PUBLIC MEETING AT CAMBRIDGE WEST. The Pound Question.

Waikato Times, Volume XXI, Issue 1758, 11 October 1883, Page 2

PUBLIC MEETING AT CAMBRIDGE WEST. The Pound Question.

In pursuance of advertisement appearing in our Saturday's issue, a public meeting of the ratepayers of the Pukekura riding was held at the schoolroom there on Monday evening last. The room was literally crowded, thus showing much interest on the part of the public in the object of the meeting, and the chair was occupied by Mr Jno. Fisher. The Chairman opened the proceedings by reading the advertisement in The Waikato Times convening the meeting; . also the petition praying for a public pound at Cambridge West, which had been sent to the Pukekura board, and the counter petition on the same subject which had also bjon signed and also forwaided to the board. Having read the petitions, the chairman said he did not know whether the road board was the proper power to take the necessary steps in the establishment of a pound. Ceitainly the act gave them no authority. On taking legal advice, he had found that the county council was the ' piopur body to which the petitions should have been foiw.uded. In discussing the question, however, that evening, he hoped they would keep to the point, and not ramble into other s\tbjects which did not concern the object of the meeting. (The petitions before the meeting showed that 33 had signed in favour of the pound, and 21 against it.) Mi A. Clements wished to impress upon the meeting that he wiu> not the prime mover in the matter, though his name appeared about first on the petition asking for a pound. Mi Koelcy then proposed "That there bs a pound established in Cambridge West." Mr Hyatt seconded. Mr D. McKinnon proposed as an amendment, "That a pound ba not established in Cambridge West.' In doing so, he would ask what were the qualifications for a voice in the erection of a pound. Mr Hyatt, senr., replied that the qualification was a purely residential one. The Chairman replied that ratepayers alone were entitled to vote. Mr McKinnon asked who was to pay for the cost of erecting a pound. Was it to come out of the rates of the entire riding, or was Cambridge West alone to pay the pipor ? The Chairman replied that the Pukekura board (of which ho was chairman), knew no Cambridge West, so far as their administrative functions were concerned. They knew only the Pukekura riding, and any question of this nature must apply to the whole disti ict, and not a part or corner of it. Mr McKinnon wished to know if the cost would be met by a special rate, or by the ordinary rate. The Chairman did not think the Road Boards Act empowered the Pukekura Board to spend the ratepayers' money in erecting pounds. If they wanted to levy a special rate for the purpose named they would have to take a poll of the ratepayers, and then secure a majority in its favour. Mr McKinnon: And what a word that " majority " is to be sure ; why it has become quite proverbial in the district. I can assure you every child I meet going to school talks " majority " and nothing else. (Laughter). May be the county council would elect the pound at its own cost? The Chairman could not say so. Mr McKinnon said he liad been informed by the principal mover in the petition, which had now become celebrated thioughout the distiict, that one of the loading ineinbeis of the road hoard was the fh>t to urge the petition. He wished to know whether Mr Richard Reynolds had been the leading spiiit in the matter or not ? The Chairman could not answer for Mr Reynolds. Mr McKinnon : There again you fail to give me the information I require. Another thing I would ask, that is: Should the pound be erected, would that mean that we should all have to fence in our respective properties ? Does the Impounding Act accompany the Fencing Act ? The Chairman : Yes, you could impound cattle if you found them outside of an enclosed place. My McKinnon did not think the chairman fully comprehended the situation. At least he did not comprehend his question ; whereat Mr McKinnon again enquired il the pound would stand in place of fencing. The chairman again explained. Capt. Owen seconded Mr McKinnon's amendment. In doing so he did not consider that the pound was necessary. If the people required to impound cattle there was one on the other side of the river. Mr O'Neill asked if it was legal to use the pound of another county. The Chairman replied that it was legal, and quite usual. Any pound within ten miles was a legal pound. The Cambridge East pound could therefore be used by them if they required. Mr Hyatt asked if it were possible for the settlers of Cambridge West 'to have a license to ran cattle m consideration of a certain annual fee. The Chairman replied there was' no authority to collect fees. Mr Hyatt said that such an arrangement was in force in Cambridge East: The Chairman thought that if Bthe county council were petitioned in the matter doubtless a similar arrangement could be effected. Mr Hyatt thought that there was nothing to prevent them in Cambridge West erecting a pound, in order that they might keep the cattle of outside districts, particularly from the East side of the river, from using their run.. They should not refuse to pay a small sum annually, and thus secure to themselves the full and entire uso of the run for grazing. If the people on the other side of the river, who had no interest in Cambridge Wes£ sent their cattle over there to gva^o., lot them pay a double fee. Let thorn agree to the terms of the original petition. $lr MoKinnon said there,was, 'a lot of' people running cattle on'the Cambridge West run who, though they did not, live m the place, had much more right to rWcattle there than a good many of those who seemed to be interesting themselves to such ■ an extent in the establishment of a pound. Mr McKinnon continued on his legs for some time, pouring forth a series of. questions, which elicited more laughter'than answers. He coulii tell them that the person who had befen interesting himself'to such an extent <un "hawking! round " that ragjpf a petsio.n" wasjjust 'Hankering rafter a billet as rSngerj?o^i>o;un(dk»»par./ifTßife,

tion, Raid he had" done so be'causeTMr Buck, of Fiako, had borsgs v grazing on their run. Mr McKinnon, .who seemed all impatience to make ft sneech, entered upon a aeries of . personalities, <which woro cut short by thfc'chaiftnan. calling hin\ to order. Th« Chairman 'said the pound would be where there' was the best chance of having lit filled occasionally. If the Impounding Act were brought into force all cattle would have to be taken off the run unless the owners paid a special fee for the grazing privilege. Mr O'Neill thought it was a disgrace that cattle should be allowed to run as at proSent 'on Cambridge West. If a pound were erected, it would lead to a better state of affairs on all hides. If people could afford to keep cattle they could surely afford to pay os annually per head for them. Mr Hitchman asked, if cattle trespassed on his vmfenced acie, could he legally impound them and claim damages ? The chairman replied he might impound them, but he could not claim damages. If they were impounded off properly fenced land then he could claim damages. Mr Keeley thought the most likely place for a pound to be erected would be at Cambridge West, as it was the most wanted there. Mr McKinnon said that Mr Keoley with his prohibitory petition would like to prohibit anything walking through the district with four legs, (laughter) Mr Keeley in hawking round the petition bed made use of his (McKinnon's) name prejudically to people who were here in the district, and whom they generally called new chums (laughter.)' What did' they, the settlers of Cambridge West, want with a pound 'r A policeman was a greater disideratum. He would ask them to support an applica- " tion for a police officer, so that the great nuisance which they had experienced in the pulling off of gates, destroying of fences, and upsetting of ploughs, harrows, &c, might be put an end to. Mr Johns spoke in advocacy of a pound. He thought they should reserve their decision until they got the necessary information from the county council. The Chairman then called for a show of hands in favour of Mr McKinnon's amendment, and ten voted ; in favour .if the original motion twenty-two voted. The motion was nccoidingly declared cairied. It was then unanimously le&olved that the chairman of the meeting as chairman of the road board ; forward the petition and resolution regarding the establishment of a pound within the Pukekura district to the county council. Mr Keeley then proposed that ratepayers only l^s « le.irv c to iun cattle on C.unbi idgc West at the rate of ."w per head per annum ; outsiders not being allowed to run their cattle at all. Seconded by Mr (-Jin raid. Mr Tucker proposed as an amendment, "That c\ery family in the place be allowed to run one cow free, and pay 10s for every other head." Seconded. Mr Kobt. Fisher considered 10s too much, and Mr Hyatt wanted to know if each family would bo allowed to run a liorse free as well as a cow. Other gentlejnen asked what about pigs, sheop, and goats being allowed to run free. Only four voted for the amendment, and the motion Was accordingly carried. It was also agreed, on the motion of Mr Keeley, that goats, sheep, and pig-> be not allowed on the 1 un. Mr Hicks did not altogether agree with this arrangement. He thought each bachelor should bo allowed to run a nanny goftt free. This terminated the meeting.

LliTHKll Fi:vriVAL.— The Berlin correspondent of a Sydney paper writes : — ■The 400 th annivoi mu y of Mai tin Luthei's birth will be celebiated :ill over Germany this autumn with gieat festivities The Emperor William has addiessed an older to the ministeis of public woiship e\pieasing a wish that leligious fe.sthities shall take place in all Protestant chinches and schools on the 10th and 12th of November, and the Empeior explores the hope that the celebration of this day might be a new tie for strengthening and uniting the Piotestant Clnirch. Gieat piu]).'iintioi)s aie, therofoie, going on in Germany for the celebration of these days ; and particularly the cities of Eislubuu and Wittenlnug, in the piovince of Saxony, wheie Luther was burn and wheie he had worked afterwards for a long time, are making great endeavours to celebrate the important day. Beside the Crown Piince, se\eial other members of the .Royal family and many Protestant princes a) c expected to be present at these festivities. Thk scheme for raising the French men-of-war which aie smile in Aboukir Bay i.s, it ih stated, in a fair w.iy of bein^ successful. The position of five of the nine 1* tench ships of the line said to have been sunk by the British fleet under Nelson has been asceitained. The operation* aie being cariicd out under the supervision of Lieutenant Ponsonby, late Royal Navy, and the reBults obtained hithezto sue vet y satisfactoiy. Among the many at tides aheady bi ought to the sin face fi'om aiound and about the sides of the ships are three cannons, two of which are made of brass, the third being made of iron, and a considerable amount of copper sheathing and laige pieces of lead that had evidently been used as ballast. A quantity of ironwoik, cannon balls, grapeshot, itc. ha\o also been found and seemed, in addition to se\eral .swords, cutlass blades, and flint muskets. Among the swords discovered is one of great \ alue. A Cowboy. — A Philadelphia paper has a good word to say for that much abused class of society, the cowboys. We are bound to say that hitherto, along with most people, we had regarded the name as synonymous with ruffian. A genuine cowboy (says our • contempoiaiy) is _ woith describing. In many respects he is a wondeiful cieatuic. Ho endures haid.ships that would take the lives of most men, and is, theiofoie, a perfect type of physical manhood. He i.s the finest hoiseinan in the woild, and excels in all the rude spoits m the field, He aims to be a dead shot, an unheisally is. Constantly dm ing the hcrdinjr season he lides 70 miles a day, and a majoiity of tho yeai sleeps in the open air. His life in the saddle makes him worship his horse, and it, with a rifle and a six-shooter, complete his happiness. Of %ico in the ordinary sense he knows nothing. He is a rougli, uncouth, brave andgeneious creature, who never lies or cheats. It in a mistake to imagine that they are a dangerous set. Anyone is as safe with them as with any people in the world, unless he steals a horse or is hunting for a fight. In their eyes death is a mild punishment for horse-stealing. Indeed, it is the highest crime known to the unwritten law of the lanch. Their life, habits, education and necessities breed this feeling in them. But with all this disregaid of human life there are less murderers and cut-throats graduated from the cowboys than from among the better educated classes of the East who come out there for venture or gain. They delight in appearing rougher than they are. To a tondoi-foot, as they call an Eastern man, they love to tell blood-curdl-ing stories and impiess him with the dangers on the frontier. But no man need get in a quairel with them unless he seeks is, or get harmed unless he commits some crime. England's Pkomiskd Gift.— The Sydney Echo says: — "Ten thousand families of London destined for Australia. We scarcely know how to take the news. There will be no difficulty in absorbing the 10,000, and we shall lay up treasures of gratitude with the Mansion House people by accepting them. But what is the origin, what the" cause, of the movement ? London crowding may be. London has been orow'djiujfor many years, and London is so vqkbp&d "so dense that the weeding out of *• *iiJOOO will hardly make a perceptible difference,-' „Be»ides, this sending out is very welfejjibtttrated by reversing the old proverp^lt is letting out at the spigot and tftkuw IP, at the bung. There is more emigration to London than to New South Wales in every year. The fresh blood, the bright hope, and the strong purpose of the world stream into the city gates and sometimes rise to the palaces and the towers, and at others sink to the slums. We may be sure the palaces and towers will not be drained for the purpose of supplying us with people ; and are we prepared to accept 10,000 families of the slums? They are going to drain their |»reat cask a little, but will it be only a drainage of the lees? We dhall'derive no advantage from them; If we take them it will be for charity. They may bring us some of the carols and more of the slang of Cockayne. We can do without, either. Also, they may live contentedly about pur narrow filthy courts, aiid feel themselves perfectly at home' in the most meagre of terraces, but it would'be tetter for the,cxty that the courts should be cleared and the terraces burndd if they are not fit for the habitation of people accustomed to a reasonable '«pace of earth beneath and affair; breadth of heaven aboVe. Ten thousand families of London— fifty thousand I swallow wroe*ky~voioe«rttieftgre bodies and - barren minds! We r must have run largely into debt with the' world's 1 #etropolu,if we can only' discharge ,it. by.,, accepting suoh a drawee M that."

One James New named his firstborn Something ; it was Something New. The next he called Nothing ; it being Nothing New. Captain Wkbb's attempted feat calls to mind an inoidont of the reign of Czar Nicholas, half a century ago or thereabouts. Looking out of his window one day, that monarch saw a large and interested crowd on the bank of the Neva. He sent an officer to find out the cause, and learned that a man had bet five roubles— about §3.73— that he could run across the river on the ice, which was then in that treacherous, half-liquid state, caused by the commencement of the spting thaw. The man performed the perilous feat, received his five roubles, and then Nicholas had him arrested and flogged with one hundred stripes ; "for," said the Czar, " a man who will risk his life for sucli a sum is capable of committing any act of baseness for a similar consideration. ATcAroha goldfield notice appears in our business columns. 'I he annual monthly meeting of the Sons of Ulster will be held in the Victoria Hall, Hamilton, this evening. Mr A. Connolly, of Hamilton East, offers a reward of £i for the recovery of two horses which he lost List Sunday. A concert and dance will be held in the Public Hall, Cambridge, on the 30th inst , in aid of funds for painting the Roman Catho'ic Church. Notice is given in out advertising columns that the Pi iko County Council have levied a special rate of }d in the £ upon all rateable property in the Pataterc outljing district. At the Cambridge citllo c.ile on Tuesday nest, Mr J, b. lluckl.tnd will offer for sale a choice lot bfshcep. Ratepayers r>f the Ngaruawania Town District Hoard are notified by idvertisement in .mother column that it is the intention of the board, at a special meeting to bp hold on Friday. 20th October, to make a r.ite of /d in the £ upon the rateable values lor the >e.ir ending Jlst March, ISSI. The partnership hitherto existing between A. J. Evans .tnd.Gco. Ellis, storekeepers, Dukestreet Cambridge, has been dissolved by mutu.il ( onsont. flif business will bo tarried on by Mr Kvans, who takes over .ill the assets and liabilities of the late iiim. Messrs W.J Hunter and Co will hold their second c.ittlc sale ,it the Ngaruawhia Y.irds on Tuesday, October 30th, when . i l.irge number of ( .ittle, thieflj steers, will be offered. Intending vendors aic requested to forward their entries promptly. We bfR to draw the attention of housewives and others to the advertisement of W. H. Shakespeai and Cr. , importers of sewing machines, bicycles, tricycles ot all sorts, and all kinds of wools and t nicy goods. Ihe advertisement will well repay inspection. Mr Jno. Knot will sell .it the Hamilton Auction Mart, on Saturday, the household furniture of a settler leaving the district, riding gaiters, saddles, produce, fowls, potatoes, and complete cooking range, &c. We again draw attention to Mr Huckknd's large sale of the general store stock ot Mr W. .Sloane (who is giving up this branch of his business) on Saturday next In addition to the lots alre idy advertised, there will be for sale a double-barrelled breach loading fowling-piece, with all fittings, and a spiing trap. Life in the Bush— Then and Now. — It is generally supposed that in the bush we have to put up with many discomforts and privations in the shape ot food. Formerly it was so, but now, thanks to 1\ 13. Hiil, who has himself dwelt in the bush, if food doc: consist chiefly of tinned meats his CoioviAr. Sauch gives to them a most delectable flavour, making them as well of the plainest food most enjo}.ible, and instead as hard biscuits and indigestible damper his Imimiovim) Coiovrvi. Making Pawni'K. makes the very best bre id, scones, c akes, and pastry far supcriot and more wholesome than yeast or leaven. Sold by all storekeepers who can obt lin it from mv merrh mt in Auckland