PUBLIC MEETING AT HILTON.

Temuka Leader, Issue 1184, 11 December 1883, Page 3

PUBLIC MEETING AT HILTON.

On Friday evening last a meeting: of residents in the Hilton and Kakahu Bush districts was held in the schoolroom in the former township, for the purpose of considering the advisability of establishing a mail service for Qapes’ Valley, Pleasant Valley, Hilton and-Kakabu Bush. There were a little over 100 persons present.

Mr Rooke was voted to the chair, who read the advertisement appearing in the Geraldine Guardian convening the meeting. He afterwards stated that at the last meeting, held a short while previously, those present were all unanimous in urging that as a coach was now running three times a week from Temuka to Hilton via. Gapes’ Vaßey and Pleasant Valley the mails should run that way. There had since been some misap prehension on the subject, and he hoped they would that evening arrive at some definite conclusion. Mr Slack : Who called the meeting, Mr Chairman 1 The Chairman: 1 am sura I cannot tell you, as there was no signature attached to the advertisement convening the meeting. Mr Slack: It is a very unusual thing for any person to call a public meet mg and not sign his name to the advertisement. We have come here to-night, and, for all I know, made fools of. Mr Skinner: Oh, you need not put yourself about as to the name of the person who called the meeting.

Mr Hay : Mr Kelland was the person who called the meeting, and he would have been here this evening were it not that an unfortunate circumstance prevented him. At the request of the meeting the Chairman read the resolution that was passed at the recent meeting, as follows : —“That this meeting requests the Government to grant a tri-weekiy mail service by coach from Temuka to Pleasant Valley via. Hilton and Gapes’ Valley.” Mr Hay proposed that the same resolution be placed before the meeting for consideration that evening. The district had not had a mail service for a long time, and none except that by Pleasant Valley. They wished them to have the mail service as usual, three times a week, the only difference being that it should be established via Ternuka, whereby the whole district could be connected, instead of by way of Geraldine, as at present. The Government should _be made aware of the fact that the districts could not have an efficient mail service unless they were all connected. The proposed route might be a little disadvantageous to some, but the interests of the whole of the residents should be considered. They had now a coach Tuning on the road between Temuka and Hilton, and mails could .be delivered throughout the whole of the districts. Ho would show them an instance in which ho had suffered through the present mail service. A letter was posted to him asking him to see a friend who was in Timaru on a certain Wednesday, but the letter did not reach him till the following Monday, so that he had been unable to see this friend. The Government say they cannot grant a mail service unless it is connected with other parts of the district. When Mr Fisher was Postmaster-General, he had asked his (Mr Hay’s) opinion in regard to the mail service, and he had told him that one was wanted that was of the least expense and would mostly benefit Temuka, Waitohi Flat, the Downs, Pleasant Valley, Gapes’ Valley and Hilton. Mr Fisher said he must see Mr Slack, and that was he heard of it. His district deserved a Utile consideration in the matter. (Applause).

At the request of the meeting the resolution passed previously was again read. The Chairman pointed out that the present mail service would have to run a twelvemonth longer according to the contract, but was terminable by a month’s notice on either side. The resolution was seconded by Mr R. S. Skinner.

Mr Maylor: According to the resolution before the meeting, my part of the district, Kakahu district, will be left out altogether. Mr Mundell remarked that if it were the wish of Mr Maylor his district could be included in the resolution.

Mr Hay had not the slightest objection to this. His desire was to have a mail service established at the least expense, and for the benefit of as many districts as possible. With the consent of the seconder as well, the words—“ and Kakahu Bush, by Meredith’s,” was added to the resolution.

Mr Maylor pointed out that shortly a school would be established, and a postoffice would, of a necessity, soon follow. Mr Y 1 nndell did not think the resolution wa* 5 in proper order, as it should read “Kakahu Bush, Gapes’ Valley and Pleasant Valley.” Mr Meredith considered that Kakahu Bush should be left out of the resolution, as that part of the district was trying to get a post-office of their own. Mr Bradley: If the words “Kakahu Bush,” were altered to “Jones’ road,” on the site of the proposed loute, it would be understood better. Mr Meredith would urge his resolution that “ Kakahu Bush " be left out of the proposed route. Mr Mundell said that that would be as an amendment.

Mr Meredith : No, I wish it put as a resolution, (Laughter). Mr Slack remarked that if Mr Meredith wished it to be put before the meeting, what difference would it make whether it was in the shape of a resolution or amendment? He would propose an amendment—“ That as a large majority of this meeting are residents in Kakahu V alley, they do not represent the district affected by the proposed alteration in the mail service.” As the the Geraldine district and other places were interested in the matter they should have a meeting in a more central place, because if the resolution before the meeting were passed it would only represent, and be passed by, the Kakahu people. He certainly thought they should have a mail service, but d'd not see why others should suffer thereon. He did not think they should interfere witli other districts where the mail service had already been established for years. The letter that lie had written, and which appeared in the Geraldine Guardian, was very explicit in regard to his views on the matter. He had been buffeted by letters appealing in the same i paper against him, The one signed

•‘Kakahu” 'mist certainly have been written by a new chum, who did not understand the postal arrangements as at present existing. The writer of that letter stated that ho (Mr Slack) was supplied by Government with a private bag three days a week. Now, anyone living in New Zealand must know that Government was not so liberal as all that. It was absurd nonsense, for he not only paid Government a certain sum per annum for the bug, but he also paid the man who brought the bag. He considered they should act independently in the matter, for the two districts were divided by a range of hills, and if the Hilton people were to study their own interests, they would ask Government for a postal service of their own. Mr Kelland in his letter proposed to the districts that they should be connected, and staled that nine-tenths of the letters came from the south. He (Mr Slack) in his letter stated that his letters came from the north, and he would ask why letters from the north for Pleasant Valley should only reach there by a proposed circuitous route. He was sure that if Mr Holland had been there that evening he would see his argument. When his last lot of letters arrived by the last post there were fourteen letters in the bag, twelve of which were from the north and only two from the south. If that meeting carried the resolution he should protest against it, as his district was not represented. Plea sant Valley was a dividing line between the two districts.

A voice: Where does your district lead 1 Mr Slack : To the Mackenzie Country. A voice : Yes, to a spot where no white man would go to. Mr Skinner was surprised that Mr Slack should say that Pleasant Valley was a central district.

Mr Slack did not say it was central, as there was a dividing line. In Hilton nine-tenths of the letters cattle from the south, and at Pleasant Valley the same ratio of letters came from the north, and therefore the two districts could not be united. As for the writer of the letter signed “Hilton” saying ho (Mr Slack) was not in favor of progress, he would deny the accusation, and would instance the part he took in the agitation for the Oxford-Temuka line of railway. They had an immense amount of lime and other products in the district, and if they had a line of railway to carry them it would materially improve the value of the land. It was their mineral wealth they wanted carried to all parts of the Country, and he was certain if they only had a railway to Kakahu it would pay well. He would now propose his amendment.

A voice : Do you mean to say, Mr Slack, that this meeting does not represent the district i Mr Slack: I said that this district, Kakahu, is only represented. Mr Hobbs: Don't put this down as only a Hilton meeting, for there are several here from Pleasant Valley. Let us act impartially, and endeavor to do the greatest good for the greatest number. (Applause). Mr Mundell, though not a resident m the district, would like to say a few words. Mr Slack bad stated that if the proposed postal route were carried out Geraldine would be seriously interfered with. He presumed he was the only Geraldine man present that evening and he was as much interested in the movement as anyone. He had been a mail contractor for many years and had seriously thought the matter over. He would be the last one to in any way injure Geraldine in thought word or deed. He would say that that meeting had no right to interfere with Geraldine, but the three districts already named had a right to deal with the matter in hand. Mr Slack had told them it was not a repressntative meeting. Well, it was their own fault if they were not present, as the meeting had been advertised in the Geraldine Guardian, and every publicity given. Whatever was decided that night would be final and binding, and if people were not there to defend their own interests they had themselves to blame. The proposed service, including Kakahu Bush, could be done cheaply, and would tend to open up a very large district.

Mr Slack here remarked that a petition against the proposed service had been sent round the districts and had received a large number of signatures. Mr Boutcher said he had that petition with him, and it was signed by 136 residents.

Mr Mundell: Mr Boutcher himself went round and got the names ef Dick, Tom, or Harry. He knew he had been buttonholing an old woman who lived near him (Mr Mundell) and trying to got her signature. (Uproar.)' Mr Boutcher said such a statement was false. The petition was taken round by another person, and several had signed it. (A voice: Who cares.) He certainly did go to the house Mr Mundell referred to, but did not buttonhole the old woman. (Laughter and applause.) Mr Mundell called on the Chairman to keep order, and on the applause subsiding, Mr Boutcher continued, that he spoke to this lady and she replied that she never wrote a letter or received one, and therefore the proposed mail service would bo of no use to her. He could tell Mr Mundell she never had occasion to say she was buttonholed.

Mr Mundell remarked that, hearing Mr Boutcher was going round for signatures, and passing him one day, he feit quite slighted that he had not been asked by him to sign the petition. He never asked him but went round amongst the old women.

Mr Skinner said they had often been told they were not able to look after their own interests. A respectable resident of Geraldine was amongst them the other day who said it would ruin the place if a mail service was established for Hilton. A voice : We have nothing to do with Geraldine.

Mr Slack would ask that the names of the 130 old women who signed the petition against the proposed mail service be read over.

Mr Mundell protested against such a course. That meeting had nothing to do with petitions, and they could not vote by proxy. Mr Hobbs said that Geraldine had nothing to do with them. Why, therefore, should Mr Boutcher go there for signatures ? Mr Cooke suggested that concessions might be nude. It might be an inconvenience to some to go to Geraldine, and it might also inconvenience others to go to Temuki. What ho looked was the convenience of the whole district. When

they went to Geraldine the.v genera I y did so to buy something or other, and if they did not go there the storekeepers would mostly be the sufferers. There were people in the district who had correspondence with Geraldine and they would be inconvenienced by not getting their letters so quickly as at the present time. Ho did not think it would hurt the people of Hilton. Geraldine was not the world or New Zealand, Hilton would get their correspondence sooner by the mails going there from Temuka as proposed. The Chairman was about to put the amendment to the meeting, when Mr Mundell pointed out that that was not a formal amendment. Mr Slack should see for himself that it was out of the ordinary cause of procedure. Mr Slack argued that what was before the meeting was perfectly regular, and was an amendment to the resolution proposed. In proof of this he would appeal Mr Woollcombe, who was present. Mr Woollcombe stated that in -his opinion the amendment was in proper form, and instanced the method adopted in Parliament. One of those present here rose and told Mr Woollcombe ho was wrong. An amendment was always made on the original proposition, but it must embody matter connected with the resolution, which the amendment before the meeting did not. The amendment was then put to the meeting, when six voted for it. On the original motion being put, ninety-five voted for and five against it. The usual votes of thanks to the Chairman terminated the meeting.