Meeting at Kiritehere.

Kawhia Settler and Raglan Advertiser, Volume IV, Issue 381, 9 October 1908, Page 2

Meeting at Kiritehere.

IMPORTANT QUESTIONS DIS - CUSSED. A meeting) as advertised in recent iwues of thuSi rTi.KR was hold at tho Milling Company’s Offiou on Saturday last, when tboro was only u small attendance, owing to wet weather. Tho meeting was not ’ropiuneutMtiye, Rata* Dui, Pumaraugi »ud Maugahoo not be*

ing represented. Mr Gregg wae voted to the chair. The Secretary read correspondenc-a fn,m Meesra P. Roaf, 8. Vicaty, 8. H. C'»rr, B’- 0. Hunter and J. mH of whom were against joining an operative iftmuty, the latter, however, being in fayour of joining the Kawhia County when the lime was opportune. The Chairman »»id, before pro

ceedio* to the tms’n Htu mueUuu, that it was probably the last time ho would proside at a muetiug uf settler# as un of failing heal th nud family'bereavement he was leaving the dintric*. He also wuntod to eay, iu piHlioe to Mr Rose, that ho (the hpeaker) only was responsible for, aud wunld take al! the blame or credit, as the O'tee may be, the letters writ ton aud bigued by him lu the Eyuniug 1 Pust last year. Tho oppoiluuity h< exulaiu waa taken beoansu there were h >mo ipdividuals who thought, that Mr R rie h>d wriiteu them aud he had signed them. The speaker then asked bomeonu to move iu the matter ,uf the district pining »u operative cuuniy 3'j that the question could be discussed. Mr P. Bull moved : “ That the time had arrived when the districts of Te Auga, Pomorungi, Kiritehere aud i Marokopa should join the operative county of Kawhia.” Seconded by Mr J. Willison. Mr Kleiu xnoyed as an amendment : “ I’hat the time is uot ripe for the district to ji>iu au operative ooanty, aud that the question be held over fur an , ludefiaite time.” Sauoudod by Mr E. O; Stanley. A leugthy discosßiou then eusaed. Mr L. Armitage (Te Anga) spoke very strongly against joining any county, more particularly Kawbia, and considered solders had uo m mey for rates aud would do much better spending tbeir money on their properties. Mr P. W. Bell spoke at some length iu support of the motion. Ho considered that the districts moulioned in the resolution would be doing the beat possible thing for themselves by joining tho Kawhia County. As the dnino'A nf thn Kawhia Coiiutv Council

were very closely criticised and those of the Waitomo Council were uot it clearly showed that tl»e of settlers unconsciously looked upon the Kawhia County as the ono to eventually "pin. In connection with thirds be iustauced Huribari, remarking that before the County was formed he was unable to get them spent, but such was not the case now. Kawhia, Te Auga smd Ratanui, he thought, would be stock markets in tho near future aud the deep water of Kawhia Harbour would draw the trade of the district there.

Mr Klein thought that it was too soon to join au operative county, especially Kawhia County. Kawhia itself, be considered, was going back instead of forward. Mr P. C Rose spoke strongly in foyonr of joining the Kawhia County, and pointed ont the fact that the Go vein mt’nt insisted on any local wants being taken iu hand by a local body. Ho instanced the telephone, and now another necessity bad uoenrred—a wharf aud shed on the river—aud the Minister of Marine wanted the im provemeuts vested in a local body. No doubt during the ensuing year (ho necesnity of having a local body would crop np again, aud perhaps more than once, as lbo*d>atrict was rapidly neo giressiugr Ho agreed with Mr Bell’s i argauieul that as almost all in the district were continually criticising the ' doings of (he Kawhia Council aud uo ; notice was taken uf Waitomo and Awa- i kino it naturally showed the trae feel- : ing of the majority of the .settlers was m favour uf the Kawbia County. He contended that the idea some people had that uuoe a drutrict entered an oporative.county thc'Guverument washed its bands of it was an absurd uue, as a perusal of the estimates fur five min □ tes wuuid bear out. The speaker drew attention to the fact that uue person who had written to several settlors objecting to an opera'ive county bad insinuated that the supporters of tho movement were all engaged iu a violent struggle as to who shuald have the honor tuba the first councillor. Such an idea was, needless to say, ridiculous, as all who were at the preliminary meeting, held on Sep 6th, to consider the Minister of Marine's communication, keew wbat the present meeting was called fo**, and the conveners wore chosen then to advertise the questions to bj discussed. Air E. C. Stanley (To Anga) spoke strongly against the Kawhia County. The question of thirds, he said, was not uudoratuud, but it was very simple —both die county and the Roads Department had to spend a settlers’ thirds either lo or through hie suction. He thought the Kawbia County Ccunoil was a laughing slock for the people of New Zealand and was kuowu ns ao.ch from the North Capo to the Bluff. The natural boundary of a county was the south side of the Ka whia harbour and the south side should have nothing to do with and had no interest in Kawhia itself. T te Chairman said that the Hou. W. W. M’Uardh couaidered that die K iwhia Cuuniy was undoubtedly the best onutHy to join us die barbuur district OtiuJJ be extended to include tho Marokopa River Since then he hut aeon Chair in iu Shaw who had told him that that was not su Peraouilly he wan not in a position to know, bul i if it was impossible to extend the bar bonr area then be wan against j >iuiug au operative county. Tho amendment was then put. and carried by 10 votes to five. Those who voted against wero Messrs Bull, Wiilisou, Smith, Rose and Gregg.

IMI’ROVEMtNTH TO RIVER. The Chairman referred to die deputation to tho Premier, who replied nd vising that application he made by letter. The Minister for Marine now . said that ho was prepared to reuoin mend the erection eta whaif and shed, the Government giving £1 for £l, under tho supurvisiuu of a local body. Mr 19; C. Stanley TropOedd that lha

Government be requestod to appoint a River Board, nud said that a rating area would be required to be gazetted by Parlumuut. Mr L Armitego seconded the proAir Greug proposed as un amendment : “ That the Secretary be inHtrjMMud io wriiu to the Minister for Marine asking that the Kawhia Haib»iir Butrd be made operative and that its boundaries be extended to includoftil the districts likely tube benefit *<d by the Board.” Mr Bell and carried by

12 vot<;a te two. Messrs Rose aud Stanley wore appointed to go round with « peti’iun and secure the aignature of every settler to the effect that the districts mentioned be included in the area uf the Kawhia Harbour Board.

The meeting concluded with vote* of thinks to the Chairman and Secretary (Mr P. C. Rose).