PRESENTATION.

Wairarapa Daily Times, Volume 5, Issue 1533, 13 November 1883, Page 2

PRESENTATION.

A NUMBER of aettlera assembled at the Club Hotel last evening to present an address and a testimonial to Mr Sutton, late Sheep Inspector for this district, Mr W. Lowes, J.P., who had been invitod to preside, said: "Mr Sutton, I have been doputed to presont you, this evening, with an address. While highly appreciating the honor couferred upon me, I would have preferred aooinc; the , matter placed in tha hands of some one who woold have done greater justice to it. I assure yon that I make the attempt, with very muob pleasure to myself, A certain number of your friends having learnt with regret that you had severed your connection with the Sheep Department in this district, conceived the idea of presenting you with an address, and someihing more substantial as well, They didthisasan expression of disapproval of the circumstances connected with your removal. Ido not make special reference to theso circumstances, Anyone who has readtho reports of them which have been published must necessarily condemn them, and declare them to be what no Britisher could call 'fair play.' There are other reasons why I should not refer morn particularly to these speoial circumstances, and merely express my regret .that your connection with the Sheep Department is severed, While occupying your late position you. to the best of my knowledge, gave general satisfaction. During your administration you have granted relief to a considerable number of runholders in getting rid of their surplus sheep, and also in supplying the local market with its, requirements. These facts, in connection with the severance of your seivioes, have a'strong bearing upon it. Following them up would lead to a discussion of pros, and cons., which 1 do not think would bo prudent to take on the present occasion. Your friendß regret that you havo resigned your position, and hope thoy will not lose* you as a resident, unless under ciroumstances advantageous to yourself. I will now read the address. Had the matter been token up before the busy season set in the list of nameß might havo beon extended to an indefinite length, but had it been a mile long the sincerity, of it would not have been increased. You will perceive the names appended to it represent all portions of the distriot over which you presided as inspector: . To Mr W. A. P, Sutton, Sheep inspector, Wairarapa. . We, the undersigned settlers and learning with regret that your connection with this distriot is about to be severed, desire to place, on/record our appreciation of the ability, striot impartiality, and unflagging zeal' with which you have discharged your important, arduous, and often extremely unpleasant duties. During the two years you have labored at the head of the Sheep and Babbit Department in this district you have necessarily made many enemies, but the impartiality you have displayed in administrating the law, the result of your efforts in so largely freeing the from uoab and opening up previously closed tracts of country to the Wellington market, and the almost complete mastery obtained over tho rabbit nuisance with the great attendant advantages that are apparent, has converted those enemies into eincero friends, and your removal from a field in which you have labored hard and successfully at i.the time when you wero on the threshold of completing the work you were sent to i perform is to us a source of deep regret, not unmingled with surprise, We oan assure you that you carry with you the confidence and goodwishes of s large majority of the settlers in this, one of the largest and most important Pastoral districts in New Zealand,-W. H. Hosking, Duncan MoMaster, E, E, Martin, J. Martin, G, Harris, 0. and E. R. Harm's, William Smith. Henry : Bauny' George Wall, E, E; Chamberlain, i Edwin Meredith, Pat Oockery, F. Gray. 1 John Hessy, A, Johnston,, Robert Dags, 1 mrvey & Sons, A. .N. Ruddle, F. JB. 1 Chalmers,Robert McKay,Richard Weloh, E, Buokeridge, John Bannister, Thomas , Uarswell, Wm, Cameron, J, Livingstone, ; Alexander Stewart, John Blatchford, i Duncan Stewart,. Cooper & MoLaren, E, Meredith jun,,'John Morrison, Robert : Cameron, A. A. Elkins, Elder & Co,, ■ Benjamin Budden, W, B, Bniok, Brown

> ! laun,ell > T ' W. Wardell, I . Thoruaa Brown, S. E. i pkmWn.E.E,Meredith, J,Ruthec. j ford, Wm, Lowes, * i . '•'j o , Mr. Sutton was then ( drank in champagne bumpers with con* siderable .enthusiasm,. ~' , . button said: .I.have great pleasure m using to return thanks , for the ; testimonial and thokind pordsultered this evening. show meltfat I have a ■ i few friends in the Wairarapa, and I wish ) , more thau at firat to remain in the Qißwjol, so that I might change the . °P lmon of' some others who have been • opposed to me. It i B only fait to my. friends to point out a few facts respecting i my severance from the sheep department ! I had been condemned in oertain quarters , flnd lh , e Government stated that my I tfl . mo 7 ? aB 10 flonaequence of no fault of mine, but waa neaeaaary in coniequeuce of statements made by Mows Beetham ana Buchaii&n. It has been questioned i whether Beetham and Buohanan would bring suoh a preiiure to bear on,the Government, tot Iwill show' that it was I . firs l camß here Sir John ' Hall told me that 1 should get into hot water constantly. I did do so, but found that the department would not buck me , up when I got into it. Had Sir John Hill r remained in New Zealand things would I hava 1)0811 otherwise. I will read a correspondence frem a member of the ?°, u t, ™ , 6U Auoklllnd district, who went to Mr Diok about this matter. He says: 1 "In removing you to Nelion. tha 1 Government are not damaging yott! position or doing anything derogatory to , your characler. I understand you intend retiring and taking a run, [This was a ' rumor set on foot by the head inspector 1 > They would mite a letter during you any imputation," The same wrote to my mother saying that ii stroiflSH representation had been made about nimjnß i but to Government could not. help^H t the members .for: the , The inquiry asked for could not, aeoordini v to the Colonial Secretary, be in any I case held in the Wairarapa, In April I last Mr Bailley wrote to me that , complaints had been made ot my adminis- • [ration of the Sheep Act. I wished Meaars Beetham and Buchanan to lut £ O, . Tho y ref uaed to' do so, and Mr Bftilloy instead of takm? no notice of ' ' a complaint made in such a manner, went • cruiaing himself about Tinui amongst , shepherds and others, and representing , what he oould pick up against me to the . Qorernmont, There is another little subject I wish to.refer to, Two gentl#. men wrote to Mr George Beetham com-. ' ; plaining of tho way the Sheep Act wss ' earned out. Those letters were forwarded 1 to tho .Government, I met Jfr Maokay i who was one of them, and asked him , about it ; He said ho wrote to Mr Beetham , expressing his surprise at the indiicrimi- ! nate way in which sheep were allowed to travel. He has since had another surprise when a soabby sheep was found on his own ' lm Why did he not apeak to me 1 The other gentleman .was Mr Donald Donald of Manaia, and any one knowing him would know tho style in which he wrote. When I heard of this I asked Mr Boetham' what he was doing, He replied that he was doing nothing, I kept h'ammering at him till at last he admitted that he had asked for an inquiry, why • i tho East Coast becamo soabby, Of course there was a " ruction" as a Cabinet Minister was interested in the Mataikuna run, which had boon scabbed by the Bheop from the' CrownLands, I like to state these things I did what I could, and my removal has been injurious to me as my reputation If at stake. I have lately been offered a rabbit district in Otago as if I am not fit to look after sheep. I waa sent up here.. for a special purpose, but tho Department : would not back' me up, There was no' Department in this district when I came up; I organised it. When I arrived I found that the North Wairarapa was shut out from the Wellington market, and I did my best to open in. In eighteen months over 75,000 fat aheep and 30,000 stores were sent out of it. In all these sheep no scab broke out through their travelling. One charge against me was. that I sent scabby sheep into the Wei lington market. One gentleman whom I irritated over his rabbits was asked why an inquiry was not held and replied: "I don't want to ruin the man." I irritated! the Southern man, Mr Buchanan, by., serving him with a rabbit notice, I had seen rabbits on his property mysell, - There were certainly few rabbits there, : but ha should not have had any, He complained to the Government that I was irritating him. The Carterton Observer said I had failed to olean tho district. [Mr Eenall: Tho article was probably written for Beokett and given to him, Ho would know nothing about it,J The ' Wairakapa Daii? made similar remarks, [Mr Renall; Tho editor will tell you all about that I] and said another inspector had more experience, but I can't say what papor men know about my experience, It would take some years to clean a dißtriot like this; The Inspector's duty is to clean sheep, not to go about' " like a deteotivo. I dout believe inorippling settlers by preventing them selling their sheep, One of the Committee suggested that inspectors should pass an examlni- \ tion, _ It would be difficult to find two. \ men in the Government' service capable- : < of examining them. [The Chairman\ The Government could appoint Meisrs< i Beetham and Buohanan, (A. laugh), || .. When I have a fault to find with a man Igo to him straight. Neither of these> spoke to me but went behind my back to>.. to the Government, and out I had to pjou I was toll to go to Nelson in ten days,. I • . was hunted out of tho Marlborough .. . district when I got it into nico working order, and told that I must go to .tha Wairarapa. I. waa told* here .to resigff, ' and when I would not they stopped my • - sorew to bring me to my bearings. Subie- ~ quently I have been egered an appoint* mont in Otago, and I am now in a toosaw, I have not made up my mind to accept or refuse. The rabbit question in Otago is getting into a nice knot, Mr Sutton resumed his seat amid loud applause. The chairman confirmed Mr Sutton'i remarks with reference to the sheep tent out of the Whareama district, Hit firm had passed through their yatds within the. . period named 20,000 sheep, which had ' been placed ali over the dlstriotin small lots, and had Mr Sutton been lax in the discharge of his duties the whole district would have been infeoted by them, But not s single instance of infection had occurred. By allowing settlers to sell their Bheep Mr Sutton had done good service to the ruaholders and the public, besides doing away with the monopoly that certain people would have liked to pteserye. The health of Mrs Button and familg. was then drank and the formal proceeding*., terminated.

We beubve that if every one would Mo . Hop Bittera freely there would bo much lew' tiekness and misery in'tlia' world, and people are fast beginning to find this out, "whola families keeping well at a trifling cost by it 9: , use, We adviaa all'to try it, Read ' That Husband op Mine is three tunes tha - man he was before he began wing " Wells' Health Renower, Druggists, MCBO3, MoS3 & Co., Sydney, General Agents,