PUBLIC MEETING

Taranaki Herald, Volume I, Issue 44, 1 June 1853, Page 3

PUBLIC MEETING

Agreeably with a notice in our la<-t, a public iitceiiug of the e'ectors of New Plymouth took place on Saturday evening at Mr, A. King's Auction Room, to nominate the fittest and most proper poisons to represent Ihe in in the House of Repiesentauves and the Provincial Council. Press of other matter compels us to confine our notice to a bnef summniy of what took place. Mr. Watt having Ircn called to Ihe chair, proceeded to read the adveilisud notice of irieeting, and concluded by coil" .strtii ng, it (with what propriety it is now useless to discus-,) to apply to the town not province of New Plymouth, and cxpie^sed his dc-nc to leave the chair if the meeting differed with him on that point. After a few words from Mi. Wickstti d protesting ,iga!n.st the Umata disluct being included, It was proposed by Mr Gainh, and seconded by Mr G. Cuuns — " That tho present meeting be confined entirely to the nomination of members for the town." Whereupon Mr. A. Kino proposed an amendment to the following effect — " That this meeting shall nomin.ile members for the Grey and Bell Blocks subsequently to the nomination of the members for the town," which being carried the original motion was lost. Previous to entering on the nomination, Mr. Hulkf stated that it was his intention to put the following questions to the candidates .—. — I—Are1 — Are you in favour of cheap land, and plenty of it? 2 — Will you oppose the claim made by the New Zealand Company on the colony 1 3 — Will you oppose the making of any local rates for the payment of the Superintendent or Provincial Council, or for anything olhiT than purposes of local improvement ? The following gentlemen were then propo'ed a* fit and proper persons to represent the town of New Plymouth— Messrs. Watt, Gledhill, A. King, Vickers, Black & Game. The three first of these gentlemen, ami the last, answered all the questions in the affirmative, and the remaining two were not present. The show of hands was most in favour of the first three candidates. The meeting then proceeded to the nomination of members for the Grey and Bell

district, and the following gentlemen were named in the order here placed — Messrs^ Hirst, P.mis, Ilutslhousc, Cutlield, \V, C. King, Blaclceli (seniot), P. Elliot, and W. IJjyly. j IWr. Iltusthonse, the only one of these gentlemen piesent, gave but a qualified affirmative to the questions before stated, and the meeting appeared to be most in favour of Messis, Parris, P. Elliot, Ilhst, j ami '-ntliold. Mr. Uursthouse wis afterwaids nominated as representative of the Gioy and Bell distiict in the House of Representatives, no nomination for the town of New Plymouth being originated. That this meeting can be taken as at al] iudicatmg ulterior results, is negatived by the small number of hands (in no case exceeding 20) held up for the persons pioposed. It's use must, therefore, be looked for in another direction ; and as an index of^ie mind of the Province, in relation to the capabilities and management of its New Institutions, it will not he found without its value. A new state of things is about to replace an old. This New constitution is not sent to us a.s an addition to the old i Government, but to ovenide it; ami furnishing new machinery, to give the Provinces under the influence of now institutions an opportunity of r, placing by selfgovernment the system it is ititcndad to supersede. It is l>iu 11 ration tl de ire tli.it this new system, sent for cur benefit, should not be so worked ns to ihrow fiesh burdens upon us without coircsponding advantages; and th.it it may not do 10, it is clearly necessary th.it Ihe gmeral revenue should still suffice for all the machinery of govern- | merit ; ami it mtiit be the business of those who ut.dert.ikcthe task 10 bring abutb >ut thi? result. The icsolulion embodied in this p.irt <>l tde business of [lid meeting doss not negative tl.e p.iiiiT'iit ol all or .my — it sin. ply declares that, if any nre to iccfive, the amount Must b ■ snved. Ol comae this can nnly apply to the local nuthoi tiis — the SuprrinU-ndmtiind tin 1 Council. 'The Repicsriitntives of the Province are in these mnticrs beyond our eoitto', for lliry wil| assist, id u>'im£ ihi'ir o^ll allowances indepiMi li'Dt of 111, .in I will tl >übiess have to lie p. ii<l fio 11 t'le tna-uiry of the general revenue b foie a di "is'on ol the surp'us. In this settlement, w lUI everi' thing pertaining to pingressivc m-ichinery to make, if this cannot be done, ye should hnve bi'en ' much belter off bad Sir Geoige Grey succeeded in keeping Now Plymouth out of 1 the Hat of provinces.