PUBLIC MEETING AT NGARUAWAIKA.

Waikato Times, Issue 659, 20 July 1876, Page 2

PUBLIC MEETING AT NGARUAWAIKA.

At public meeting was held in the Delta Hotel, JNgiruaw.thia, on Monday evening iast, to &ti*ke into eonsid'jiaHon the pre Hfiit state of ])olilical *iff«iiirf, especially the Niithf Policy. M«ijor Wilson nyg voted to tLe Jwii, ' The Chairman rend the notice convening the meeting-, and sta^d that he m , conjunctior* with IMr Edsrecmube hut 7 I called the meeting in compliance with a, requisition sig-tied by ratepayers ot both jownaud country districts. "sTh<»y Lucwr -nbthii'j; of the coiv.su that was intended io be [>m--.icd He wo#ld therefore ?alloi i\lr h Kil/jmtnok, %vhoso name; headed re j'usirioii, to state why - they had been cal't il t v/oi her. * IMi' X Piiaptitick said I&e mee'ing hud be'iicHcd to express JPhatisfaction ab th'j N.r»\e I'oticy of the present Government. Tlk; sottlejs in this district had come to tliecuaclubion th«t that policy has be ju a fkilui'c-. fen* Pouald ;McCean has pandered to tlio 'natives-, till they have ~QQ'ne to consider themselves our masters, there is no dfcmbt thai his. Jjite iuter/iew with ii'o R"iiTghad be<ju solicited by him. The iN'il'vo OHicc involved a lar>e and unless expendituio, while, if the CJovcninnnt lir ere to pir.isue an independent policy thyc would Io no necessity tor a Native o.li;e Stall. He would move the following resi-liition : — i'uat vi Un» opinion of this meeting tli-j Native M ni« # tt, ii feat .i» with thy -K-ntf, s.> long m h« ha-b-Miis iiiiir kuns or o' !ior oat!>n\s of any kiud, is i:;iu''t to bo )r x i oha'etl, jind ilia', his hitw Tisit to tiie fvui^ h m culated ro produce in the Maori n in I a oome-iipt i>r Eur p?ms t.imt ea..n.)t I'ou.t in anything i>ut humiliation to the coiiniry. Mr Pyron, in seconding the resolution, said that the policy of the Native Minister, Wfls always contemptible, and this di&tucr. wa« suffering- vtry beverftly from that ]>olic>. He put np land at suoh pries Lh.tt. no one could buy, 'no doubt intending eventua'lv to give it back to tho nauMs ; ±'A,IOO w t .s Iteini;- .-jjcmil Lo puiJ.itde land on the Waipa tv give back to na ivi's T V J^itxpiitrick, in support of the resolution, paid Sir Donald J'cLoan w,« subjecteJto tho gieatosfchuraihstiou during hi-i late visit to ttis* Kuig. It ]md never boen denied thufc ToJd's murderer waH prosent. Sir D jnald pandered to the. na^ves, dragging- lb« prestige of the pakelm through the miru" lor hid own aggmiidiaement. TheCh'urraauput tho resolution to the meeting winch \v-as carried almost unanimously. ♦ Mr Jus Martyn of Waip^a, moved the fol]ovviii£ ie.s<>]»tion : — Th't in ti.e opinion <n! tiii^meoting t^n policy of piumji.g pip« »of lain! io ua,ti\cs mlha midut •if Kurupc^xi ot tciui-s w niuoli to b- coudoiiiiual, .*' rJ-o t lie Mu!tli."» (ijvu to n»!ivea o! piocur1114 '»> tliu i.Kin i-kir •, 5..11 •of the choicPttlot-i, -> »nlo e\er\ d '>• -uilv 2i,i iyjcu tlnov>n lii tbe I \\.\-y of hvw oai. o tViiU'iit. Yiv Jd.<:!'ii S'ud in movi'i£( this resoluiiou, hu v/.is no \sa./ piejudiced against the r.ati\Cft, buh tno government had no vi'^iif. to introduce Ihimi amongst huvope<iu^. Tho Ijind opposite his own farm on which mithes wmo now settled, he-lj.id iipi>lied for, yerirs beiore, and was told ie could not bo put up till the completion of tho ivailv/.iy. Un making another application he \v,«s told Unit the kndiud bien handLU over to jMr Alackay for native p«rpi»f-*s. ft v.. is impossible for l^urope;tn;J and i\Jaons to work hai moniously toge ther. They cuuld neither get them to fence or pay rntcs. Jvfr G Jidgceuinbe in seconding the resolution said tAiis was tho thin end of the wt'd^-e. 11 this was allowed to pabS, other pU'Ct»s vould be'given away. There of tho Government havingnurcllu&ed land f -,l Karapipi to s^|tlc na tives on. It wjib nlwaya diffiwilt to de.J with natives living in our inulst, moio erjprcially rebel natives. The policy that had beeupurfued led them to believe thai they, the native.., were the dominant; iace. ?'he chairman said no one could fe<d tho annoyance of having natives in' our midst mort than he <Jd. 'J'hore was a Meori j reserve of 14£ acres in the uiidsfc of his , own Liid. ilaoris .should be compelled I to paymtcs. The3U9acre3 opposite Mr ■Jartiu 1 .", \\ ltd been originally reserved i lor Taker, i te Ran, vn condition of hia ,roM> ; nqfin. It was vmw pottled on by a I'OnvLcted, thi^f, It was an infamous i tl ing to put iiativrs befcvfecu iho township j and country settler. Ifc wag euro to causo j fcun.ibbles ard might end in murder. Air Eyron said he would like ' to call titfcentum to this meeting. A larger, itioi'o ii iluontial, or more unanimous meeting had not been held in Ngar^iawahia far u long time. Settlers, have ttied repeatedly to get Jand in this district and bet u f>er»isteiitJy refused, and now this land was to be g-ivea to rebels on condition of coining in, and some of it was alroady settled on by a convicted thief. It was theii business to protest. Mr Barton aiso spoke in support of tho resolution. The resolution was put to the meeting" and carried unanimously. Mr Byron moved the following resolution :: — • That this meeting request Mr Cox; fco call th» attention of tho lion the Defcnct Minister to the fuel that hm statement in the House to thoi eff'ot that the Boltlicra' graves m (ho Waikato ara kept ia good order br the Armed Constabulary ia only puriialty the oa»e, as there aro 6CT«r«»I grare-jarcl» vrhioh. urgently ro^uira attention. Mr Byron said Mv Williams enquired in the House as to the condition of the grave-yards in the Waikato, and the Dhfenco Minister had answered that thff were kept in order by the A.C. He had written te the various districts in which the grareyards are situated, and found that, with the exception of Rangifeohia, t»e other graveyards had been kept in repair hitherto by private subscription fche*A.C-

having occasionally given a day's, work. Ho had received a letter from Mr Sheiloy (lettvr rend), vho has done a great deal for the graveyard in Kaugiriri, stating- that it again needs repair, sand most of the other gi.ivoyaids ne<-'d attention. The officer commanding thedistricfc had reported upon the condition of the graveyards, but it did not seem that it had been attouded to. yßecondod by Mr T. Y. Fnzpa trick. J^Mr G Edgecumbe called attention to 11* contrast of tho care taken with Maori g^Ryeyards/and alluded to the farce at Tuupiri in sending surveyors to see if the Iml way line could be altered so as tonvoid, •frssing the Maori graveyard there. Ho t&Seved the expense would Lo about £10,000. The resolution was put and earned vmunhnoualy. Mr E Fitzpatriek moved the fallowing resolution :—: — That this m«efcinu regret tho absence ir. Waikato < f an independent pap. r, which would re^ rekent the Tiewi of the settler*. Seconded by Mr Edgecumbe. Carried. Mr G Edgecumbe moved the following resolution ': — Hint in the opic^on of this meeting legUlation, en»b ing r»te» to be teiovtred ftoui abtenteeu, ib urgently needed, mote especially as it is now projosed to give increased powers of borrowing to local bodiei. , Mr Edgeeumbo said this is a question pretty well spoken of by all the settlers, and needed no comment. Seconded by.MrT V Fitzpatriek. The Chairman read oorrespojidenje on this subject between Mr Cox and himself. The resoKJfcimf wss then* put and carried mwaimoasly. •It *vas proposed by Mr T VrFitzpa trick, and seconded by Mr Martin and carried, f 'JLut copies of the foregoing reiolutioni be Sert in Mr Cox, M il R for the district. Tlie meetihg, which was one of the largest and conducted best ever held in terminated in the usual way with a vote of thanks to the Chuirman.