not represent people if the price of his §upport was simply to be roads, bridges, and railways. — (Applause.) Mr Harrison spoke in support of the motion as being non-political, and only asking members to see that money voted was spent. Mr Eavnshaw asked if the league was not going to appoint parliamentary candidates in the matter of their supporting the objects of the league's organisation. In his opinion it was certainly for the league to do this. All these questions raised were political in their essence. It did not necessarily follow, however, that the league would "be a partisan. To his mind the motion as it stood was in no sense party political, and if the league was not going to be political to the extent indicated in the motion, at least he did not see that it would do any good at all. Ofcago had been worse treated as a province than any other province in New Zealand in regard to such things as railway expenditure, and he challenged members of Parliament or the press to disprove that statement. Mr J. F. Arnold said he had not intended to have spoken. He noticed the leaguo had made no provision for a Member of Parliament being on its Executive Committee. Discrimnaition must be made between a league's being political and its | being party political. Every league must I be, in a sense, political, for everything mentioned that night about roads, bridges, and such things was in a sense a political matter, but it was different, when a league began to enter party politic:. It seemed I to him that the Otago League was going to walk exaotly in the footsteps of a league that was dying in consequence of its political stand in the past. If the Government did not spend money as promised in his province he was not afraid to criticise that Government; but when people, for political purposes, wished to cast reflections on members of Parliament he felt perfectly .justified in protesting and showing the position of members. If it was a fact that the full amounts voted had not been expended, it was also a fact that a larger proportion had been expended during the past five or six years in OUjco than when tbc&e constituencies wer_e

1 represented by other members.— (A voice: T Question !) He defied contradiction in this and the facts and figures proved him right. It was suggested that members should unite to urge certain things on The | Covernnient. but surely he had a right (o his own private opinion as to whether the prosecution of any particular work was I in the interests of the province or not. ! They would never find 11 members who | -would unite and agree on every point. The league again was apparently going to enter into the matter of the coming Parliamentary election. Did they, he asked, expect that every candidate would pledge himself to all these different things that the league was going to pledge itself ti that night, and was each candidate I who would not pledge himself to these i things to be considered not worthy of the j support of the people? This, he mainI tamed, was a matter for tho electors to decide, and a league such as the Otago ! League was on dangerous ground in going ! o'i the lines of the resolution submitted. ! The present Members of Parliament had in regard to the various railways worked togetlier, and the Otago Central Line vote had been over expended during the past 12 months.— (A Voice : " That statement is noi. correct, and you know it !'') j Mr Malcolm said that Mr Arnold seemed I to have misunderstood the motion in xhe , way of thinking it meant that all members ! would bs pledged xo that ail the ] schemes of the league got their support. To i his way of thinking the motion simply meant that members should unite to see ill at votes on railways were expended. The motion was then put, and carried, a few dissentient voices being raised. GENERAL BUSINESS. Mr C 11. Smith thanked members for his election as a member of the Executive Committee. They were all agreed that the league would do very great good, and the interests of the country and town employer and employe© were identical. The league should be a considerable power in the district if it stood by the committee elected, and tlicic wvre a number of level-headed business men upo-i it who could be relied on to support what was in the real interests of the province, and who would make full inquiry before committing the league to the support of anything. As to the financial aspect of the league, a good secretary was wanted who would receive a salary sufficient to compensate him for the time he would require to spend in tl>e league's interests. He believed no better man could be got than Mr P. Barr, and he understood that Mr Barr vas willing to accept office. Tho subscription was fixed at a very low scale, and what they wanted was a large number of members in town and country. He hoped every gentleman in the room would give in his name as a member of the The Mayor said that anyone who wished to become a member could give in his name after the meeting. Mr D. Theomin though;; the league might take steps to teach the children how dtsirable it was to become members of the League of Otago. Let ihe reed be sown among the young people to-day, and good results would be found in lafer years when many of the present members were under the sod. — (Applau&e.) Tho Mayor expressed the hope that Mr Theomin would bring the matter before the committee. Mr T. Mackenzie, M.H.R., was called on to say a few words. He urged that the affairs of the league should be so piloted that all friction would be avoided. — (Applause.) He would lik<> to see country interests represented on the Otago Harbour Board. It would be to the advantage- of Dunedin and the country districts, and it would givo greater power to the board. Only that day he had Usteii«d to an excellent paper by Mr Gilbert Anderson, of Chvistchureh, and in listening to what that gentleman had to say he saw there* was a hope of Dunedin, with the assistance of the Christchurch people, exporting her own produce. — (Applause.) If that could be done with frozen meat, then butler could also be shipwed direct from Port Chalmers, and it would all tend to thp speedy devek>pnoeiit of the province. — (Applause.) One of the chieif objects of the league, he took it, was the development of the tourist traffic. There* was great wealth in the thermal springs and the scenery of New Zealand No other country under the sun had so many attractions for tho tourist. He advocated tho construction of tracks to Te Anau, and from Wakatipu to Martin's Bay. r The money available for extending the tourist attractions should be devoted to practical work, so that immediate results might ba obtained. The question of irrigation was one of vast importance- Those who had taken an interest in the development of Central Otago realised that, concurrent with the opening of the country by railway, there should bei a policy of irrigation pursued — (applause), — and, he might also add, that the sewage now being sent from thp city could be utilised to great advantage if taken to some of the more sterile parts of Central Otago. Mr G. Fenwiok supported the extension of the tourist traffic. Anyone who knew what was being done in the countries of the Old World and in America with regard to the tourist traffic must realise that that traffic meant a vast amount of wealth to a country. Much of the scenery of New Zealand was of the grandest nature. Between the head of Lake Te Anau . and Milford Sound there was some magaificent scenery, and he was firmly of opinion that there was no trip in the world that could equal it. Travellers who had been in the fiords of Norway, in Canada, and other parts of America, and elsewhere, had told him that no place so appealed to the emotions of man as did the ecenery that \Wts to be found in the pass through the Clinton Valley after leaving the head of Lake Te Anau. Such a scene impressed one with thoughts that could not possibly be aroused in a city, or, indeed, anywhere else.— (Applause.) If the league did its best to assist the Government in promoting the tourist traflje— and he desired" to pay a tribute to the Government for the efforts it was making to advance the tourist traflio of fhe colony— and if tourists were attracted here from all parts of the world, much good would result to- the colony, and the league would justify its existence. — (Applause.) Mr Gow said that the valley from Crony well to Hawea had been always a district of great interest to him. It was extraordinary, he thought, that nothing had been done in the pas>t to irrigate it, and ii was certainly one of tho duties of the league to see to it that the Government as e,oon as possible entered upon an irrigation scheme for tho benefit of that enormous .valley. He did, not at all f&YQiit th«. &ase

gestion that the league fchould bo satisfied ■\\ben the Otago Central railway reached Clyde, and he had thought no member would be satisfied until the line reached Hokitika.— (Laughter.) For himself, he would be satisfied with nothing less than that, though he did not expect to see it. Ho hope-l the country people would help tho league all they could in its endeavour to make the body of some use to the pro\incial district. — (Applause.) The Mayor mentioned that Mr W. H. Uttley (president of the Trades and Labour Council) had written apologising for absence. A meetifcg of the Trades and Labour Council had prevented other members from attending the league's meeting. A vote of thanks to the chairman then brought the meeting to a close.