MR SEDDON AND THE WESTLAND COUNTY COUNCIL.

Kumara Times, Issue 1064, 27 February 1880, Page 2

MR SEDDON AND THE WESTLAND COUNTY COUNCIL.

PUBLIC MEETING AT DILLMAN'S

TOWN.

The large room at the Empire Hotel was crowded on Wednesday evening last on the occasion of Mr R. J. Seddon, M.H.R., addressing the electors he had for some time represented in the Westland County Councils Mr Beatty was voted to the chair, and explained that the meeting had been called for the purpose of giving Mr Seddon an opportunity of explaining the cause that led him to resign as one of their members of the Westland County Council. Mir Seddon, after apologising for his want of puuctuality, stated that he had come before them to explain his reasons for resigning the trust they had reposed in him as their representative in the Westland County Council. As miners, if they wanted to remove a large boulder they called on others to give them a lift; the crowbars went to work and the boulder was removed. In this instance the boulder was the .County Council, and he required assistance for its removal [A Voice V "Get the crowbars, boys,"] [Laughter.] What, he would ask, had the Council done for this district during the last eighteen, months 1 It might be classified under the head of "Nil." Certainly the Council had promised to make a dray road between Dillman's.. Town and Larrikins, which had not yet been carried out, although nince that pledge was given many fresh works had been undertaken and completed. The track between the Christchurch road and Dillman's Town, which was commenced eighteen months ago, was not yet completed, nor was it likely to be for some time. Had the Council the interests of the district at heart, this track would have been made into a dray road some time ago and the mail coach from Christchurch would have passed through* Kumara on its way to Hpkitika,; He felt a delicacy'in alluding to the Arahura Road Board,- which was like Mahoraetls coffin—suspended between heayen.and earth—neither alive nop dead. This.unsatisfactory state, of affairs occurred through the ill-advised action ot the County Council. , Twice had the ratepayers been asked by the Council to petition for the merging of. the, Board ; twice had they done so ; and'twice had the Council refused to accede to the very request they they had solioited. Meetings, had been held through the various centres of population, at which one and all agreed that it was advisable for the Council tomergathe Arahura Road Board ; lawyers had been consulted, and a deed drawn up, and yet the Council, after saddling the ratepayers with all the extra expense, ignored their wishes. When he attended the first meeting of the County Council after his return from Wellington, the matter was again brought forward, and carried on the casting Tote of the Chairman, the resolution being—" That this Council, by special order, declare the Road Board of the Arahura Road District, County of Westland, to be dissolved on and from the 11th February, 1880, and the said road district to be merged in the said County of Westland on and from the said 11th February, 1880." . On a division, the votes were—Ayesj 4: Crs, M'Whirter, Sandle, Jack, and Lang (Chairman); Noes, 4: Crs. Grimmond, Hirter, Dale, and M'Goldriok. Subsequently, the following resolution was carried—" That this Council will definitely agree to pass resolution confirming resolution passed, agreeing to merge the Arahura Road Board,-on. the 11th day of' February, 1880, provided a deed be signed by the I Board's creditors, agreeing to take the Council's bills for payment of their respective accounts, at 6, 12, 18, and 24 months, from Ist March, 1880. Alsoj that the. Council authorise their solicitor to draft the necessary agreement, and to forward same to the Chairman of the Road Board ; any reasonable expenses incurred in getting signatures to deed to be paid by the Council." A division was also taken on this, with the following result—Ayes, 5 : Crs. Seddon, Sandle, Jack, and Lang; Noes, 4 : Crs. Grimmond, Hirter, Dale, and M'Goid-i-ick. By this it would be seen that the Chairman (Mr Lang) voted for the merging of the Board on both occasions. He was instructed to get the deed signed, which he did, and everything that could be possibly done was done, as requested by the Council, and he thought they had no loophole to get out of. Now he would ask how some of those members, within a month afterwards, could concienciously vote in direct opposition to the very resolution they had previously supported. He was under the

opinion that the Council were bound in equity to carry out the agreement they had made ; but Mr Button had told him subsequently that, although the ( Council had sailed very close to the wind, they had not committed themselves. At the time the resolution was passed affirming the desirability of merging the Road Board, there was nothing said about the floods, as none had taken place or were expected, so that the Council could not have broken their agreement, on that account. In other parts of the colony each riding had a separate account kept of its revenue, and should another riding be in trouble, the amount was advanced and debited against it for repayment at a future date. During the last twelve months ho money had been expended in this district, and yet it contributed £B,OOO to the revenue which had been spent outside its boundaries. When it came to this he thought the best thing he could do was to resign his position in the Council as their, mem* ber, and if this was in accord with their wishes, he expected they would support him in his. future action j if not, they would still be good friends, and he should yet have their interests at heart as a private individual.—[Applause.3 He came to his constituents on the ground that the County Council had not the least sympathy with this district. When, some nine month's ago, a resolution was brought before the Council for the purpose of reducing the amount 6f the miner's right, the. Council at once negatived it. When he was in Wellington the same County Council got into a* great state of excitement because there was a bill before the House, to reduce the gold duty, and these wise men transmitted the following telegram through the Mayor of Hokitika who was also a member of the Council: " It is a serious, thing to abolish the gold duty, which ._ comprises i ninetenths of the county revenue. How on earth are the roads, tracksj- and bridges of this immense country to be maintained, if the main source of revenue is cut .away t We must close the county office, if this becomes law. 'No one complains .of"the tax here, which is a' fair one f.£5000 of every £6OOO received by. the county is for gold duty."—[Oh! Oh!] This was the ■Council who were chiefly returned by the mining community and wlio threw a sop to the miners in' the shape of proposing to reduce miner's,, rights,., while they clamoured for the gold,duty W;-jbs-jretainSßd» •Wheredid this between I £6ooo and £6OOO come from ! Why, 'at the> least two-thirds of it came from" this district; .and they 'say it is a fair tax,' and you. do • not. complain. [AYoice : -We'll complain then"— Laughter.} .The men who formed the majority were simply apoligists f<jr Jacksons Bay, Okarita, ;aiid the Kanieri, although.he admitted that Mr Jack had seen his mistake, and had tried to get justice done .to., this,, district ~ Mr Grimmond, at a public meeting held in. Kumara, had to acknowledge that he had made a slight mistake of £SOOO as to the amount of ;mpney expended in :<tbis.' district. Of Mr Hirter he could say. that, if he had not been .returned by the business peopleof Ross, he never wpuldhayebeenby the miners. . He did not believe in so many local bodies, as they were. already and the principal portion of the revenue was ..absorbed in administrative expenses ; but. theymight as welt spend a third and get something, instead of, as at present, spending the third and receiving no return. The Ross borough, for instance, had protected themselves and the interest of the district.'by giving a guarantee to the Government, when private enterprise would, not under-' take it, .the result being the. construction of the Mikonui water race. If a similar thing had been done here the slude-channei would have . have been carried .out long ago. .They 'must go in for self-protection, and with that end in view request the Governor to to incorporate Dillman's Town and Larrikins' in the Borough of Kumara, and it might be fairly said that the, interests of the" three places, were identical. [Mr Seddon has read several clauses from the Municipal Corporation Act, to show how a borough might be enlarged, or a new one constituted.] Another thing they could do was to petition for a? borough of their own, and the revenue now going into the County Council they would have for disbursement in the new .borough if formed. Lastly, they could do away with . the borough 'of Kumara altogether, and make a nj6w county, extending between the Arahura and Teremakau rivers. He felt fully confident that if any of these steps were taken the County Council would be brought to their senses, and would ultimately succumb. As a glaring instance of the manner in which the Council considered the requirements of this district, he might mention that when a committee was considering the question of Charitable Aid, he suggested to subsidise the various institutions in the several ridings in the proportion of one-half to the amount of subscriptions raised therein; ' this would have, entitled the local Hospital to the sum of £250, the Hokitika one £450, and the one at Ross to £25. [Hear, hear.] However, his suggestion was not acted on, and the Council voted the sum of £75 for the Hospital here, and

% similar amount for the one at Boss; 'whereas the weekly average of patients at the former was 16 atod the latter 2. Not content with subsidising the local Hospital with the smallest possible amount, they actually voted the Bokitika Benevolent Society, which had nothing to do with the County, the sum of £IOO. It was not that he was the least afraid of the Council that he had resigned, because on a matter of principle he was prepared to stand there alone and fight the battles of the district one way or another for the next twenty years if they chose to send him back again. He had done what he believed right, and he trusted that if his constituents were of the same opinion they would support hun in his action.— [Applause.] ■ The CHAntttAtt said it would be for the Meeting to endorse the action of Mr Seddon, or otherwise, by resolution.. Mr Morris considered that Mr Seddon had taken the proper course, under the circumstances, and aaoved— Ml. That this meeting approves of the •course pursued by Mr Seddon in resign* ' ing his seat as a member of the Westland County Council, that step being the proper manner to protest against the insult given by the Council to this district, by j their refusal to merge the Ar&hura Road j Board, after having been twice petitioned j to do so. "2. To offer the paltry sum of £76 as an annual subsidy to the Kumara Hospital was another deliberate and studied insult. "3. Thatj inasmuch as. this district, whilst contributing more than half the .... entire revenue of the county, has not>in ... the, past received (nor in the' future is there any prospect of it having) a just expenditure on works necessary for its advancement and prosperity : this meeting is of opinion that steps should be at » once taken to sever all connection with

the County of Westland. That the cooperation of the inhabitants of Stafford and' Goldsbotough, and Kumara be asked to the movement. That a' petition be signed and forwarded to his Excellency the Governor, stating our grievances, and asking him to issue the proclamation required by law. Also, that copies of the Resolution passed be forwarded to the* members for the district, and they be asked to aid in procuring the issue' of the proclamation,, either for annexation to the Borough of Kumara, or for a separate County, or separate Borough* "4» That Mr Seddon be requested bo allow himself to be nominated again to the Council) with a view of watching the interests of the district, pending arrangements; and during the period which must .elapse before the course as prescribed by law can, be gone through to effect that desired by this meeting. M The resolution was seconded by Mr T. Browa.

"Mr : R. M'Kenzie did hot agree with 'that pdrtion of the resolution referring' to the; amalgamation of Dillman'a Town with . the Borough of Kumara, as he considered that: the Borough Council of that town • had treated them worse than the County Council, inasmuch as it had given nothing towards the lecal Hospital, and yet they could ,vote £3O away. for. a banquet. He moved as an amendment " That the suggestion ito extend the Borough of Kumara so as to embrace BiHman's Town and the Larrikins be struck out from the resolution." '

Mr J. Chbisuan seconded the amendment. ..•■••

MrBABFF, in speaking to the amendment, said that although he agreed with Mr Seddon relative to the treatment the district had received at the hands of the County Council, yet he did not believe in that portion of die resolution relative to formation of a larger Borough, as, if this was carried out, the inhabitants of Dill» man's _Town would curse the day on which it took place, for if they came into the hands of the Borough Council of Kumara they would be treated like dogs. The municipal elections were always very tame, and -none of the candidates explained their views to the ratepayers before they were elected; consequently, until after they were returned no one knew their capabilities for the office they aspiredto. As one who had twenty-nine .years' experience in the colony and the interests of this district at heart, he Would =ask them to well consider this numerously"clausedresolutionbeforetheyrecordedtheir votes in its favor or otherwise. He thought they might do far better by joining a powerful County like the Grey—[Voices c *' No connection; they have too many Masters there, already."] They were •called on to give a vote in the matter, but he trusted they would not get into a worse hobble. ■ The amendment was then put by the Chairman five hands being held up in its favor; after which he put the original resolution, and declared it carried unanimously.

An executive committee, consisting of Messrs Foldi, Peterson, Ryan,. Jones, and the Chairman (with power to add to their number,) was then appointed for the purpose of taking steps to give effect to the resolution.

A vote of thanks was, on the motion of Mr Seddon, accorded to the Chairman, and the meeting terminated.