THE OPAKI MEETING.

Wairarapa Daily Times, Volume 3, Issue 918, 5 November 1881, Page 2

THE OPAKI MEETING.

ip'BENAii addressed t). meeting in the soliool-house, Opalri, last evening, About sixty, settlers were present, anuVMr.."Richard Welch was voted to the ■_ Mr.Renall, who was well received;" described tjie, manner in which lie had, at;the request of a large public.meeting, coine; forward' as a candidate, and re-, grated that no\ybunger man could have been found "to "take"'the place'"he" was" occupying. He referred to-.past experiences amongst-old Hutt settlers and his efforts to obtain land for them-Hnore especially to his successful exertions;first inj; the Assembly arid secondly.irivffie Provincial Council—in obtaining Volim-, tear grants. He : next alluded to' thedissatisfaction which he claimed was felt with' Mr Sunny and Mr Beetham as representatives otthe people, and accused the latter of begging, for votes—a thing which the speaker would never do.' He ■also attacked him as Government whip, ahd as a place-hunter—if not for himself, for "somebody else. He attacked the Legislative Council and its' honorarium. He woidd gradually abolish the Council, and reduce the number of representatives in: tha Lower House. He advocated reducing the power of the Government, and extending that of the people.- At present the people had '•-..: "Nothing to do with the taxes but pay thtm; '-/ Nothing to do with the laws but obey them,", Three-quarters of the House of Represen-. tatives came from shopkeepers and tailorswho did not represent the country. They had no rabbits on their, counters, and did not care how far a rabbit measure trampled on the rights :; and liberties of the people, The Rabbit Act was not the sort of law Englishmen should live under* arid; he hoped they would rebel against] Tlrxvenainlvenpruf^

address. He had never been a thick aud. thin supporter of any Ministry, and "had never been challenged' 5 for any vote which ha had given during'his long political career, When Mr'Beetham bea! him for the Provincial Council seat he really never came forward. His name was put up by Mi' Jackson without authority, A voice—But what are we to do with the rabbits? .'.

Mr Renall—Catch them and eat them; Mr Renall resumed his seat' amid appJause, after expressing a wish for Mr Beetnam- to address the meeting. No questions were put lo him.

The Chairman called upon Mr Beetham, who said that according to strict rules he had no right to speak, but if the meeting desired him to do so he was iii its hands, Mr Renall explained that the meetingwas called by the settlers themselves, and, he had been invited to attend it. ■ Mr Beetham then gave his views on the rabbit question. They were'listenedto with attention and frequently. ap-. plauded. He said the Government: had. been very reluctant in undertaking to work the Act. If a settler did his duty by the rabbits the law could not touch him. There was an interregnum just then, but he strongly advised them not to suspend for that reason the work of extermination at a season when the rabbits were breeding. He held that this district might be eventually cleared of rabbits. He had as awhip been able to do more for his constituents than he could in any other position. He rendered services to his party,' and the only reward he claimed was that his constituency should have justice done to it m the House on every occasion. There was not much hope of completing the railway to the Camp for the-next twelvemonths, Tne money lie had calculated on as available to continue the line had been absorbed by the Rimutaka ac-' cide'nt and by repairs lower down the'jine. Only two or three thousand pounds were left which could at present be'spent in continuing the line. '

Mr Eenall suggested that as Mr Beethftin and himself had met in a friendly manner on that occasion a joint vote of thanks should be given to them. Mr .Everett proposed a vote of thanks' to Messrs Beetham and Eenall which was' carried unanimously. ;,r Cheers for the Chairman concluded an orderly and interesting meeting.