The Patea Mail. PUBLISHED WEDNESDAY AND SATURDAYS WEDNESDAY, JULY 26, 1876.

Patea Mail, Volume II, Issue 135, 26 July 1876, Page 2

The Patea Mail. PUBLISHED WEDNESDAY AND SATURDAYS WEDNESDAY, JULY 26, 1876.

i. .'lt is satisfactory .to .find-.tliatitliero .■ is - something, like, fpiihlio;- spin! still "'slnniboriug., in Pa tea,; even' though it requires the sharp - stimulus, ot sblf- ■ iutotast* to rouse' it into''action. The > > 'mooting called for this afternoon: is a "proof that; at spasmodic iniervala'/at all events, it iis possible 1 ! to secure some , ■ 'attention' to matters affectinglhphvelfaro "of the community at large, for it is • probable ■ that- a ; large attendance; of settlers ' i and- :, othor6 from; -surrohuding ' -country flistricts : will- be present.;,:’ It is to be hoped that- such an expectation. 1 will' not. bo, .disappointed,, inasmuch as the interests ot the country people iwill he as much, if not more,' affected by. the ; ''proceedings-of the present Parliament, ami tho-onfccomo of proposed legislation. !-on many .subjects specially ; affecting districts' like, that of Pa tea. Though' 'the mooting, is nominally .failed for the purpose'''bT* coifsidenhg' v the. Harbour iWorks# ;it is pretty generally understood ... -that etbeiilQaakisnbjqcts, affecting rqsi- • -dents -here, ;will, be t An traduced, and probably , .discussed,-.-.; The, ,'pYqposed - A comity boundary .question is, pup 'that will certainty crop up,, amb is, moreover, A exciting • -considerable; debate, .and :coutrovevsy in other-places, as .evidenced by’ 'the late public meeting at Taranaki, at ■ • .-pone' ex tve-.m i t y;. hy : prp.pQ§cd .meetings 'at Wairoa 'and'Waitotara, at the other. The New Plymouth people. ,as may bo

well imagined, do ..not .approve'of the limits as at present,luii] down ; ■-whilst, on the other hand, those contained within their, hounds' are generally contented'with -the '■ contemplated. nrrangeiriefnt. If, as wo anticipate, the matter ho discussed to-day, some nmre light will bo thrown on it, and a decided expression fit opinion be probably arrived, at. Another question js threatened, that,,of ...the Wanganui Small Farm Association’s application for land enrthe Opako block. Vv hat good could be done by mooting; this at present, we jail to see. Already the Government have stated definitely that no grant has been made, and that the lam! will not be dealt with' at all til! Parliament lias consol dated the laws respecting Grown Lands generally, so- there is no hurry whatever. Til any ease, it is extremely improbable that any, association would be allowed any unfair advantage; and when this is threatened, it will bo time enough to take action in opposition to it. Because an application be made, it docs not follow' that it should or would bo acceded to, and it is wholly unnecessary.to create a mythical bogy, in order to destroy it. There arc other matters that may well bo ventilated, should the gathering bo a large one—founding a Hospital here for example, or any other like important.matters that' may occur to persons present, It is not improbable that the proposed educational changes may be brought on the carpet, and, indeed, whilst about it, it would bo well to open up any and all questions, generally'■ and .specially affecting this part of the • Colony, on which any expression of opinion at a public, meeting can reasonably bo offered. Wo shall ho sincerely glad to find good .arise out of it, and arc hopeful that such will be the' case, for our readers must remember, that to gain recognition from Parliaments of all countries, constant exertion is necessary, and to gun, an inch, you must ask an ell. Without doubt the present time is pregnant with more political changes, and legislation of a more serious nature is now under discussion than probably has boon, the case since New Zealand was colonised. The del landmarks arc being changed, the colony is in, or on the eve of, a state of transition, and it behoves ail to he up and doing. We trust that the meeting to-day will prove the germ of new political vitality in this district, and that, from it and the subjects discussed at it, good may come. If this wore merely the first of a scries of such meetings, held during the session, it would be all the better, and it would bo quite possible, with great advantage, to form 'a'kind of political vigilance committee to carefully watch the proceedings of the ''Legislature,, mul call public meetings from time to time, if occasion arose, when popular opinion expressed thereat could be brought to hear. Such committees arc common in-other colonics, and frequently have worked groat good. Here, if nospceial benefit were derived, no harm could be done, and the chances would certainly be in favor of the former. As to the Harbor question, we might say, we fail to see what can bo done, unless a copy of the proposed Harbor Board Bill, already introduced, can bo obtained, for the mooting will be iu the dark as to the powers conferred therein, the endowments provided, the machinery to be set iu. motion, and indeed every essential item of knowledge .to enable it to'come to proper conclusions. In the absence of this information, it would bo better to adjourn dealing ’with the question, for there arc plenty of subjects that can be brought up without that. There is not a copy in Pa tea at the time of writing, as fur as wo can discover, but the coach to-day may yet bring one in time for the mooting. It is to bo hoped that a large muster will show up, for on the spirit shown at the present juncture may, at least in some measure, depend the issues on which all arc interested.