FOXTON.

New Zealand Times, Volume XXXI, Issue 4809, 21 August 1876, Page 3

FOXTON.

(prom our own correspondent.)

A large and influe tial meeting was held at the Athemeum, Eoxton, on Friday night, to consider the boundaries for the Manawatu county as proposed under the Counties Bill, and to protest against such boundaries being adhered to. Mr. James Collins was unanimously voted to the chair. After a few introductory remarks, Mr. Thynne came forward and stated that he had been requested to move the first resolution. He pointed out the proposed boundaries to the county, and showed that the districts of Carnarvon, Sandon, Feilding, and Halcombe were excluded, and in their place a mass of dense bush country, extremely rugged, which lies above Palmerston and far away into the back country, had been substituted in lieu thereof, and which, when developed, would be easily seized by the neighboring county upon a rectification of the boundaries, as it really had little in common or position to do with the Manawatu. It appeared that the northern boundary had been so drawn as to take away every settler in the flourishing districts of Sandon, Carnarvon, and Feilding, and was a boundary which neither map, land, stream, roads, population, port, nor market could in any way justify. This block too had been purchased and repurchased at the cost of this district years ago, by the proceeds of the sale of lands in the Awahau and Upper Manawatu blocks having been diverted from the formation of roads and bridges to securing this estate. He looked upon tins proposal a» the greatest piece of injustice out of the many acts of a similar nature which the inhabitants of this district had been subjected to. It was-esti-mated that about 2500 persons would be cut off the county, which would also be deprived of three towns, and that that district, representing a large area of good metalled roads and open country, would be more likely to afford more of an income than be the cause of a large unremunerative outlay, as the block offered in exchange must necessarily be. After pointing out what under the Counties Bill the duties of the council would be, and what after the next four or five years they will have to contribute towards, it appeared that the only land from which an income could be raised was the land around Palmerston, Fitzherbert, and Foxton ; that Fitzherbert had the large population of about six settlers; and that owing to the land on the south bank of the Manawatu to Paikakariki being native land,, and as the Highway Board had been prohibited from raising rates thereon, it was probable the County also would be, and that therefore that district could not be reckoned to find much of the revenue. It would therefore appear, with the boundaries of the counties remaining as proposed, that on about 100 settlers in the districts mentioned previously (though unoccupied lands would be rated) the heaviest burden would fall—to do what ? Why, to keep and maintain the high road from the Port to the Gorge, the road from Palmerston to Awahuri, and to the Oroua river, past Bunnythorpe ; the road from Foxton to Sandon, and towards Motoa; besides forming the various district roads through the dense bush land of Palmerston and Fitzherbert, and the swamp lands of Motoa ; to keep and maintain four ferries, three bridges, the pilot station, the roads to the beach, and in and out at Ohau and Otaki ; to keep probably five or six schools and masters’ residences, three or four police constables, one resident magistrate, and to pay a proportion of the cost of a hospital, lunatic asylum, gaol, and interest on railways ; and that our prospect of outside assistance, after the five years when the subsidy out of the Consolidated Revenue is to cease, would be the necessarily minute balance of sale of Crown lands after the cost of survey, which is always heavy in bush country, supervision and interest on railways, advances made, Sea., had been deducted ; and that within the coming five years most of the land get-at-able would probably be taken up, and that little more was likely to be sold. Taking these facta into consideration, he would be inclined, if such boundaries should be insisted on, to advocate our political extinction, and petition to be annexed to any county that would take us. He thought that if this petition were granted our position aa a county would be permanently established, and that we should be able to tide over the first five years. That the boundaries would then include the Feilding block, and the works they are carrying out in opening up the country would be of material assistance, and that the population they have to introduce would also tend to relieve the proposed taxation. That the whole district would then be connected geographically, and would work in unison together to connect each town and the port together. He trusted that he had expressed the universal opinion in stating the disapprobation we feel at the unjustifiable attempt to deprive us of a portion of the best of our district. Proposed by Mr. E. S. Thtnnb, and seconded by Mr. J. W. Liddell, —That whereas this meeting, having having carefully considered the boundaries of the proposed county for the Manawatu district, as set forth in the first schedule of the proposed Counties Billy and finding that the proposed northern boundary of such county has been so defined as to exclude the populous and settled districts of Carnarvon, Sandon, Fielding, and Halcombe, thus severing not only a present very large population, but one which is monthly increasing, from the otherwise thinly populated and rateahly poorer balance of the Manawatu district, do.hereby earnestly protest against such boundary being the boundary of the Manawatu county, and would respectfully suggest that the boundaries as described for the electoral district of Manawatu should be the bourn daries best adapted as those for the county, from their including all portions of the district which are naturally, by geographical boundaries, included in one district, but are furthermore internally attached by road and railway lines and water communication with the best and most centrally situated port on the coast, and are the boundaries most desired by the inhabitants of the proposed several portions. Proposed by Mr. Loudon, seconded by Mr. P. Coixins, —That all necessary steps bo taken to have Foxton proclaimed a port of entry with aa little delay as possible, and that steps bo taken for the formation of a harbor board.

• Proposed by Mr. Hulke, and seconded by Mr. Beatty, —That a committee be formed for the purpose of carrying Mr. Loudon’s resolution relative to port of entry and harbor board into effect.

Proposed by Mr. ThynnE, and seconded by Mr. Hulke,— That a committee of five be elected, four to form a quorum, . consisting of Messrs. Liddle, Loudon, F. Robinson, Gray, and the mover. After the usual vote of thanks to the chairman, the meeting broke up. It is hardly necessary to add that all the resolutions were carried unanimously. .