Report of Society's Meetings. 305 
would say at once, however, that he did not think Mr. 
Hodgson could have meant that, nor could he believe 
for one moment that the Government, several members 
of which he saw present, would withdraw their subsidy 
just when the society was throwing open its doors to a 
larger number of people. Government should be strictly 
impartial, but if it were to side with a party, it would 
naturally side with the poor rather than with the rich. 
Governments in these days had to show a justification for 
their existence, and the Government ought to be able to 
show that it exists, not for the good of a class, but for the 
good of all those it governs ; and he believed the Govern- 
ment of this colony too was ready to take that view. 
In fa6t, his opinion was that there were members of the 
Government sitting in the Court of Policy who, far from 
wishing to withdraw the subsidy paid to the Society, if 
the society had 400 members, would rather say, " we 
would give you a capitation grant for every member you 
get beyond the present number of enrolled members ;" 
and in that way too they might very well push forward 
the interests of the colony to a true development, be- 
cause it was only through public institutions of this kind 
that the Government could do any real good. 
Rev. John Foreman said that as a country member of 
eighteen years' standing, while he agreed with the princi- 
ple which Mr. Garnett had laid down, he could not agree 
with the terms of the motion itself, whereby town mem- 
bers would receive a reduction of $6, associates of $3, 
and country members of only $2. He thought, if the 
principle of reduction were to be admitted, it should be 
carried out systematically over the three grades which 
now existed ; and therefore, he moved as an amend- 
QQ 
