MR BEETHAM M.H.R., AT EKE TAHUNA.

Wairarapa Daily Times, Volume IX, Issue 251, 29 January 1887, Page 2

MR BEETHAM M.H.R., AT EKE TAHUNA.

f .. a ~ " ' il Mr Beetiiaii, 51.1L8,, addressed, bis r constituents in tlio Eketahuna Kchoole room last evening.' The meeting was oaeof the' largest and'most orderly gatherings,yet held in that township, 1 there being an attendance'of My one hundred and fifty settlers. 2 Mr Alexander Anderson,'who was voted to the chair, thanked the meet--3 ing for conferring that honor upon him, i and expressed the'.pleasHre he felt in i. introducing their, member to them. 3 The majority of,them only had the 0 opportunity of meeting Mrßeetbam • once a year on the occasion when ho 3 waß ( accustomed to give an account of fc and ho felt, sure they ) would Bhtov their respeot and esteem 3 for him by according a patient hearing. » (Applause). s Mr Bcetham, who was well received, . commenced by thanking the Chairman c for the kindly way in which he had 1 introduced him., He was indeed f pleased to see Bucb a large number t present, and took it as the greatest 1 compliment they could bestow upon 1 him, to be present at his meeting after 5 doing a hard day's' work. As the 1 chairman put it, he himself was sorry • in not meeting them more frequently, c .but in a large,; scattered district like ; Wairarapa North, it/ was almost; im- ; possible for hint to do more. As hi , was only enabled to pay them a' visit !. once a year, he hoped that any questions they had to ask or; suggestions to I make would b6 brought forward that evening. Before going into the work 3 of last sessioDj he mads soma compli-

raentary remarks 01 |iQ; gi'eat pr'ogross ">■ j ttetrhad beennrode and' nroundEke- i " j^H ) difficultiea whioh e iiad to Hi contend 5 He high^rma' |H ). jt tliejspecial- settle • BR :£tnd from .arUfriia i HB ) declared thatft.-\y HB "beautiful ||\ey^r^ri n -■' BH 'j EH 0 now; was wiling 1 | The bill," intrbdut |by Sir J. : jmjnj . and passed, for pn deling funds for the .. use of local goveJhg bodies, waa in, HB j his opinion aimil] j as regards ways ~ HB 3, 'and raeatis, to Ma Roadi BB| (i and Bridges Coifl ruction Act. He HB r was pleased to I ;tliab money had HH y been raised throuf tfiis source to-inake BH g the.Alfredton R|r (MrVonßedin: .'-'^ f !Hß 8 Ouly pari of he was glad to 'W}■ 1 hear it. He reftfed the introduc .f0. : .j8 nf • tion of Stout's Charitable BByfl a Aid Act, .wiiich, Eodntfiiided, g: most unfairly, mo Wairarapa.,wfiHHßSs e inoßt*unj ifs'tly -affilga m a ted with;'WfiHHH y lington under hi ~ prdvialonsl.> $ referred to th;q children JhaHBBH 8 had %n sen|;pe' Snrnkm indaHHflH o trial' School; wb I only one eame r pith himself.and;MrHHH 5 Buchanan -.liacl |cpen'ded much' . time XSHH 6 and trouble iu psting to maintain HBHB !! and he thou|t the treatment. now ISNHH 0. njeted out, tofiem was very unjust. IBBHI o They had belasked to contribute gHMBHR e forty per cent lards the expenditure, .JpjHH dof the united Strict, but it did not BBS a follow that th| ought or should pay ABB rus much as tl | and he intended to «BH 1, resist the olai |to his very utmost. fIHB i) He had intern Ito have'traversed the jSfigSj a Premier's late leech at Dunedin, but ngjlgg ir lie did not no p anything in it which BHj !. called forth icial comment. The BH speech was a' Ist on the same lines mi |HB 0 that delivert py Major Atkinson two BH h. or three year jgo. The full text of it HH all meant "pjtical rest." Referring HH to borowin Jhe believed with Sir Bi Robert Stout fat the present system HH aof raising loa must now cease. The. BH d Premier was bite right on this point HB y and he folt rtain that the House. HB is would be ft :d to go-with him.- BH :a They had alijpt gone to the end of HB n their tether afar as loans were Opn- : HH n cerned. Hae lenders would not)' 888 l\ indeed, advse much more. They. {BSm might possim borrow enough donay Hhh s, to finish exiJig lines or. to,open.iug Ibml| 10 country dii ids' .where .'.lines .-.wo#, .|Hn ie really requii. It was a cheering s, that tho Eai ind West Coast r&Uwtyy ' i- was no long before the country. ' Bafi HhH id he was afn the English Company': HH id would nevi see- the interest on hHh if tho moneylt was providing. He |HB 11 hoped now it, this difficulty'had beetf 0. disposed ofj tere would be an end .of : those unsee y squabbles which ' fra- HH 1 quenlly toe placo last session. ' He' BH favored Si Robert Stout's Rediatri- HH 2 bution of S ts.Billi He considered Epß| the' Count Svas.entitled to 'BeW/. BH 8 represents n Jhaittv.it. had .at_tHa" t .'HH jr an indepen£( cbminissionto collect! |Hfl 0 returns s papers of the' HH colony, TheHouitD of Representatives •. HH 0 would have 1 .tie or c thing'to do .with HB the matter. ( They Mould then have' HHH 0 iio log-ro}ling> psriodi al rediatriliufciofi, 11 RH| and would betentirelj left to an., inde*... BH 0 pendent comWssiou - According to BBW it' the last coblus ifbi.vhs th^-;NottH^ 3, Island was eaiitled t threq )., members.. .Thpire. we j95 members in i BBS n the House afc-the pr< which HH ie number he. considerei quite enough to '- AHSMI ndo all tho legislatio tliat ; they re- B9n [. quired. In the TJni id States a popu-,.. nJ|A n lation of 500,000 wa required before a '' BHi n representative was jiowed. He him- / HB it self would iust as loon vote for .a V |Bfl n decrease in the pjsfenb number of -. f Hjß ;e members. Ho belifed qiiite as much ' 808 d justice could be dae for the Waira-i le rapa with one meybor as with two. BH a The population o tho North Island H i, was 247,404, and io Sputh .326,076, . HH ». so that if one metier was allowed to'. HBH 3, every 6000 of theiopulation it' i; ---v'- : n be seen that the/North. Island was: [r entitled to anoper member, there' HB io being, an overpln/of 6302 in its favor. BH 2. The<Counties ofWaipaw&, Wairarapa ■ BH North, and' Hiwke'B Bay number'. BH| 9060, 7667, aid 6739 respectively, ' leaving an dv/rplus of 6566, which; JHH would ontjile those' Counties to art . jHB , g extra member between them.; Should., HB e the commission sanction another mem-,' HH Q her for thlse counties, it would not be \ Ijjfjjjl j at all unlikely that Woodville < woold .HH !t be ohosen as il good centre. This would;. BH ; mean thit the splendid country W j' Pahiatiujwould be cut off ;:;nHn Wairarapa, as no finer area 'of bush ; ' HH country was to be found in New;Ze'ft'' : ' H g. land, Hedidjiot wish. to.flatteri thorn; but tha couritry' he had seen during tho * . BBH past few days had exceeded.., his . . HH|| 8 wpecfetions. Whilst on tho-land HBH .• question lio would give them an: idea H® sof tho aiapunt of land taken ap for; HB y special settlement purposes during thek BH >, past twelve months,' In the distrioti'wßH e of Wairarapa North, 42,000 acred had been-applied for and 45,000 the. a West Coast, Assuming that '«B i- applicant had 150 acres, it would meat} HB 1, the addition of about 646 fpiiies, ; It. •. , ; n had been said .that lie was: adverse. io BH i, opening up lands for settlement. No- HH e thing of the sort. He had. always n. assisted ih settling, the country, nnd '. BH e was glad to help it on.' On.'oße . orHB if two occasions he Lad pfFered Bal-. BB y lance his services, but that, gentleman y HH n had never thought fife 'to accept 'them!, HB r, Rrfore concluding he congratulatedHß them upon having succesded .in getting '' HH the'construction ofthe railway line to ~ HH n their township sanctioned by. the' -H| d Government, - The work was "in. the f;BH d hands of an energetic contractor, anil -'."Hi ir he had no doubt the. linß would be nBB it ready for traffic before the specified HH a time of two' years, The day tho trains'' BB| r ran through to Eketahuiia the value ~BH eof property in that settlement would 'mHB ybo greatiy enhanced. He hoped that «B five years hence would still find their o township' the. termiuus, (Applause.)'' BH i- There was not . the least...doubt HB 6 but' that'. Eketaliuna would yet B5 t become an important centre. The IBS [• Government had - set apart: .® autn . o of* money to open up the Puketoi ■ HlB t country, and he. believed that the hill''vßH k portion of the blook would be oirt up

" 'five thousand acres, Many would bo '" ■ under tbo impression that theso sub- ■ divisions would be too largo, but he '■ Relieved that too many small -holdings' together would bo detrimental to the progress of; tlio countjy. He then; '; _■ ■' expre'aseda hope that in the; future,' Education Reserves would be. dealt r: ■ ' within such a. way: that thoy-'would " not, as m the past, be barriers ", to settlement, He thought- tjijal) in -the , case of'val'aablft bush being placed in ' I the market;'.'tho Land Board shouid a make special provision to protect it B from wholesale destruction. He also •-vjfll (Joiltejided ( that the- Government should tot apart bush 'reserves in that district. The forests were • disappearing more rapidly than some people thought, and the colony might yet have to. import timber from America or souio other foreigh coimtry unless some precautions were takeii to reserve a' supply.' He expressed his acknowledgements ot the orderly, and' .. ,• attonjivs hearing which ho had rccoi--vedj and the pleasure it afforded him' I to meet them. He did not ask tliem I ' to accord hirn'a vote of confidence, 4a | , 'ivhen the general election took place H ' they would -have to express by their I'' votas whothor thoy had conGdeiica in B his ability to setve them, He cbnclun'• ded by inviting questions. ' , ■ ■ The Chairman said it was apparent ■ from tho reception given 'to Mr ■ Beetham the sottlc-rs were quite satisD fied with tho account which lie had £ givon of his stewardship. Tho people H ofEkethhuna had, ho was glad to say H maintained-at tho present meeting ■ their reputation for orderly behavionv. B Mr- Yon Redon inquired why Mr B Beetham voted for the grant of £2OOO B to Sir William Pox, who was supposed fl to be a wealthy jian, 9 Mr Beetham said Mr Yon Keden H had touched a soro potnt but ho would H find that tho leaders of both sides of Bj the House had supported tho grant as n on act of justice. Sir William Fox for » two years had been engaged in a diffi--9 cult work which had proved of great m beuefit to the colouy and he had been h offered and refused this sum of money. H Subsequently finding that he was in a Bj worse financial position than before H the leaders of the house decided to n renew the grant. H Mr Jagerhorn enquired if the toll B gats would not throw traffic on to the H Manawatu railway-line. The settlers H and the natives were hostile to the m Mr Beetham was glad to he reminded H of this matter, He dislikad toll gates, and did not consider tho present ones H ' , ought to have been established... The II tolls would do little more than pay for BH the cost of their collection, A small H rate would have been a more satisfi B torv alternative. The Governme Bfl were to blame for the present unsat B • factory condition of tho road. I H 3 believed that had tho Council he mt out, the Government would have be Hj compelled to repair the road,. H Tho Chairman said he did not desi SB to criticise the address given by \! fin • Beetham, as lie had on ovory.questi H spoken faivly.-as.regarded the prese m tal and Charitable Aids Act, it was jS bad day for New Zealand when tl BB pootr law came into .force. He w m also opposed to the Loans to Loc Mr Bodies Act, H On the motion of the Chairma BB seconded by Mr Jagerhorn, a cordi Bh vote of thanks was unanimous gja accorded;to Mr Beetham for 1 ■9 address, and the meeting terminal ga with the usual compliment to t