ALEXANDRA. (FROM OUR OWN CORRESPONDENT.) January 19.
A LARGK and influential public meeting of settlers was held yesterday, at 4 o'clock, iv front of the Post-office, to receive the report of the committee appointed at the meeting of the Ist instant, and adopt further steps towards endeavouring to obtain from the Government the arrears of pay which wa claim to be due to us. Mr. Wm. Otty was called to the chair. The secretary, Mr. W. A. Gray, thea read the following report : — Your committee, [in 1 presenting this report, would congratulate you upon the cordial good feeling exißting between the three regiments, and the expressed desire for united action being taken towards gaining our desired end, viz. : that of obtaining from the Government our arrears of pay to which we hold we are justly and legally entitled. Immediately on. their appointment, your committee communicated with Hamilton and Cambridge towards the attainment of this result. The answers received from those settlements are most satisfactory. Letters were also sent to the settlers at Kihikihi, Rangiawhia, and Harapipi, with a view to get those settle- | ments to unite with and work through us in this matter as representing the 2nd Waikato Regiment. Our views have been entertained, and most heartily adopted. Committees have been formed at each of the above settlement!, all prepared to combine together in one concerted plan of action. The settlers at Hamilton made a formal demand upon the Government through the Hon. the Minister for Colonial Defence for their arrears of pay, pointing out the illegal manner in which they had been struck off pay, whilst being told that they were still on actual service, were liable to be called in at any moment, and were under the conditions of the Articles of War and Mutiny Act. The settlers at Cambridge also addressed the Government through the press, ia a letter to the Daily Southebht Cross, which appeared in the issue of 6th instant, to a similar effect. A reply to the Hamilton application has been received, in which the Hon. the Defence Minister repudiated such claim for any arrears of pay while we have been struck off consecutive duty. This is followed by a memo, from the Colonel Commanding, stating that such decision is to be considered final. Your committee, having now briefly pointed out what has been done, desire to draw your atteution to the question as it stands. The fourth clause of our conditions of enrolment, states that — ' Each man, according to his rank, will be entitled to pay, rations, and allowance*, until he is authorised by the Government to take possession of his laud, when he will be relieved from actual service.' This is followed up, as explanatory of the view taksn of such condition by the Government, by general order, No. 5, dated Head -quarters, W.M., Alexandra, 4th March, 1865: 'It is notified for general information under instruction from Government, that the officers and men of the Waikato Force, when relieved from consecutive duty, and struck off pay, will still remaiu upon actual service, subject to the provisions of the Mutiny Act and Articles of War, »nd will be liable at any moment to be called out for consecutive duty; The force will be relieved from actual service »t the earliest apportunity. By order, (signed) 0. S. Spkbdy, Captain andDistrict Adjutant. " The above clearly shows the necessity of the proclamation of his Excellency Sir George Grey, of sth December, 1865, by which we are authorised to take possession of our land, and are relieved from actual service It would be an easy task to show the disadvantages we laboured under before the issue of such proclamation, especially on the part of those the earliest struck off. To have to rise before daylight to attend picquets, to be forced to attend parade every Monday, and church parade of a Sunday, to have to answer our names at roll-call of an evening, and to be refused admission to the redoubts if not in by last post at night, to be compelled to go up on our land at a time when, from the unsettled state of the district, such was not safe, and all this time to have the provisions of the Articles of War and Mutiny Act looming over our heads, these, your committee submit, are but incidental to the question at issue. They are proofs that we were considered by the Government to be on actual service ; they show the necessity of the Governor's proclamation of sth December, 1865 ; and they form a complete answer to the reply of the Hon. the Defence Minister for pay for such service. If further proof was wanted, your committee would point out our present title to the land we hold, and our claim to it prior to the issue of such proclamation. We are, at the present time, civilians in actual possession of the land given to us by the dovci-uor's proclamation, in accordance with the conditions of our enrolment (our testimonial of character being dispensed with), and we only wait the completion of our three years' service, to receive our Crown grants for the same, the only condition of forfeiture being our absenting ourselves for more than a month from the settlement without permission. Before theissue of the Governor's proclamation, and after being struck off pay, with the Mutiny Act and Articles of War hanging over us, any infringement of them might have involved the loss of a good character, and consequent forfeiture of land. A very different position this to be in than the former. The reply of the Hon. the Defence Minister may be summed up under two heads, viz : Ist. That officer states, that as the militia after being struck off pay were not required to perform any duty, they are not entitled to any pay ; and 2nd. That as the Auckland Militia did not get pay, therefore we should not Apart from the main question at issue, which such reply does not touch upon, your committee would point out that the duties and disadvantages already enumerated, to which the men struck off pay were subjected, is a complete answer to the first head. In answer to the second head, we do not recognise the Auckland Militia regulations as any guidance for u=<. We care not even to know what they were. We enrolled under certain conditions of our own as a Waikato force, and all we ask of the Government is that after we have faithfully kept our part of the agreement, they will fulfil theirs. The Auckland Militia enlisted under a certain Act by which they could be called out for training for a certain number of days, for which period they were not liable to the Mutiny Act or Articles of War ; if for actual service, they would have to be embodied as a force, and paid accordingly. We enrolled under the General Enlistment Act, for a term of three years or less. All such period we were to all intent and purposes soldiers, subject to the Queen's Regulations, and at the end of such period were legally and lawfully entitled to claim our discharge. Your committee are fully of opinion that the Government know the Waikato settlers to be justly and legally entitled to receive pay for their acual service up to the sth December, 1865, when by Government proclamation they were relieved from actual service. It was thought by the Weld Ministry, that by striking the men off consecutive duty and pay (all credit to them for their coining of this phrase), they could get all they wanted out of them, and still keep them together, so that they would be ready if wanted, while the step would be a saving of ■ money to the Government. A new Ministry succeeds, and finds that a great mistake has been made, the men of the Waikato Militia were never relieved from actual service, according to the conditions of their enrolment; hence the necessity for the Governor's proclamation of the sth December, 1865. But the Government were not going to give us our due. No, the policy begun by the Weld Ministry must be carried out by the Stafford Ministry. Not to mention other grievances, but to confine ourselves to the question of our arrears of pay to sth December, 1865— the attempt was made to stop our pay for monthly mustering, and it was only after a general burst of indignation of the settlers, backed by the public opinion of Auckland, that such sop in the pan was offered us. The endeavour now is to refuse us the remainder of such arrears of pay. Let us speak out equally plain, let us Waikato settlers as a body be firm and united in our action, and your committee believe we shall gain our end. Our cause is just, we may have to fight a hard battle, but let us fight it to the last and the right must prevail. Your committee would therefore recommdnd you not to think your caiise hopeless because of the address in reply of the Government, but would advise your continuingto urge your claim. They would recommend you to unite with the 3rd and 4th Regiments in submitting the matter for a legal decision, and in the event of such decision being favourable to bring the question to a legal issue. Good must result if such united efforts are but properly directed. With this view your committee propose to you to elect two representatives fr,om the 2nd Regiment and one from the Forest Ranger^, nommatedbyKihikihiandßangiawhahiacommitt'ee^ to meet representatives from the 3rd and 4th Regiment at some central position, say Ngaruawahia or elsewhere, to .form » central working committee to carry out our object. The advantages of this are obvious. Such delegates would meet and compare views, and' after discussion be at once prepared to act, without (as now) having to wait for, communication with the respective settlements. .Should it be thought advisable, to consult a solicitor personally rather than by letter, so as to be better able to present ail the points of the case,, ouch person or persons could be at; once elected. Such conference and interchange ,of views could but result 'in; the question being forward in , the.sfullest' possible manner, ,, and. that bo *V to satisfy *shsi
respective constituents. Your committee have represented these views to the committees of Hamilton and Cambridge, urging upon their settlers a similar course of action ; they trust such proposal will meet with your approval. It is understood that the expenses of such representatives must be paid, and the money allowed out of the general fund of the three regiments. Your committee respectfully nominate the Secretary, Mr. W. A. Gray, Mr. T. J. Piesse, and Mr. Wm. Smith, the nominees for the Forest Rangers, as representatives for Alexandra Your committee have forborne to press for subscriptions until they saw that they were needed, they have received, however, every promise of support when the occasion arrives. Should you adopt this report, it will be necessary for one and all to come forward and give a helping hand. In conclusion, yonr committee trust that you will see that they have not been idle, but have done all that in their power lay to open communication with the other settlements, and secure union of action in the matter. We have done this, we have cleared the ground, and believe the time is now ripe for work. We are fully confident of success, and cordially invite your continued exertions. (Signed) W. Otty, Chairman. W. A. Gray, Secretary. Alexandra, 18th January, 1866. After the reading of the report, the following resolutions were moved and unanimously adopted :—: — 1. That the report now read be received and adopted. 2. That Messrs. W. A. Gray and F. J. Piesse bethe delegates to represent the 2nd Regiment Waikato Militia, and Mr. William Smith, the nominee of the Kihikihi and Rangiawahia Committees, be the delegate to represent the Forest Rangers, to meet similar delegates from Hamilton and Cambridge, and form a central working committee, to meet at Ngaruawahia or elsewhere. 3. That this meeting sees no necessity for relaxing their efforts to recover the back pay due from the Government, but resolves to persist in carrying out the desired object, and is prepared to push it to a final issue in the broadest sense of the word. 4. That this meeting recognises the necessity for immediately collecting subscriptions, in order to carry out the object in view, and decides that every individual in the settlement interested be solicited at once to contribute towards such end. 5. That the hearty thanks of this meeting are now tendered to the Editor of the Daily Southern Cross, for his consistent and untiring advocacy of the rights and interests of the Waikato settlers, and that the secretary of the committee be instructed to convey the same to him. 6. That a vote of thanks be tendered to the committee, for the able and satisfactory manner in in which they have hitherto performed their duties, and that it is hoped they will continue in office. 7. That the thanks of this meeting be given to the chairman for presiding on this occasion. It transpired at the meeting that a requisition was afoot to obtain the assent of Edward Waddington, Esq., M.D., to stand as a candidate for the district of Raglan at the forthcoming election. Although this movement was started but a short time previous to the meeting, a large number of signatures was obtained. The Waikato settlers feel that they are numerically strong enough to secure the return of a member who will look after their interests ; their settlements form a thriving and flourishing portion of the province of Auckland, and ought not to be neglected. As settlers of Alexandra, we feel that no abler choice could be made than that of our worthy and much esteemed Dr. Waddington, who has, since he joined üb, shown in every possible manner his hearty co-operation in everything tending to the advancement of the Waikato settlements. j
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Daily Southern Cross, Volume XXII, Issue 2663, 30 January 1866, Page 5
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2,350ALEXANDRA. (FROM OUR OWN CORRESPONDENT.) January 19. Daily Southern Cross, Volume XXII, Issue 2663, 30 January 1866, Page 5
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