THE REMEMBRANCE OF A BIG MEETING.

Wairoa Bell, Volume V, Issue 168, 21 October 1892, Page 6

THE REMEMBRANCE OF A BIG MEETING.

Although I have been silent for a long time I have by no means lost my interest in the district situated ou both sides of old Wairoa. My miud often turns back to the many incidents of the rough, but on the whole happy life I lived for a few years on the saw dust, and among the friends X have been privileged to find, in several parts of the world, I set some of those on the river in the warmest place in my heart. For some mouths I have been, thinking at odd intervals about the big meeting that was held in the Aratapu Hall to say good bye to Mr Richard Monk. Now it ill becomes me to say anything in praise of Mr Monk to any of the old Aratapu hands ; he needs no words of mine in that direction, hut this I may say, that in the years that have passed since we used to see his familiar figure * flying around ’ in the yard, he, in common with so many others of the old Company, has not ceased to cherish the family feeling that did so much to lighten the toil. It was but natural then that when he parted from Aratapu that the sorrowful event should be duly noticed, I am sometimes inclined to think that if a true account of all the much varied, many meetings, that have been held in that hall could be put in a volume, or rather a series of volumes, the kauri building would show a more record than could be presented by some buildings of brick or stone ; and the meeting I am now referring to would not he one of the least. Of course there was the comfortable social tea. It has fallen to my lot many times both before and since my Aratapu sojourn, to take part in what the promoters fondly consider to be the only correct social meal, ‘ a public dinner,’ with the set toast drinking following. Even when the wai pirou is vanished I confess to a feeling of discomfort, as if I was forcibly being born backward in the world’s history, and I think that if some of our fashionable, would-he wise ones, could once enter into the spirit of one of the Aratapu teas, they would never more want any ‘ dinners.’ If any one is disposed to dispute let Mrs Corkill decide. But it was of the after-meeting that I wish to speak more particularly now : there -was the address and the hooks, and also the several speeches; after which Mr Monk had to reply. What he said fell hard on me, hut I fear that very many have forgotten, and some people on the river now never had-the chance to hear. Some words in the address spoke of his enterprise in founding and struggling through the earlier difficulties in connection with the saw-mill industry. Mr Monk used the words as a text to some strong remarks on the enterprise, or rather the lack of it, shewn by many of those present who, year after year, clung to the Saw-mill life and the wages, instead of striking out ou tho land and forming homes of their own. Now I have reason to believe that Mr Monk clid not speak without realizing the far-reaching character of his words. I know more now than I knew then, and although I have not lost one whit of my enthusiasm for a country life, I am better able to estimate the unfairness of our social make up, and the weight of the burdens so carelessly, perhaps I ought to say wickedly, put on the shoulders of the settler. I know that as the years roll round the difference, once great, between the earnings of the cockatoo and wage-earner grows less and less ; I do not want to see the balance arrived at, and by and bye a big difference on the other side, because the wages have been reduced ; happily for us we have little cause to fear this calamity in New Zealand. But this is one of the lessons that I get from Mr Monk’s remarks, that the so called working-man, even if he has no ambition towards becoming his own boss, should use all his influence towards helping those who are really and truly laying the foundation of our national prosperity. No language that man can use can increase the importance of the fact, that as one after the other of our industries have shewn signs of shrinkage, our wool, frozen mutton, dairy produce and, to some extent our fruit industries, have developed, so that we have not only not sunk, but we have steadily, even rapidly risen, Mr Editor must pardon me—the wranglers in Wellington have not helped in this grand work ; and if many of our town-dwellers had according to their deserts they would go to bed supperless, But it is no part of my work lo stir up class feeling, if I appear to be a little vexed it is because I notice that there are still a few people using the old parrot cries. I confess that as I try with all the powers I am possessed of to watch the mighty social revolution so quietly and safely taking place in Britain, I think of the vast resources entrusted to the keeping of a handful of people here, and wonder how it is that we have not yet understood their value; I have watched with considerable interest the starting of the Northern Wairoa Agricultural and Pastoral ikssoc-iation, and have expected in due course to see a Show announced, but I could not understand a remark made that the officers (or leading spirits) were not going to depend on a Show like the people of Okahiau. As I am shy in admitting the great weight of tho remarks of any man as he ‘ putteth on the armour,’ so am I shy in claiming any g'reet weight of my own ; but I cannot help thinking' that if any of your football clubs advertised meeting's to discuss football, and never played, that they would never become very sufficient. Referring again

to Mr Monk’s meeting, I believe he would . have said that ocular demonstration and fair rivalry would kindle interest quicker than any essays. It may be that the Show is to follow- in the Autumn, when the fruit is plentiful. In any o.i se ‘ may it be a success ’ is the wish of Old Aratapu.