Manawatu Standard (PUBLISHED DAILY.) Suivant la verite. FRIDAY, MARCH 21, 1884. SETTLERS' ASSOCIATIONS.

Manawatu Standard, Volume IV, Issue 98, 21 March 1884, Page 2

Manawatu Standard (PUBLISHED DAILY.) Suivant la verite. FRIDAY, MARCH 21, 1884. SETTLERS' ASSOCIATIONS.

TH«ippniniittee appqihjejljfttja; meeting held m Woodville m January 30 to draw up tules.in. connection, with the, ' ptoposed-'SdtltWs' Association, recommended the following for adoption, v which 'contain some r valuable sugv gestions for the Information of any contemplated similai organization m tliis district. They are intet* alictds follows :— That any settler m the district shall be eriti'tledto be enrolled a member on payment of a eubscription of five shillings. The B'nbaciiption shall be a yearly one and due m advance on the 31st day of March- in every year. The shall be ten m number, and shall hold office for on« year, and be eligible for re-election. The object of the Association shall be to protect and advance the interests of Settlers — .. , , :■■: !■• •• lat,' As Golonists of New Zealand > 2nd. As settlers m the District. .. Those interests include among others— The disposal of the Waste or Crown lands J ;

rcci^nition and uriititeu- ! anco of the duties and rizhts of property and labor ; Tim rqii:il imposition of colonial iuid luCil taxation ; Tho construction and nmiutePcince of road' aii.l bridges ; The opeuiug of markets, and securing: access to niiirkets, for produce of all kinds m tho colony and abroad ; The development of industries ', ' The improvement of the system of local government. ' - 'y The advatic a ment of the Apricultural and Pastoral inter eats. With ail the objects of the Association the Delegates Bhall have to do. It shinil ' be the duty of the ' pe]£gateX.t6/ vvntch \ j close'y' all proposed legislation, and also suggest such reforms m existing le^ijb,* lation an j-hall be best fitted 'to rttmove* causes of just complaint, aud to, ndvanbe the interests of the " colony and its settlers. ..*-.*■ -.".-- < Except m cases of emergency, the Delegates shall not take any action against or for legislation until^ a /Special Meeting ot the Association shall | ha^e been conjrened^ani) approved thd proposal action.' What ia •' Emergency "shall de decided at duly con vened by Delegatee, at which two>.tbird of those present shall vote it to bd so. ' ' / i • , General meetings of the s A««ociation shall be held twice m every year, on the last Saturday m March, and the , laaft Saturday m September atiWobdville; ; i A Special General Meeting shall at any time be conreued by the. Delegated within fourteen days after h requisition to : do po, Bigned by ton members, shall have been to the SecEeJafeji^i. ■>- "^ c J Presidenf'and two Vice-Presidents shall be ex officio uienabers' of the' Dele,? acv - . . • , ! x - The President, m; ,his 1 absence; either of the Vice-presidents, shall be ex! officio Chairman of the Delegates, niid-in; the absence of*!f\ll of them, the Delegates! shall elect their own Chairman. '•■ <■ - ■■'•}• ; The Delegates shall appoint the Secretary and Treasurer to the Association, ; and, subject to the submiasion to the half- ; yearly General Meetings 'of'fxilP state- : menfs' of account, shall have control over i .the expenditure of the funUs.oMhe^AßSo"*- ; ■ciation. „ j The first General M,eetjjio; shall -elect j the President, Vice-Eresidents^an^iD,©)^.:. i gates of the Society,' 'arid m cas^,of mpie ,than thfl reqnired number being .npmina-i ted, the ;eleotion shall be decided, by a show Of 'hands. : '''."' ■> The Delegates shall regulate their own meetings, quorum; and conduct of bwst;pess. „ ■. ■ . • '■ ' ' - .'i ..It. shall be m the power of, the Asspciax .lion to eitend the district as qccasion, inny requir,e;«- : ■ ' - !'' •■ "■'" -These tery practical rules were unanimously adopted. Among , the general . s^jeetV "'sjuKsequeaflyi-' discussed were the absurdly jsmall ajtea&nd; disproporfibnately Kigh -upset prices,* of certain sectibris now advertised :for sale by aiictiOn. Also theiF irri«ilicidus ; ' subdivision/ by yvhich wlien tfte rail-' way was carried through, some of tlfe sections would be entirely cut off from water. After sdnie further debate,ifcwas resolved "That it be represented to the Waste Lands Board tliat.a. great wrong -is. being on' selttteiae^t by the Jipseb drlce^ ofßlockXf being so ridiculously high,; and the allotments too limited for purposes of settlement." ilt was further decided thai ti copy of .the, resolution should be, forwarded tjo v the. member for the district. Another matter dealt; with was the difficulty oxperienced by the settlers- m finding the proper boundaries and;Siir^ey lines of their sections?. Thertf was one case cited m point, m. which a settler got si auryeyor to qu,t.the side lines of his property,. ondr.when the iGorerhm^nt surveyor subsequently cauie, he ,''{t\\d' : settler) found he had felled about six acres for .his neighbor/. Such -jti thing as this came very ! har j "6n die smal I settler. It was. also stated that m Vicitoga IBloak" mau'y of- the' sb tilers wished to fell their bush, but could^not^do so with: any i oeptainty/^and -'when- they wentithroftgiV'they"' found 'they might have deviatedfaychain; or : '/sp/^'Tbcy were coiresponding 1 with Mi 1 Baker now aboutj the. matter, and they l jeduldhot fence, or do anything ia'fafctlj'unlWs . the pegs were put m; a Ifiivas resolved "That representations pbe.madft to the' 5 Survey Department p£ the great inconyenierice ?ause3 to: seitflers the Surley lines not brihsf dut m ' several of the blocks laid out m the Woodville district, and that the Department be i-c---quested totake stcpsto have the matter attended to and the lines cut m future." Some remarks;' having been made as to flhe disgraceful^ ai-rangements and excessive tolls 'charged at the Lower Ferry,-ifc $e#s fisol^d, " That a letter be' addressed. , Jbo-, Jhe Orou,a,r County Council a^ing%hat steps" they intend taking ; wi|bf regard :'|o the erection of a bridgejovSr-the Ld^cr^Ferry.' 1 It will be Been- from "the above what an amount of pressure, of a legitimate kind, could be brought to hear on local i^overning bodies, jind *also dir,ec% on the Legislature, through the instrumentality of 9. - Settlers'; Association. Grievances 6i one "kind J arid another, all more or less tending to retard the progress of the district, are continually gaming. to the siirjfacei wh^chjilojnp^ cb'iue within the legitimate sphere or functiou o£ a County.^Council or E.oad v ßoard, but. td; which- the influence of a Settlers' Association could be directed -with- the probability, almost amounting tp & .certainty; of, ; -beneficial results accruing. We have no doubt the .,: WoodVille district will beneGt materially by the Association now founded m its midst, and it. is equally certain. that^uch an institution ; eat^ ;! lished m Palmerston, as the centre of Manu,watu, would prove an inestimable boon to -the settlers m the vicinity. Theie is scarcely i a-. question; affecting the welfare of the farming community, (and nothing that affects the favming^ element can fail ijo'ibe/bf confeideratioif; m a g r realer'~or less degree to the wKolo*^ population) but could lie discussed by a Settlers' Association, by whose.action m refeience , 'jthere.tj), ( benefit might be'expected to result. * a body must necessarily carry a large amount of weight, and; 'could, .and L doubtless also would exercis&'a percep..tible and increasing influence for good as affecting all classes of ihe comiuuuity.