TAPANTUI.

Tuapeka Times, Volume II, Issue 54, 20 February 1869, Page 6

TAPANTUI.

(From a Correspondent.)

A public meeting was held here on Monday, the Bth inst., to nominate a gentleman to recommend the Government to appoint a Justice of the Peace for the district. We have already two J.P.s in the district in the persons of Mr. Stewart and Captain M'Kenzie, and you may fancy it a strange thing that we should want another ; but the fact is those two gentlemen either decline to act on account of the responsibilities of the office, or consider the work too onerous for them. Be that as it may, they will not perform the duties which their titles involve ; and the best course the GoA*ernment can adopt is to deprive them of their titles and appoint a gentleman who will not consider a few miles' journey too much labour for the sake of justice and good government in the district. I believe there is not a township in New Zealand which has been subjected to such inconvenience as has the. township of Tapanui during the last two years.' Men in business may be put upon by any swindler and have no means of redress — at all events the expense attending the only existing means, and the time required for carrying them out' would require all a man's time and energy. Up here, we cannot recover a small disputed debt or just debt of a few pounds unless we spend double the amount in our attempts to

get it by the arm ot justice. VV hy should not one of our J.P.s spend an hour or two once a fortnight in holding a Court for the benefit of tradesmen and others in the neighbourhood? It was from feeling the great necessity which exists for this that the public meeting referred to was held. And to show you that the Tapanui population, small though it be, is a mixture of discordant elements, even more than Tuapeka is reputed to be, I will give you a concise report of the proceedings of the meeting. Dr. Niven Avas called to the chair and explained the objects of the meeting. Mr. Strean proposed Mr. Roberts. Mr. Price objected to Mr. Roberts as he was not near enough to the township. Mr. Etheridge urged the same objection, referring to the fact that they had two J.P.s already out of the township. Mr. D. Le Bedel proposed Mr. J. C Brown, which wa3 seconded by Mr. M'Farlane. Mr. Paterson here used some libellous language towards Mr. Brown, which I know you would not care about inserting in your paper. (Mr. Paterson, I might inform you, is a very excitable individual, and showed a very great weakness in his opposition to the above-named gentleman, chiefly, I believe, because that gentleman is likely to injure his trade.) Mr. Gr. Williams proposed Mr. Logan, who was seconded. Mr. Etheridge asked if it was right to propose a gentleman who had not been asked, and therefore was not known if he would accept the appointment if offered to , him. Mr. Quin proposed Mr. Paterson, who was seconded. Mr. M'Lennan. proposed Mr. White, senr., who was also seconded. A show of hands was then taken, which gave the following result: Roberts, 4 ; Brown, 2 ; "White, 2 ; Logan, 2 ; and Paterson, more, it appeared, for a bit of fun than anything else, had all hands present in his favour. Mr. Neish proposed that Tapanui should have periodical visits from a Magistrate for transacting the necessary business of the district, and that the G-overnment be memorialised to that effect. He did not consider Mr. Paterson a competent man to fill .such a responsible position as that of J.P. Mr. Paterson said that he did not intend to stand, especially as he had been put down as a ■ — fool. — (Great laughter.) Mr. Neish's proposal was seconded and carried with only one dissentant voice, viz., Mr. Quin, who thought a J.P. would be far more convenient for the district than a Magistrate who would only pay an occasional visit. Mr. Quin then proposed that another meeting should be held on the following Monday. — Seconded by Mr. Crawford. So ended the meeting, which cannot be said to have been a credit to Tapanui. If the place is bound to go ahead, — and I believe it is, — it will not be sped on in its onward course by such a disunited, incongruous class of persons as its public meetings have shown exist within its precincts. The pound which was lately erected has been gazetted, so the squatters have gained their point, even in opposition to a numerously-signed memorial which was presented to the Superintendent. Messrs. M'Lennan, Cook, •and Mounteney, whose names headed the memorial, received a reply "from the Government to the effect that they had been too late in. forwarding their memorial, as the Government had so far compromised itself with those who had applied for a pound as to erect

one, believing that it was for the good of the district. As a pound has now been opened, the settlers must make tbe best of a bad job. Perhaps, however the G-overnment might appropriate a larger reserve for the paddock attached to the pound than the one they have set apart, which is only two acres in extent-. The stockyard, also, is far too small, and there is no water in either. Let us hope -that both paddock and stockyard may be considerably enlarged. There is no other news going here at present. We all regret the G-o-vernment should, for a paltry pittance, carry .out such a suicidal policy as that of persisting in selling the various Bush Reserves in the province, which. Reserves, in the course of a year or two, will fall entirely into the hands of private parties and speculators. But such a course is quite in consonance with nearly every act of the maladministration under which Otago groans.