COUNTY SETTLERS' ASSOCIATION.

Wairarapa Daily Times, Volume 6, Issue 1827, 30 October 1884, Page 2

COUNTY SETTLERS' ASSOCIATION.

The first meeting of the Association since the late annual election of delegates was held last evening. Mr K. S, Hawkins, the President, occupied the chair, and about thirty members were in attendance.

The President, in opening the meeting said " lb is my first duty to thank the Association for the confidence which they have expressed in me by again electing me as their Prresideht. I would gladly have seen another member in the chair, but it would be unbecoming of me further to press my opinion, and I bow to the wish of the Association, In the result of the election of delegates, I think we can fairly read a solid desire on the part of the members of our Association t'o constitute a really working delegacy, and an expression of their expectations that those who accept the office will make some sacrifice to carry out its duties, At the same time it is apparent that the dolegacy is now constituted of settlers, for the most part resident within a narrow radius of Masterton, and that a want certainly exists of maintaining intimate communication with the outlying districts. Such a communication in my opinion is necessary to the usefulness of the Association, I hope that the Association'will consider the possibility of meeting this difficulty. At the commencement ot, the Association we declared our willingness to embrace the South _ County. Except by a few individual | settlers no encouragement was given to our advances, and probably it will be better to accept this rebuff and confine ourselves, in local matters especially, to our own chief town and county; regarding, however, all that part of the South County which makes Masterton its market town as at one with us. It is hardly possible for us to pass unnoticed the change of administration which has taken place since our last meeting and the policy which it has brought with it. That this policy is in striking contrast to that of the late administration it is not necessary to urge. Whether it is a wise policy, a sound policy, and an honest policy remains to be considered, The marked features of the contrast are boldness and largeness of conception as against narrowness and a false economy. I have again and again urged the fatal impolicy of the public works system of the late administration, a system whioh by small instalments of works pledged the colony to vast undertakings, while the works executed by their very smallness were not only essentially nnremunerative, but escaped the criticism and control which a full development of their real object and end would have undoubtedly attracted. Nor did it end here, the demoralisation of the House and the constituencies was in danger of being continued in the sessional scramble for tho instalments ef the annual million; • nor could anyone see when or how any finality was to he attained. At the rate the Atkinson-Eolleston Government were proceeding it would have taken probably at least seven more years to complete the Napier-Welling-ton line, and twelve or fourteen to make the North Island main trunk railway, and during all that time, and every session, and all through the year, they would have kept alive the feverish hopes and disappointments of localities, and the mischievous intrigues of the lobbies, which are no less a shame and a disgrace than they are among the fertile causes of tho low vitality and impoverishment of the colony. It is the great contrast to this of the policy of the new administration which gives me at least hope. If commends itself to me because it settles finally and withdraws from the arena of jobbing and lobbying and puts beyond all discussion all tho chief causes of, this great disease. It is said by some " wait and see, this is not the end but the beginning of a system, differing only from the other by its yastnessand its prodigality.". Well, gentlemen, it is for you and for the constituencies to say whether this policy shall be such as we hope or such as they fear. Let us look at it as it stands. There is the District Railways Purchase Bill, the East and West Coast Railway Bill, the Greymouth and Westport Harbor Bill, and the North Trunk Central Railway Bill. These are thepolicy Bills, but you must carry with them the Public Works Statement, and the pledge for local boards and self government. Nov first let us take the District Railways Bill, I am not going to discuss all the details, but the broad facts. An Act stood on the Statute Book which encouraged the construction by private individuals of doubtful railways under conditions more than doubtful. The colony was saddled under these Acts with heavy responsibilities, while the shareholders were placed under disadvantages' which really made the success of the- railways impossible, and behind all, were ratepayers threatened with a charge it was certain they could not; meet, The- existence of these railways and .of these debts was a continual source of intrigue, and an abortive attempt had already been made to buy them up, I candidly confess that little as I think many of the shareholders deserved such an escape out of their difficulties, I believe the Government have done right to cut the knot that I am very sure no New Zealand Ministry could have untied, and to sweep from the Statute Book the evil while they advised the Colony to pay the forfeit of its unwisdom. Let us take the East and West Coast Railway. I very much doubt the policy of this. I wish it could have been resisted, but I confess I do not see on what grounds the colony could resist it. J. am one of those who viewed with disgust the Railway Construction and Lands Act, and who looked upon the consequence to the Wellington-Manawatu Eailway Company br a great colonial suandal and sacrifico of colonial interests. No one can doubt that one reason why the late Government did not take up that route to Napier wus becauso they had chosen, most improperly, in my'judgment, to pledge themselves to make the line from Masterton to Woodville, and they knew that if they made the Manawatu Hue the trunk line to Napier they would havo no shadow of justification for at present contiuuing the former line beyond Mas- . terton, They enriched a private Company in Wellington with a grant of vast and

immensely yaluablo oj the colony, How then were they to refuse to concede to Cantsrbury the tracts of barren, unprofitable mountain and, as Mr Buchanan tells us, Miserable rimu land asked, by them under the principles of the same Act to enable them to open communication with the mining districts en the West Coast? Witfytho question of the Westport and Greymouth Harbors 1 haye not information enough to deal. I only know one bnad fact: that, the coal output is yearly rapidly increasing in value; that as forests are destroyed the industry will become of.yital importance, and if whatl hear is true and the successful smelting oi the iron sand has been achieved at Oriehunga, by which iron of the very highest quality can be produced at £3 a ton, the coal industries of this colony will attain a development in a few years which will amply justify the proposals of this Government. As to the North Island Trunk Eailway, accompanied as it is by the promise that the land on each side shall be acquired by the colony, I canuot think any defence is ueeded. It is an act of high policy. There is only one point where I differ seriously, and tha<; is in the proposed rail connection of Nelson with Ohristchuroh: 1 cannot but think that unjustifiable, I think thut if Government would have subsidised temporarily a daily service of fast passenger steamers with punctual departures between Wellington and Lyttelton, they would have done more to unite the two Islands and better served the colonists than by any railway tbey can make by any route whatever.

I do not say that the details of their Policy Bill? are perfect, but surely it was the duty of the Opposition to amend them, And here I must say that I an/greatly 'disappointed vith the Opposition. If 'thereis to be.Party Government at all, then an Opposition Party is a necessity, and it seems to me that the legitimate opposition has abdicated its functions. It hegan hy blindly opposing the Ministry without even waiting to hear its policy, it has ended by laying down its arms and throwing itself under the wheels of the Ministerial chariot. It is one thing to offer factious opposition, and another to mould by resoluto and well considered action the essential details of a Bill. I havo looked in vain for this latter course. After half hearted attacks on the second readings, repeated on the motion to go into Committee, the leaders of the opposition make a poor retreat, leaving it to the sKirmishers of the Party and their chief Pandour, Mr Wakefield, to harass and annoy an enemy whom they haye no 'hope nor even intention of defeating, I do not complain of the action of the Legislative Council, If they boliove tho Districts Kariways Purchase Bill to have been hastily passed without due consideration they wero in their right to stop it since they could not amend it. No doubt they incur a heavy responsibility in so doing, but I for one cannot condemn them for anything except the undue haste evident in their refusal to adjourn the debate, In the Public Works Statement we havo a great interest, The opening up of the country by roads, the settlement of Crown Lands, the establishment of Local Government are all promised a substantial future, and it is for us to try and secure that that futuro shall be a reality, I shall ask the Association to sanction the calling of a public meeting on Saturday night next to consider tho question of a Eoad Policy for the Wairarapa, and I shall then bo supplied by the kindness of a gentleman in this district, with a large plan, which I enable the meeting to comprehend the vast importance of tho subject to the Wairararapa and its towns. Tho object of the meeting will bo to got a deputation to the Government before tho olose of the session,

After a short interval Mr Job Vile moved '' that a public meeting be held under the auspices of the Association on Saturday night next with a view to a deputation to Government to urge a satisfactory road and settlement policy in connection with local government." In moving the resolution he pointed out that the Wairarapa North needed opening up with roads as much as any district in the colony, as hundreds of thousands of acres within its boundaries were lying idle. He felt that the Government would be only too glad to get the views of settlers on such a question and to give favorablo consideration to them,

Mr Rayner seconded the resolution, The President said that a Southern Member from Invercargill who came up to see him the other day, declared that his visit to this district had entirely changed his views on the subject of roads in the North Island. He had had previously no conception of the bad Btate in which main lines were in, They resembled the condition of the Invercargill roads twenty years ago.

Mr Guild thought the resolution was somewhat vague, as it did not indicate what parts of the district required to be opened up with roads,

The President said Masterton from want of communication with outlying districts was like a aea-side town which had a trade for only four months in the year. The question to be brought under the Government was one of a road policy and had no reference to any particular roads. These would bo a subsequent consideration.

BINDEK TWJNEI DUTY. The President Stated that Mr ftayner desired to,' bring under the notice of the meeting the question of removing the duty on binder twine, which was equal to a tax of sixpence per acre on the farmer. Mr Rayner explained that the binder twine made in the colony was unsuitable, and that farmers were crimpelleUto use the imported twine made from Eusshin hemp.

Mr Hogg opposed tho reduction of the duty on bincter: twine, regarding it as an evideme that the Government were sincere in their desire to foster local industries, Ho described how the twine trade in Victoria had been developed by a protective duty, and there they had to import their raw material instead of having, as they had, an inexhaustible supply of flax. He claimed that a splendid industry had been built up in Victoria, and that the Government in New Zealand were taking steps in the same direction. The duty on binder twine ought to encourage farmers too to grow hemp, (applause,)

It was decided in the absence of Mr Bunny to allow his notice of motion for extending the operations of tho Association to the Lower Valley to stand over till the next meeting. Mr Park gave a notice of motion for the next meeting in the direction of changing the Association into a mimic Parliament.

It was reported, .that in the late election for delegates there was a tie between Messrs Park, Iferon, and Toftw, and that one name; would have

to b,o rejected, On a billot being taken the names of Messrs Park and Heron were retained, The meeting then adjourned.