MEETING AT MAURICEVILLE.

Wairarapa Daily Times, Volume 3, Issue 943, 6 December 1881, Page 2

MEETING AT MAURICEVILLE.

Yesterday morning Messrs Beetham Renall met the elector* in the school- "'▼ house. The meeting was attended by-' about 50 settlers Mr Gunder Gunderson took the chair, on the motion of Mr' Johnson. The Chairman stated that the meeting had been convened by the Mauriceville Committee, and called upon Mr Beetham ' first to address the settlors. At the suggestion of Mr Beetham, the Chairman put the question bb to whether an interpreter should act fortho speakers, and it ma decided that Mr Aulin and ! Mr Jagerhorn Bhould undertake this duty.' Mr Beetham said he understood that the electors had expressed a wish that both candidates should appear before them. He and Mr Renall both agreed that on the present occasion it was desiraable that they should answor questions' rather than make long addresses. He did not come before them as a new can-1 didato. He believed' that they knew what he had done for them in the past, and that they could judge from that what he was likely to do for them in the future, Mr Renall, on. a former occasion, questioned at Maurioeville his conduct with respect to the rabbit question, and. his position as Government whip. These : "■ were the only points.he proposed to j ' touch npon, He had for two years ao'ted ! '' as whip to 'the i Government, and in acv /"' '" cepting the office he bad done the.best'he .] . 'could'for the Colony-in keeping the i 'Go-' il i : "'' vernment in rJower, and guiding their . measures for the benefit of the whola'of i\ '

New Zealand. Mr Rcnnll hnd told them -« and others that he had had no opportunity of doing them justice. They did not, he felt sure, believe this, hut what' be , complained of was that Mr Renall, as an j old member, ituoy. welt that ft whip had a better chance observing his constituents than any other member,, and should not ■have made:such a statcmont. He con-' eidered that Mr Renall bad not treat cd him fairly inVinsinuating that h< had iieglected bis district. Since lie was last f there ,tl)eJß|j¥orninent had called 1 for ' of rabbits on CrownJjSJwjiid tenders were being received fronKfJettks who had blocks of land adjacent to • these Crown lands. Ho wis glad to hear that tho Government wer doing their duty, and settlers wore doit 5 their beat-to assise theln, He con- _) side ed, and always,had considered, that tho irices fixed on bush country in Crown lands were a good deal too high. If ngai 1 returned he would consider it bis dut.i to insist, as far as possible, that the pric is of the land around Mauriceville shoi Id be reduced, Tho Government had instructed tho County Council to call for tenders for constructing three miles of road to Mauriceville. The money Voted during tho past session, amounting to £BOOO, had to ho spent in opening up Crown lands, and thoGovomihcnt directed the expenditure of the money through the County, so that as much land as possible Bhould be opened up, but in most instances the recommendations of the County Council would be' accepted by the Government, He would he happy to answer any questions which might bo put to him. Mr Renall said the reason why he to there that day was because Mr Beetham * in his former representation of the peoplo had;not given satisfaction. The electors, more particularly in Masterton, came forward and asked him to be a candidate and he refused. In consequence of his refuasl a requisition signed by about 140 or 150 people was presented to him, asking him to Mpressllis views at a-public meeting. _ Iu consequence of that lie called a public meeting and expressed his views. Mr Beetham's friends thought that for that explanation he should rsceivea vote of thanks. This he refused as he' considered that he should either have their confidence or nothing. Three parts of the, people present (Mrßeetham: About twq-thirds) gave him a vote of confidence, and so he came forward. He had been both in the Provincial Council and General Assembly in former years, hut had retired from public life. 'When he , was in the Provincial Council thirty-four years ago he got the land for the working people at ten shillings an tiers, and a pound for town acres. While lie remained in tho Council iuid the Government the price of land was never raised mi the peoplo. Mr Beetham had failed to show that he had ever taken any action to reduce the price of land. In the blocks the speaker had to do with the working man, drew lots for choice. Had he remained in the House he wouii'i have done his best to keep blocks, from being put up to competition. Roferring lo Mr Beetham, he Biid his Rabbit" Act (here the speaker laughed heartily) was a disgrace to the Statute Book of New Zealand. He believed Mr Beetliam had *" ' .taken an active part in introducing the rabbits (Mr Beetham: Certainly not), at any rate he was a member of the Acclimatization Society. At all events the fanners did not : bring them themselves. Before.Mr •Beetham took the rabbit QUestlWup he ought to have called the fSmers together, Mr Sutton had - given notices to the farmers to clear off their rabbits and if they did not do it, or as much as would please him, within seven days, they were liable to a penalty of from ono to twenty pounds (A Voice: There's nothing in the notice about seven days,) Never mind, that was the law, Every seven days subsequently they were liable for further fines. Fearing that some of these Inspectors might become acquainted with the toes nf settlers hoots, they had stuck in fine and imprisonment to any amount for assaulting Inspectors If any man dare otl'e'id an Inspector he could be cha'ed by him out of the country. He had passed through country that morning and he defied any man to go in and clear it. (Mr Jagerhorn: That's Crown Land ;Mr Beetham: Hear! hear! Another Voice: There's a couple of thousand rats up the Mill road) He would himself have called the people round him and propiißOil a rale sullicient to pay men to kill them. Mr Beetham went to work the wrong way. (Mr Jagerhom : How much would we have to pay under your Bcheme t) None at nil. Where the rabbits were very bad a heavy rate would have to be struck, hut where there were no rabbins (hero would he i,o rates, He had seen many of the fanners on the Opaki and they were hostile to Mr Beetham to a nlan, (Mr Beetham : No !) They condemned Mr Beetham's proposals in toto, (A Voice: You liko the rahbiisl) Referring to tho whip question he said Mr Beethain'o doty was to whip up members to voto for the Government just like whipping up s Hook of sheep.'in the record of the proceedings of the past nession, Mr Beetham was only credited with the Rabbit Bill and with seconding the address. (Mr Beetham : I did. not second the address.) Had he been a member, there would have been half-a-score of references to himself in Hansard. (Mr Jagerhom: "Talking c-sts 130 a day, the more -talk the more money tho member gets,") What did Hansard credit Mr Beetham with? (Mr beetham: "You have never read Hansard. I spoke oi: the address in reply in defence of Comity Councils when they were attacked.)' " Do. you think," continued Mr Renall, "lam going to read' all the rubbish you taik V' Mr Beetham's duty as whip took up all .his time. The general rule of Governments was to reward whips with a billet. . Any billet with four or five hundred a year suited them, Mr Beetham had said I he did not want 1 a billet, but perhaps he \ would get one for.his old friend Mr l\ Dreyer who did want one. Mr Beey t tham had lo give the Fencing Act not having time to MBfnttei Hit. We Fencing Act the speaker BHbrougrlFinlfl tie Provincial Council was a MB permissive Bill,'the present Act was a WB compulsory Measure, if the County Conn|V cil approved 1 of if. In the County eight W large landholders were equal to 40 of them, that was the way ho got "jogged out" the other day.' (A laugh.) He "believed that the County election would be upset next Saturday, and that both Mr McGregor ai)d himself would be out of it. They had/ got rid of him there. (Mr Jagerhorn : Good 1 !) In his opiuion they ought all to have one vote. The difference between Mr-Beetham and himself was that he came out for the working rxi'en and Mr Beetham tried to build up a /class of large landholders. (Mr Beetham, No 1) At Tenui every, man was against him (the speaker) ( (Mr .Beetham: Three parts of the meeting >yere.;'-Binall holders). He had been the working man's friend all Ins life, and should continue as such. Mr Beetham said the Land Bill of 1878, which raised the price of land, was carried by the Grey Ministryv-hy Mr Stout and Sir G-. Grey, MrßeijalPs own friends. He voted against uv"(Mr Renall; They I are not my friends-;: he was not going to be answerable for, other.'people.) ■Mr Eenall was lljore. as a supporter of Sir Goorge Grey.i (Mr Renall;T deny it.) His (the 'speaker's) vote would befoiind iniHansard against the inci l easo"6ftue prica of land. When he brought the Babbit''-Act forward he did consult the' people., Jlr Renall knew that, and was

only humbugging tlioro, He consulted theiv own trustees, who wore elected by them. Every Rabbit Board throughout New Zealand was consulted before anything was done The Boards were almost unanimous in the Colony in supporting a measure similar to tho one passed. II o denied that tho Act was severe. No man who did bis duty would be fined. Mr "Renall, as a Justice of the Peace, bad no right to couple the too of his hoot with an Act of Parliament. It was unworthy of bis position. Mr Rcnall's rabbit policy was an impracticable ouc, and could not possibly be carried out. Mr Eenall rose to explain the unlimited liability to which farmers would be subjected under the Rabbit Act, Mr Beetham protesting against him speaking while lie was addressing the meeting, and Mr Jngorhom asking Mr Henall not to get excited, because it was impossible to interpret what he said. Mr Renall objected to the power given to an Inspector to enter upon land. Mr Beetham explained that this clause was introduced to enablo Inspectors to denl with nbsonteo land. Mr Renall: "Why was it not confined to absentee land. Don't put a shuffle like that before the people." Mr Beetham: "Ymiknow nothing about it, Evory individual has the right to destroy his own rabbits in whatever way be thinks fit, No one would interfere with him as long as ho kept his rabbits down." Mr Renall: You are at the mercy of the Inspector. Mr Jagerhorn: No! The Inspector cannot inflict a fino without bringing me up in Court. Mr Beetham explained that in the House he recommended that the minimum rate should be eighfeen-pence instead nf half-a-crnwn, but he was outvoted on this point. Mr Jagerhorn asked the opinion of tho candidates as to the extension of tho railway to Mauriceville. Mr Eenall did not want Hie railway kept at Mastodon. Most people were sorry that it ever came there. Mr Beetliam said the line would be carried on as soon as funds were available. Mr Renall did not consider the railway would be much good to Mastcrton till it was carried beyond the town. The Government had no money for if; they had spent all they had on pensions, and op the Upper House. Mr Jagerhorn said the Upper House had been the working man's friend. Denmark was a poor country, but it could afford two Houses. > T ew Zealand was not such a poverty stricken country that it need reduce the Upper House. The working men thought for themselves now! A vote of thanks to the Chairman, and another vote to the candidates who had addressed tho meeting, concluded the proceedings.