WAVERLEY MEETING.

Patea Mail, 21 July 1881, Page 2

WAVERLEY MEETING.

C O UN T Y REPRESENT A TION.

A public meeting of electors in the Waverley Riding, convened by the Chairman of the County Council as the result of In's visit to Wellington, was held in the Town Hall, Waverlr-y, on Tuesday. The advertisement had appeared only that morning in the Coukty Mail, and many settlers living off the main road do not see their local paper till evening or the next day, according to the distance they have to send for it. The fact had been notified also in the Wanganui papers, but their circulation in this district is too small to be taken into account for local purposes. The meeting was convened for seven o’clock, at which hour hardly a dozen electors were about. By a quarter to eight, perhaps forty electors were present, including four or five settlers. A deputation from the Patea public meeting had driven to Waverley, to invite their neighbors in the Waverley Hiding to join the other Hidings in forming a united County constituency, with a separate voice and representative in Parliament. The deputation comprised Messrs* Aitchison (chairman of meeting), Taplin, Chapman, Coutts, J, Gibson, and 11. Horner. There were also present from Patea Mr R. C. Tennent, Dr Keating, and Mr Houghton. Mr H. F, Mason was proposed as chairman of the meeting, but having a cold he declined, Mr G. S. Bridge was then elected to the chair. He said : I should have preferred not to take the chair, as I wish to express my opinion on this question whether the electors in Waverley Riding should join the rest of Patea County, of which we are a part, in obtaining County representation. I will take this opportunity of saying that, in my opinion, it would be to our advantage if we were joined to the rest of Patea County as an electoral district. We are already a portion of Patea County ; our interests are becoming more and more united with these of Patea ; and when the railway goes still farther north we will have more to do with Patea than we have now. I hope that day won’t he far distant ; that the railway communication will soon unite the whole district. Is it likely, after that railway communication is given, that we should continue to send our produce and import our stores over 30 miles of railway when we should be able to get to Patea port in 10 miles? One reason perhaps that there has been a division of feeling—l can hardly call it a division of interests—between those who live in the Waverley Hiding and those who live in other parts of the County, is that a great number of those who belong to the Waverley Hiding came from Wanganui. Their associations were there, and some of the settlers still hung to Wanganui. On the other hand a great number of those belonging to Patea—l don’t mean the town but the district northward of the Whenuakura river—had been Taranaki * people, and of course they have remained more inclined to Taranaki, or at any rate they don’t look on us as belonging to them. I have not noticed it so much lately as some years ago, even after we had been made a portion of the Patea County : Waverley was hardly looked on as being a part of the Patea County. Even with tbe newspapers you will find the same thing. Until lately, the Patea paper used to take very little notice of what was done at Waverley. I don’t think we have found that it has been to our interest—l am not going to say anything for or against our present or former representatives in the Wanganui electorate, hut I do not think we have found it to our interest to be at the fag-end of the Wanganui electorate. Just look at the railway. The formation was done to Kai Iwi, and remained about years, and then the permanent way was made. See how fast the railway lias been made from the other’ end to Normanby, while the railway that should have gone through the settled portion of the district is still unmade. If you remember, when the Counties Act came into force this main road was in a very bad state. The Wanganui County m Council that had their home among them managed to get fifteen hundred pounds to put that road in repair, and they were able to do without a County rate. We could not get anything to put our road in repair in this district, and we had to tax ourselves to do it. I think if we were able to have a local representative, our local matters would in the same way be far better attended to; and I should be in favor of Waverley Riding joining the rest of Patea County and form ing an electoral dirtrict. I believe we have more than enough in the County now

to entitle us to a representative under the Redistribution Bill that is going to be brought before the House, I believe we have about 900 more than the required number. (Applause from the Patea deputies.) A long pause. William Osmond, a warrior of old, now known as “Billy when he’s primed,” said: Is Patea river of any use to the Waverley people, only for coals ? (Laughter.) Chairman • I was speaking to a Waverley tradesman to-night, and he informed me that he considered even now, although he would have to carry his goods by road, it would pay better to get goods direct from Wellington to Patea and up by road, rather than direct from Wanganui. Osmond : You are living here in Waverley, Mr Chairman, and I should truly like to know what interest you have in Patea. Waverley has been' regularly done by Patea in the Racecourse. Since we got out of the Patea race meeting, we rose hundreds and hundreds of pounds. The Patea Racecourse is in debt up to their eyes for money they can’t pay. I consider you, Mr Chairman, ought not to be allowed to speak at all. (Applause and laughter.) If you want to get in the House, it is the Waverley people will put you in ; and I think you ought to stick up Jor Waverley, as you live here. Chairman : I must ask if you are going to propose a resolution ? Osmond; Most decidedly not. Chairman : Then ait down. Osmond : I’ve nothing to sit on. (Laughter.) Mr G. Newland : I propose that this nyeting adjourn till sufficient notice be Wren —till this day week. We could not take .the opinion of the Waverley Riding to-night. Mr F. P. Fookks : I second]that. I do not think sufficient notice has been given. In a place like this we require one week’s notice, at all events, before we can get an opinion. Mr S. Tadlin (Patea) : In speaking to the motion Voice : This is a meeting of Waverley electors. Mr Taplin : My name is on the Wanganui electoral roll, and I suppose that gives me • a right to vote in this district. There is no doubt the Waverley Riding is not properly represented at this meeting, but there is an object in having this meeting called here early, I understand indirectly from a Minister that the Redistribution Bill is likely to come before the House at once, and the object in calling us here at so little notice was to get an expression of opinion from Waverley electors in order to let Major Atkinson know how to act, and to strengthen his hands or otherwise. Perhaps in a week’s time the Bill may be introduced. Mr G. Newland : My idea in proposing adjournment is that if sufficient notice had been given this hall would have been filled ; and I think on a subject of this sort we should have all the electors present. Billy : I consider Major Atkinson is to be made the member ; that if he is to be the member from Taranaki to Waitotara, he will have a great deal too much to do. He never extends his charily above 25 miles from Taranaki, and the money he gets he spends at Taranaki, and I consider he is not a fit man to represent Waverley, He don’t do anything outside the 25 miles, and there ought to be a member between. Chairman : The Patea County does not go within 25 miles. The boundary is a long way from his residence. Billy : Patea is always wiring into him, and then they come hero and back him up. Mr R. Horner : I am here to represent a deputation from the public meeting held at Patea. We don’t wish to intrude, but ask leave to explain what we did at the public meeting, and why we are here. It is for you to say whether you will hear what we have to state, or not. The Chairman asked the meeting to say, by resolution, whether they would hear the Patea deputation. Mr Taplin : The Chairman has power to rule that without a resolution. Cilmrman : I don’t think I have power to ivteiat jaiy but electors can speak. Mr Winchcomb : I beg to propose, so far as fair-play is concerned, that as these gentlemen have come all the way from Patea to enlighten our darkness on this matter, it would be nothing but justice to hear them, and I propose that the deputation be heard. Seconded and agreed to by vote. Mr Horner : At a meeting held in Patea on Saturday evening, we were unanimous as to the importance of getting a County Representative under the Redistribution |

Bill, as the County has now sufficient

population to entitle it to a member. Therefore the opportunity wo thought should not be lost, if we could get the whole County unanimous at this time. Your Chairman has said that the County is working together as a County in nearly everything but political representation, and it seems rather unreasonable that one portion of the County should be cut off from the rest in that proper political action which is desirable for the district as a whole. I look on the Colonial Treasurer as a very able man, and one the colony could ill spare ; but I do not wish to introduce any party considerations. As a united County our voice will be heard in Parliament, but as a divided County we shall have no distinct voice. I am not here as one interested in the trade of Patea township, nor to set one part of the district against another ; but I say all these commercial interests will flow in natural channels when we get the railway’ through. Trade must flow along the most profitable channels, and it behoves all —particularly the Waverley district—to consider whether they will not be more fully and directly interested in joining the Patea County, and be the menus of obtaining direct representation. We find tbo County has about 900 over the minimum required by the Bill, and I don’t think that embraces a great many now going on the Waimate Plains. I hope that at the adjourned meeting now proposed there will be a full attendance, and I hope you will see that it will be to your interest to join the County for direct representation. Billy : No doubt if you bring another member in besides Major Atkinson it will be carried. Mr Tarlin ; It is quite on the cards that the member for the County may come from Waverley. Billy : If the last speaker is to be the member, I have no objection. (Laughter.) Mr Aitchison : We do not come here to enlighten the darkened understanding of the Waverley people. We fully recognise that they are quite equal, perhaps more than equal, in political intelligence ; but we thought they might not all have seen the report of our Patea meeting ; and to make sure that they would full}' understand our motives in that matter, the meeting thought it would be better for a few to come as a deputation. Our only object in coming is to invite the Waverley electors to join us in securing a representative for this splendid County. It is granted by all who have travelled the colony that this is one of the finest Counties in it. It feems to us a great pity to cut it up into small electorates. It is doubtful;whether you would secure the same direct advantages by being tacked on to the tail end of Wanganui. We do not come to advise, but simply’ to lay our invitation before you. Mr Coutts : I do not think the Waverley electors could be much better represented than they are at present, but it would be much better if the Patea County could have a member for itself, by the whole electorate joining together as one united County. Unity is strength in this district, and when there is such difficulty in local bodies finding ways and means to carry on local works, we should be better placed by having one member to represent our united interests. We don’t expect we shall have that member in Patea. You have been longer settled than Patea. If you can produce a good man we should be happy to give him our vote. I have been often asked by people outside what sort of a County this is, and I have said it is the best in the colony in my opinion. I should like to see it represented by one member, and that member should be able to say in the House that this is one of the finest Counties in New Zealand. Mr J. Gibson : As one of the deputation and a very old] settler in the district, I may say that whenever y’ou see a number of business men coming out, you may be certain there is something selfish attached to it. You may infer that we are looking after our interests in coming here. We in Patea are similarly situated to the Waverley electors : we are at the fag-end of the Egmont electorate. You are part of the Wanganui electorate, but in a separate County, and when the repairs of the main road came into consideration, the grant was given as far as Waitotara river, and it stopped there. We, on the other hand, experience the same neglect in our district. Railways and roads are pushed on from the other end, and they are neglected here. No railway in New Zealand will pay better than the length from Wanganui to Hawera, through a settled district, while in fact the railway has been pushed on through the unsettled district, simply because Waverley on the one hand and Patea on the other have

been divided between two electo.al districts. Join these together, and giv.* ns representation as a County, and I think the neglect we have suffered will become an affair of the past. We shall have some one to say what we want, and we shall have a power to exercise in Parliament. Billy : I will tell you what is wanted — a new Government altogether ; a different Government from what has ever been yet. I want anew Government, and 1 will have it. (Laughter.) The Chairman put the motion for adjournment. Billy : The amendment is that the bellman must ring a quarter before the time. (Laughter.) The motion was carried unanimously. The time fixed is 7.30. Mr Hobneb : I beg to thank you very kindly for your attention to the deputation from Patea. Mr Newland ; I hope we shall see you all here again. Thanks to the Chairman closed the meeting.