The Courier (Hobart, Tas. : 1840 - 1859)(about) |
Previous issue
Friday 5 September 1856
Next issue
Send to:
|
1 correction by pamela.mawbey - Show corrections
MR. CHAMP ON THE "BONUS."
At Mr. Champ's election meeting tho other night at Launceston, Mr. James Meyers said a good deal lind been said about the bonus of £6000, and he would like Mr. Champ to enlighten tho meeting on the subject (cl)uera and uproar).
Mr. Champ said, -It is perfectly truo 1 have received tho bonus. There can bo no question about the matter (uproar). Perhaps if tho gentlemen who are so clamorous will listen to me I may bu able to remove-any misunderstanding which may exist in the mutter (cheers). You all know that I have for
some time past held thu office of Colonial Secretary,: as well as other offices, and have been in thu receipt of a considerable salary. Other officers of the Govern- ment holding high offices have also received high salaries. Some two years.ago a correspondeuce took place between tho various colonial Governments and the Imperial Govurinnent, with tho view to the establishment of what is termed Responsible Govern-
ment in these colonies, tho effect of which would \ bo to displace persons holding like myself per-, uianent offices. You are aware' that every \ such officer on losing office bas a claim to' compensation. That claim is usu illy mudu to tho hoads of tho Treasury, and is ucceded to under an Act of the Imperial Pat liaoiunt. In all tho correspondency to which 1 have allnded it was mado a sine gua non that those officers of tho colonial government who would bc liable under the proposed new form of government to bo displaced from office should receive compensation. Any chango was refused, unless on that condition, Tho legislature of Van Diemen'* Land passed a law?thu Constitutional Act, which was now in force. In fact, my appearance bofbreyou to-night is the result of that law, because, had the old system continued, I would not havo been here to ask your suffrages. The bill was considered by a ?committee, of which a gentleman now present (Mr. Gleadow) was a member. Tho despatches referred to were before the committee, and in accordauce witli thoso despatches the committee inserted a clause giving me a bonus. I did not anticipate that thu sabject would havo been brought forward, or I wouU have been prepared to read you that clause, to shoiv you that I have done nothing of which I need bu ashamed. (The Constitutional Act was here banded to Mr. Chump, who read thu clause referred to.) In framing that clause thu committee had before them similar clauses iii the Constitutional Acts of the ether colonies. In Now South Wales tke officers of government wera allowed to retire On an allowance equal to the full pay of their respucivu offices; iii Victoria three-fourths, and this latter scale was adopted by the legislature of this colony. Tho last clause of the section was introduced by your lute representative ?Mr. Richard'Dry (cheers), and it gave tho officers of government tho che ce of taking a lump sum and holding office afterwards as long as they could If you suppose I had any hand in framing that clause you aro very much mistaken. Mr. Dry introduced rt, and I was very glad of it (laughter.) I was not ass enough (renewed laughter) to find fault with it (laughter). I made no -complaint (laughter), and oil' the other hand I did not consider it a bit too much (laughter), and if you will listen, I will tell why. My pay was £1700 a year, and taking iuto account thu ordinary overage of lifo uud remembering that in all human probability? ?provided of course that I conducted myself with propriety, as I always have, and trust I ever shall (cheers), I might hold my offico for 20 years to come?1 ask you is £6000 too much ? Look at it as mun of business, as a matter of il. s. d. What would any of you say in similar circumstances if deprived of tho salary of office? (A voice -" What dous the working man got when ho's got the sack?'"?great laughter). No working man can say I ever treated him so, and if any working man says that I ever treated him otherwisu than with kindness, considera- tion, and courtesy, I should like him to stand Up and say so (cheers). I mado 'the election and took the bonus, and 1 will tell why. Thc Act made it compulsory that if I remained in offico I should havo a scat in Parliament. I was a ,varo that 1 was secure of a seat; I had reason to believe that the Council and tho country were satisfied with tho way in which i had discharged my office; and I con- sidered that I might continue to hold o/lice for two or throe years longer. At all events I ran thu risk, and took the bonus-though a pension of course would have been worth a groat deal more?and I stilt think I have every chance of getting a seat, notwithstanding that-1 hear soma hisses (a laugh.) If I do not, of course I lose office?and thus ,you see my position with regard to the compensation. My conduct in this matter has led to all kinds of criinc3 and misdemeanours being attributed to mo (laughter.) I have been accused of dipping my fingers into thu Treasury whan it was empty, and I have' been told that I should have resigned. Tho Act says I may continue in office so long as I have tho confi- dence of tho parliament; and I may say that shortly before the issue of the writs, whith we d omed the proper period for tho formation of tho responsible ministry?a ministry responsible not to the govern- ment but the people?Mr. Smith (tho Attorney General) and myself, considering that the time had arrived, and that before tho general election tho constituencies should bu afforded an opportunity of expressing their opinion?suggested to tho Governor tho propriety of taking stops to form a Ministry, and desirous, at the same time, of relieving His Excellency from any embarrassment, as to the Kshoico of the ministry, wo placed our resignations in his hands, (hoar, hear, and cheers). His Excellency, however, was pleased to express his entire confidence in me, that he had no intention I should resign, and that it was his intention to entrust mc with the formation of the new ministry (cheers). His Excellency further intimated to mo that in his opinion the proper time had not then arrived for that purpose; lie preferred to wait till after tho elections. His Excellency, however, said he would take time to consider the matter, and accordingly a few days afterwards he communicated to myself and Mr. Smith the opinion he had already expressed to me person - ally, that ho did not think the time bad como for the formation of the ministry, and he declined to accept our resignations (cheers). 'Practically, however, I only hold offico until my successor is appointed; but from the handsome manner in which His Excellency was pleased to express himself, I have no doubt I shall continue to hold office if elected, and thus be in a bettor position, as a member of the Government, to benefit the town, (cheers).
The Railway to the Westward prom Laun- ceston.?" I sent up ono of tho Government survey- ors to survey a line between Launceston and the westward; We found it would pay to make such a lino, that it would return a fair inturest, and that it would be a reproductive work, and) one which the Government might fairly be asked to undertake; and it is my intention, if you give me an opportunity of doing so, to submit to the New Parliament a proposal for its execution."?Mr. Champ to the Launceston eUetors. ' . .
The Burglary at Mr. Allport's. - The two men, Thomas Dobson and John Mawbey, were again placed in the dock this morning, and charged by D. C. Dorsett with having committed this bur- glary. Evidence was given to show that part of the property taken away from Mr. Allport's was traced to the possession of the prisoners, and particularly an overcoat, which had been pledged with Mr. Roberts, pawnbroker, Argyle-street, by Mawbey, under the hame of Smith. Much evidence was given also, which would seem to connect at the proper time
the prisoners with the breaking into Mr. Owen's shopp, watchmaker, Murray-street, where a shawl, also traced to the possession of the prisoners, had been left behind. The prisoners were fully committed for
trial on the charge made against them by Mr. Allport; the breaking into Mr. Owen's shop and stealing three and twenty watches at least, of which the prisoners, as will be seen, are suspected, being allowed to stand over. The other man, John Russell, a passholder, was charged with misconduct in being in the company of one of the two men above men- tioned, and with having in his possession a skeleton key and other implements of housebreaking. On the night the three prisoners were taken into custody, an attempt had been made to break into Mr. Salier's house, in Elizabeth and Warwick-streets, and it will be remembered that, as reported on Monday, Russell, an old Norfolk Islander, was " baled up" by the constables, who, by that means, caught a friend of Russell's, who had responded to the call.- These captures were effected close to Mr. Salier's. The fellow, luckily for himself, escaped to-day with three months' imprisonment.
Modder.?A singular and very interesting en: quiry has been in progress at intervals for some* weeks by J. Whitefoord, Esq., in his capacity of coroner, aided by avery intelligent jury, assembled from the neighliourhpod of- Pontville, touching the death of Edward Adams, an aged man, who has been missing from the Old Beach since July I8;i4, much to the concern of many 1'espuotable neighbours to whoia he had been long known, and who took an interest in his welfare. 'By these individuals every enquiry and search was made after Adams, stimulated by a reward cf fifty pounds ottered by thu Govern- ment, without any trace being obtained ol' bini until tho beginning of last month, when some constables in quest of runaways found some charred human bonos, contiguous to a hut on tho Cove hill, i-coupled at the time of Adams' disappearance by ono Michael Maloney, at which hut and,in which company poor Adams had been seen on the evening of tho day he had last loft his homo and friends to return no more. Other bones in the same calcined state were found by the inhabitants who lent their efforts to tho search, until they amounted to portions (though minute) of tho whole human frame. To these were added tho buttons ol' tho unfortunate man's dress, his burnt pocket knife, and in fact some remains of every thing about him at the time of his disappearance, exe-pt his monty, which he always carri, d with him. His tools, used hy bira in his work of splitting and fencing, had been long before found hard by Maloney's hut, con- cealed in a hollow tree, including the axe, in the same state in which Adams had -sot off with it to his work
after being assisted by (onu of the witnesses to grind it on tho morning of his disappearance. His kettle,-, and pocket handuerchicf, containing his tea and sugar, wore likewise discovered in another spot, adjacent to Maloneys.hut. It was remembered by all the neigh- bours that at tho ported of Adams being missed Maloney had for rrany nigh s kept Up large fires as for the purpose of buming off the grass and turf off a small plut of ground around his hut, and more than ono of tho witnesses deposed, on the inquest, to the offensive smell and dense smoke arising from one of these fires, which were tended by Maloney himself, although at the time of their occurrence- few liked to approach thc hut, which was perched-on the steep hill side, nor to question Maloney, who kept up a fear, previously inspired in those in the vicinity, by firing Off'guns and pistols at night at that pnrticular period. Some months afterwards ho quitted the neighbourhood and district unknown to any person, only to be recalled to it a few weeks back to abide thu event of the enquiry. A great mass of evidence having been gone into to the foregoing effect, thc jury, oivTuesday last, closed the inquest by returning a verdict of wilful murder against Malony, against whom the coroner accordingly made out a warrant oftcoiiimitmcnt to take his trial before tho Supreme Court in Hobart Town.
BRIGHTON SWEEPSTAKES.
Tub fo'lowing aro the entries for the Sweepstake at
the next meet :?
Mr. James Murdoch's marc, Lola ^Montez,
3 years.
Mr. F. Hobart's Smike, 3 years old.
Mr, W. H. Meiice's b.m. Jessica, aged. Mr. J. Davis's Stranger, aged.
Mr. D. Stanfield's bl. horse Phantom, 4 years. Single event, three miles, town plate weights.
THE LAUNCESTON NOMINATION.
Tins being the day appointed for nominating-three memburs for this town in the House of Assembly, tho supporters of the various candidates assembled at hustings in front of thc Court-house, beneath a canopy of gingham, for the above purpose.
Mr. Champ, proposed by Mr. J. Crookes and seconded by Mr. J. G. Jennings.
Mr. A. Douglas, proposed by Mr. F. Evans, and seconded by Mr. R. C. Gunn."
Mr. Rogers, proposed by Mr. Richer, and seconded by Mr. W. Wilson.
" Mr. J. J. Moore, proposed by Mr. . Watson, and
seconded by Mr. Sage.
Mr. J. Matthews, .proposed by Mr. Lncke, aiid seconded by Mr. Mason.?Examiner of yesterday.