MONSTER PUBLIC MEETING.

Southland Times, Volume 3, Issue 102, 16 October 1863, Page 5

MONSTER PUBLIC MEETING.

THE ORETI RAILWAY. A numerously attended and very influential public meeting was held on the evening of Wednesday last, at Messrs. Mueller and Geisou's Auction Rooms, Tay-street. A platform stretching the length of the room was thronged by the representatives of the principal professional and mercantile firms of Invercargill, and the body of the premises was occupied by immense crowds of the general public. The object which had called so many together, was the necessity of expressing an unanimous opinion upon the proposed abandon neut of the direct line of Railway to ihe Lake, in favor of a deviation through Wallace • town. The proceedings of the evening were commenced by Mr John Blacklock moving that Mr Duncan M' Arthur preside. The chair having been taken, the Chiirman rea:l the advertisement convening the meeting, and asked a fair hearing for tinvarious speakers. He would deprecate the delay which was likely to follow the amendment carried in the Provincial Council on the previous night, if the same was persisted in. He did not think the evidence of the Chief Surveyor, backed by .that of the Engineer, ought to have been so passed over. If they followed the course suggested by the majority of the oth^r night, whilst they were beating about the bush, Otago would step in and cany oft" the prize. They must have a diivct line without delay. Mr AViitt then proposed the following resolution : — "That this meeting views with alarm the action taken by a majority nf tie Council in reference to tho railway scheme proposed by the Government, and is of opinion that such a course of proceeding will deeply injure tho reputa ion and credit of the Piovince." He said lie felt like Sampson shorn of his locks. He hud just been informed that th ■ majority of the Council, whose proceedings they were met to canvas, were likely to come to their right mind, were willing to listen to the voice of public opinion, and would probably re-consider the decision of the previous evening. This circumstance would greatly modify the toae of his remarks, and prevent him expressing his opinion on the conduct of certain of the majority of the Council as he had determined, it was a current idea thai there was nopublio opinion in Southland. Th. appearance of this largo and influential meet inic, notwithstanding? the inclemency .of thu evening, was a sufficient refutation of the assertion, and he hoped that this meeting would be the beginning of that political life and action, which would watch over and promote the interests of this rising Province. (The speaker then exhibited a map, showing the railway rout 3as proposed by the Governmeiit, and the rout a via Walhicotown, as carried by a majority of the Council.) He said tlint the deviation would co,t the coin try L 10,000; and tho most momentous interest connected with that famous locality (so far as that interest was patent to the public gaze) is a single public-house. But the waste of public money which this deviation involved was not the most serious aspect of this affair. The Ciiief Surveyor had state 1 that it would be impossible to sur\ey the new line caused by the deviation, s ) as to have it constructed and opened by the coming winter. Now it was of vital consequence to the trade of the Province, that the line should br> opened before the wet season sets in. If we missed the trade for the coming year, it was doubtful if ever we recovered i. lie said he was not going to iguote the* interests of any part of the Province, and if Hiv'.-iton had grievances to redress, or wants to be supplied, let them be staled in a s r.lightforward and constitutional way, and these who urged them would have the sympathy and support of all right thinking men. But to oppose a scheme which was of general interest till some particular interest was satisfied, was to substitute a subsidiary benefit for the public g jod, and was unworthy of tlie name of legislation. What are the facts of the case : — The Riverteu members and their fiiend< liava set up the two places in opposition, and over the conflict of interests, MvK'ay is seen hovering like a bird of p ey, with bis dingy pinions ready to pounce on the spoil. The opposition to the Government scheme of railways oiiginated in Kiverton^ they do not . want the line via Wallaeetown, but they say this, "If you do not give us a line, we will propose the deviation, and though we do not approve of it, it will shelve the general railway for another year." Tl us, gentlemen, the 500 of Rivarton have stuck up the 8000 of the Province, and like a daring bushranger, hold this threat in terror/ m, and de;nand a waste uf public money or lie sacrifice of our trade. They have made the Wallaeetown deviation tlie cat's paw to land the ehesnut in liivorton, witnout any consideration whatever of the public good. This is the secret of the opposition. The only principle at work. They give no reasons, for they have none to urge; and some of them have stated in choice swearing, that they dont give a very objectionable substantive for the whole affair, lie had tried to imagine the asj cct in which future generations will view the proposed deviation, and had heard Mr. Rodgers' children's children asking how it w.is that the Wakatip railway went out and in, like a dog's hind leg, v Who proposed sui h a iine, and by what means was the Bill ca Tied in the Council? 1 " "My clear," an.- wer . the venerable dame, " There have a' way 3 been muto points in our family, but as those immediately concerned, are now nomore, I may as well tell you that a tall man, resembling a huge tarantula, once laid hod on your grandfather, aid though, three weeks previously, he had declared for a sensible line, this clever mm w <n took his name from a great Russian Emperor, talked him over; so he voted wrong, and never prospered after." And Scott, too. what will his feelings be in the autumn of his days (the summer of which gave promise • of so much honorj, when the same questions are put to him ? But he'll not survive the disgrace, and the prognosis of his friends will be engraven on the tablet to his memory, as a warning to all future legislators, " Died through a want of public confidence, brought on by keeping bad company." As for the gallant Captain, he is so perfectly innocent of everything like civilisation, that anything I niipht say, would be like throwing water on a duck's back; in fact, the hou. member is amphibious, having lived more in the water than out of it. He has never seen a railway and has an instinctive aversion to all new tangled notions in genera', and " Steam railroads in particular." He knows how to "call a spade, a spade," and ha 3 epitomised his opinion of the whole affair in his own terse and graphic style, and to all future generations, says, " I don't care (giving the renowned substantive) for the whole scheme, or any part of it." Sir, this is as much a financial question as the passing of the Estimates. It resolves itself into this — Shall the Customs revenue, obtained by Otago from the Lake trade, continue there, or reveit to Southland? For if we have not the facility of communication with the Lakes which a : railway affords, in another year the Otago ' Government will have a port in the West Coast, and almost the entire benetit ; resulting from this trade will be confined to our neighbors. Sumo of our country < incinbjrs uiiect to despise trade in this view

of it. They forget that whatever promotes the general well-being subserves private interests. It was the resources of trade that increased the revenue of this Province from £11,000 in 18G2 to £40,000 in 1363, advancing it by £29,000 in nine months. It is not yet too late for the majority of the Council to retrieve their error and save the Province. Let them give up the little "Peddlington idea" and return to the paths which a comprehensive view of the science of Legislaton dictates, and the public will honor them. But let the issue of this struggle be what it may, we have the satisfaction of having tried toarre.t the evils their mil-administration shall have involved us in. Lst us be warned in time, and let every man, by registration, take the first step in exerting that influence the franchise gives him, and then, at the next election, we will be able to say to the honorable Mr M'Kay and others, "stand down and make way for honester and better men.'' Mr Wm Russel (of Messrs M 'Donald and Russel) seconded, and the motion was carried with enthusiasm.

Mr Macdonald (Dalgety, Rattray and Co.) moved the second resolution: — "•That in the present position of the Province, and in view of the exertions made by Dunedin to secure the Lake trade, this meeting strongly condemns such legislation as may prevent the construction of a railway as far as Winton Bush before the beginning of next winter.' 1 In support of this motion, there was very little left to be said, as Mr Watt had already spoken to nearly every resolution on the Chairman's paper except his own. It might therefore be the "best course to advert to Mr Watt's resolution, which affirmed that the action taken by the majority of the Council " will injuie tlxe reputation and credit of the Province," of this there could be little donbt, if in a matter of such universal importancethe General Government show our Council by a narrow majority of one condemning the Government plans for no avowed reason, and sanctioning a scheme which palpably advanced the interests ofa feuindividuals at a sacrifice of both time and money to the Province at large, it was doubtful if the loan would be sanctioned, but if it were, the aspect of the affair and the reckless dealing of £10,000 and a year of precious tim 3 would not tell favorably for the :oan on the Stock Exchange, or among canitalists in the neighboring colonies. The speaker went on tj remark that the activity of our formidable competitor — Dunedin — would make the railway of little avail if not finished within the present season. Another view of the question was, the adverse vote of the Council niLiit, and probably would, lead to the resignation of the present Executive, and then all progress would be stayed for a long time to co.iie. The honor of conducting our public business might be a worthy object of ambition to ge.itlemen who had leisure for it, and one of t ho six might possibly think that from recent experience he was quite qualified for any post ; but if the six thought it desirable to test their strength with the Government, surely they could find some question of less vital importance th:ni the railways. What had been said about sordid and selfish motives ho h.itl no sympathy with ; for his part he had no objection to looic upon Mr M'Xiy and his friends as pureminded philanthropists, if tluy wished i. Three of the six must be univers illy acquitted of having a money interest in the deviation of the railway ; but it was not motives, h was actions which this meeting had to deal with, and to let its voice be heard — that no body of men shouli be a bar to the progress of the province without, at least, having a warning sounded in their cars. He had just heard that the Council hud adj.mmed in ord.-r to have time to reflect on the subject before finally adjudicating upon it lie hoped that such reMeotions, aided by a str >ng nlast from the present in :etiiig, would cause some of the majority t.> tack about. Mr Law, of Messrs Morrison, Law & Co seconded the iesolu;.ion, and it was carried ami. Ist cheering. Mr A. W. Gillcs (of the firm of Ca -ey and Gilles) moved thj thiid resolution: "That, without entering into the question of the desirability of a line to Walla'jetown, this meeting views with surprise anci indignation the action of the Council in setting a.-id'e the plans of the Government Surveyor, supported by all the Engineering authority of the Province, and in adopting a scheme in favor of which no evidence h is been adduced." Mr Gilles in moving this resolution, spoke as- follows: — The resolution that I have the honor to submit to this meting fully conveys the feelings that actuated each of us in being present this evening, and there is hardly room left for remark. It must be patent to all present, that the step taken by the opposition members is destructive to the best interests of the Government service, when after the careful selection of first class Surveyors and Engineers, whose knowledge and experience ought to be sufficient guarantee that their survey furnished the only data upon which the Council could proceed, that body set aside the reports and evidence by overriding Mr Healcs' valuable survey, and introducing a deviation that will, if persisted in, delay the railway for another year, a:id likely lose us the Lake trade, with out a thought aoout the cost of time and money the survey department has been at, and giving no logical argument to justify such a step; it is the more apparent, when I tell you that the deviation of the line through Wallacetown is not the rock upon which we split ; th it that diversion is ths pressure that is brought to bear upon the Town for the benefit of liiverton, by the threat that if we do not support the latter Town in obtaining a branch line, they will induce honorable members to throw out the Bill altogether. lam stating a fact, for 1 have been told so by the gentleman who was the original cause of the digression, and who also threw out the hint to liiverton members to introduce the branch off by Wallacetown, which was to be the instrment in their hands to drive us to assist them in obtaining that which they fear the natural resources of their port will not enable them to accomplish. It is the old fable of the dog in the manger, they cannot have their line, and we shall not have ours. We can have no objection to their having a branch, but v.c will not be tied down to support a measure that we may have doubts about its success. I believe that you will all join with me in feeling that our proper course is firmly and respectfully to petition the members of Council, plainly pointing out the injury to the Province that must resuit from the introduction of the proposed deviation from our Chief Survtjor's report, a report Miafc ' las co3t tndt gentleman months of ca reru l anu anxious thought, and that the members of that hon. body will, as many an eminent statesman before has done, " bow to public opinion." Look at the effect of such conduct upon the' Stock Exchange. Will not the cautious old gentlemen there, who have money to lend, watch our movements, and if they find that we t.irow aside our Engineers" reports to gratify the private interests oi those in cower— at a cost of £10,000 or £20,000 more to the Province — refuse our deb. -ntures and decline any connection with us, anl justly so, too. Again, we shall find the people of Southland and the neighboring Provinces, canvassing this, our first great step to advancement, and pointing at us as entireiy unworthy of support. I much fear the Council are not prepared for the consequences of their action in this matter, for should they drive our Treasurer to resi.rn a gentleman who is vast))' superior to any of those who would be called upon to succeed him — trie colony would suffer a very serious loss, and it might terminate in the Council being broken up, and then we should be at a deadlock, and Southland would*, to a great extent, collapse, giving Dunedin. and the West Coast the. trade that wo should ami can enjoy, for even at the present time, with allour'dilucultiei, we can forward g-.io.b to

the Lake at £15 to .£2O less than the Dunedinites can. and we need not the "West Coast, with its harbor of seven feet, when placed against our Bluff Harbor, with ariy depth, with wharf and direct rail to the Lake, occupying only six hours in reaching that envied spot. I cannot be charged with selfish, motives in taking the active part that I have done in this matter, because exparince has proved in Victoria, that directly a railway passed through the country, that day destroyed one important branch of the business that I am engaged in ; but' there is a higher ground that we all look to than that followed by a few members of the assembly — of self-agrandisemeut. Gentlemen, — I hope by your unanimous action this evening, you will impart a moral that will act as a guide in future legislation in this province, and that we shall take our posit ion in ranks of public opiniou, that reflect credit upon our common sense and clear-sightedness, and give confidence to our friends in other parts. Once more I would say firmly, but respec fully s petition the Council to meet public opinion, and grant us the direct line to the Lake. Mr Weston briefly seconded, commenting upon the injustice pi - oposed to be inflicted on the best interests of the province, and the resolution was carried. Mr Harvey (of Messrs Harvey ■end Stua- 1) proposed the fourth Resolution . — ■" That this meeting respectfully submits the preceding resolutions to the consideration of the Council, in the hope that the action taken in committee may be reconsideied, and such a course alop-.ed as will secure the speedy cor.s ruction of the direct line to Winton Bush." He thought that were the direct line interfered with, a death-blow would be dealt to the traffic af the p; ovince. If a deviation was wanted, let those who desi.ed it construct a branch line, and pay for it themselves. lie was glad to see that the Provincial Council had had the good sense that evening to adjourn the consideration of this vexed question. Unless a different view were , tken of this railway by the Council, the commerce of the province of Southland would ' gre; tly suffer. (Cheers). Mi T. M. Clerke seconded, and the motion ■\va earned. ■Vlr Miller Cof Messrs Miller and Co.) briefly moved the fifth resolution- "That Messrs Macdonal 1, Watt, Blacklock, Gilles, Tannoch and the. Chairman, be appointed a committee to pn.pare a memorial, embodying the foregoing resolutions for prcseniatiju to the Council." Mr Jamicson (of the Bank of New South , Wales) seconded, and the resolution was carried vociferously. Up >n the m >ti;>n of Mr Weston, the name of the Chairman (Mv M'Aithur) was added to ths comrnittoj. Mr Janus Tannoch move.l the last resolution—"That Mr Tarltou he requested to present the memorial to the Council." lie triu-ted the Couixcil would for once be wide : awake to the interests of the public. At this stagj an amusing contretemps took place. A shrewd auditor found that a committee had been appointed without having "had any duties assigned them, and innocently asked what they were to do. The question seemed to strike the Chairman like a fit of the ague, and he anxiously looked round for asoluiion of the difficulty. Mr Watt (\vhu had risen to move a vote of thanks to the Chairman) explained that they had been enacting the play of I la— Jet, with the Prince of Denmark left out. It was an omi.-rsion oa the part of the clerk who transcribed the resolutions. The Committee were to prepare a memorial, to be presented to the Council. He said it g.avo him great pleasure to as!c for a vote of thanks for their Chairman. lie could have wished that some hon. members had emulated the example of Mr M'Arthur, who, though he had large property in the District of Wallacetown. which the deviation lino would benefit — in fact, the proposed terminus is on his hind — 3'ct siys that he would rather throw it in "the fire, than make public interests subseive private ends. Mr M'Donnld hinted in his speech that he (the speaker) had imputed motives to seine in the Council. He had ; the acts of public men may be publicly can-, assed, and if you cannot find a motive for their conduct in consonance with the trust tie public have reposed in them, you may be sure you will find a private and selfish one. Such a motive he had imputed to MrM'Kay; and had the lion, member been as anxious to free himself from .suspicion as he now appears to be, he would have absented himself from the House during the discussion on the second reading of the Railway Bill, and not have laid himself open to the charge of prostituting the public trust to secure his personal aggrandisement. (Cheers.) A vote jf thanks was then passed to the Chairman, and the assemblage dispersed.