THE PUBLIC MEETING AT BLACKS.

Cromwell Argus, Volume XI, Issue 573, 2 November 1880, Page 6

THE PUBLIC MEETING AT BLACKS.

To th* Editor o/Thk Cromwell Argus. Sir,—The subsequent action of myself and others, contrasted with the unanimous voice of the meeting—especially as reported in the Dunstan Times —requires some explanation. A meeting to organize a Farmers' Club was first on the programme for the evening. The hour was very late when the meeting in question opened. There were present about 25 farmers, including Messrs Pyke and Fache from Clyde. "Mr Pitches was voted to the chair, and explained the object of the meeting ; and also his views as not being favorable to being annexed to the Naseby district. Mr Chappie, at considerable length, also expressed his disapproval, and moved the first resolution as follows— That this meeting views with alarm the proposal to sever Blacks district from the Dunstan Mining and Land district and attach it to the Maniototo. which, with a few remarks, was seconded by Mr Harrington. I then rose and stated that before the motion be put, the meeting should more fully discuss the matter, and I trusted some others present would give their views. As no one did so, I again rose and stated that I had neither sympathy or liking for either Clyde or Naseby ; nor did I want to go to either place to transact my business; I wanted to be able to do it here at our own courthouse. What we wanted was a resident Clerk and Receiver. The Progress Committee had once a promise that the police here would be appointed to act as Clerk of the Court, and I see no reason now why the Constable or telegraph officer should not fill the office, as either of these officers could overtake the work ; of course, I expect, they would get paid for it. If we had a sub Land Officer there would be no necessity to go to either Clyde or Naseby ; and the Warden and R.M. might stop at Dunedin, or even Fiji, providing he was here on the monthly court day, These views, though held by others, were not endorsed, as the impression had been circulated by the Clyde magnates that the scheme was unworkable, and the Times quietly suppressed any allusion to it, only to make it appear that I wanted a special Clerk and Receiver for Blacks. The first resolution being carried, and also the second—That this meeting feels certain that such parti, tionof the ba productive of great

inconvenience to persons having mjning, Jaad or judicial business to transact at the local court, and when the third, which waa— -vi) \ That a more satisfactory arrangement would bo for the present clerk, A. v>} Harvey, to con-i tin.ue to transact the business at the court at Ophir as heretofore ..,.,-, had alßo been dealt with, I moved ,that,we endeavor to get a sub Lancli Officer for the Blacks district. I was told that 1 must put my motion aa an amendment, or allow the motion before the meeting to be first decided. I did so, and on the motion, being carried the chairman, said that .there was only one more resolution and perhaps I would allow it also to go.to the meeting before I put mine,! I did so, and the following was also carried- 1 - That the foregoing' resolutions be entrusted to our representative, V. Fyke, Esq., askingihim'to transmit the same to the Government with his recommendations. ~ ; It struck me then that I had got euchred. 1 wanted also the assistance of our own M.H.R. to get my motions, if carried, brought- into: effect; but as they were opposed to what the meeting had asked him to further, how could he advance two opposite causes ? I gave it up. On quietly contemplating matters afterwards, it became clearly obvious to me that the Clyde dust had blinded our people's eyes to their own interests, and, for myself, I had , got quite non plussed. I expected a discussion as to what would, under the circumstances, be best suited to our own wants; but instead I found the resolutions had been all cut and dried—spiced and highly-flavored with Dunstan sauce, carefully buttered over with the interests of Blacks to make them palatable, judiciously placed in the hands or pockets of their respective proposers (some of whom are not wanting in sophistry when short of good arguments to support their cause ; while others did not disguise the fact that they were being used for the occasion. I inwardly cursed my trepidity in not having more fully stated and pressed my views, which I was positive, if away from the influence of Clyde magnetism, would be endorsed by nineteenths of our community. Next day, however, my views took the form of a memori?!, and are simply these :—A local Land Office, or a sub Land Office, or a place where applications for land could be made and land revenue received; a resident Clerk and Receiver by appointing the postmaster and telegraphist, who, we presume, could find time for the work, as it is evident his telegraphic duties are not onerous or our office would be a paying one and not tabood with the extra sixpence, which we ask to be taken off when he gets other work to do. Then we want another J.P., havihg only one, so that we could settle any pressing difficulty without the aid of Clyde or Naseby. That these proposals meet the people's views is evident by the number of signatures now attached to the memorial. No person who has been shown it, unless those who were proposers and seconders of the motions at the. meeting, have declined to sign it—and they could hardly be expected to do so, Although it does look a little ridiculous for the meeting to agree to one thing, and the memorial ask for another, candidly confessing that we were caught in a Dunstan bubble, through being blinded by the Clyde dußt, is the best way out of it.—l am, &c, M. Fitzgerald. Blacks, October 22nd, 1880.