THE POLLOK SETTLEMENT.— PUBLIC MEETING. (FROM AN OCCASIONAL C0RRESP0NDENT.)

Daily Southern Cross, Volume XXV, Issue 3820, 16 November 1869, Page 5

THE POLLOK SETTLEMENT.— PUBLIC MEETING. (FROM AN OCCASIONAL CORRESPONDENT.)

A mktino of settlers of the jPollok'Highway District was held on the 9th inntant, at the home of Mr. M. C. Notman, aud which wm oouveued by the chairman of road trustees, to consider! affairs connected with church aud school.— Mr. James Given, chairman, read the notice from the Weekly News convening the tueetiog, and proceeded to remark that there had beea a considerable mm of money collected ft t the erection of a church in the district, and that a very long time had elapsed, and no further stsps been taken in the matter ; that th« settlers would now like to know how much money had betn collected, and if not sufficient they would endeavour to supplement it, and try and hare a. want supplied that had been long felt. — Mr. Thomas Brownlee said j,tbafc the Rev. J. M. Smith wag at present in the settlement, but that he diJ not feel inclined to attend the meeting ; he expecteJ, however, to be up again in the course of a fortnight, when ho would hold a m.eting of members of his congregation. —As the present meeting wai not aware of any members of his congregation residing in the kettlement, with perhaps the exception of the last speaker, they felt it n&s unnecei-i-ary to dwlay, and ruled that the business of the meeting be proceeded with. — Mr. William Douglas said that they were all aware that a pretty round sum had been collected, and was now lying in the hands of the Rev. J. M. Smith. They were aware that »t the commencement cf the settlement a committee of management had been apppoinled, and a treasurer to hold all moneys for the district. They now wished to get sn account of if, and endeavour to have a church erected as soon as possible. With that end in view, he would move, " That a committee of resident settlers of the Pollok district be appointed to man *ge church and school affairs generally. 1 ' The motion was seconded by Mr. R. McEwen, and carried ; when the following settlers were appointed a committee : — J*ines Given, j Robert Mofiwen, Matthew 0. Notman, | Henry Ford, Joshua Waterworth. — Mr. Brownlee th uglit that the meeting was proceeding with business not embodied in the advertisement. He understood it wan ouly to be a meeting of inquiry ; but it was evident from the advertisement itself that more was intended. — Mr. Matthew 0. Notman then proposed the following resolution, " That the committee respectfully ask the Eev. J. M. Smith to hand over to them all money* collected for thel erection of a church on tho Pollok] Settlement, together with the subscription. lists, with a view to having the building proc-eded with as soon as practicable. — Seconded bj Mr. R. Soouler.— Mr, Biowoleejhere endeavoured to show that the money collected, and now lying with Mr. Smith, was not for a church for the settlers generally, hut for a churcb, manse, aud sohool in connection with Mr. Smith* particular denomination, and he oould not see how Mr, Smith, or any other minister, could collect funds to benefit any other sect than his own. — Mr. ETeary Ford begged respectfully to say that he was a subscriber to the church; though not to agreat extent, it was according to his ability at the time; and he understood it to be for a church for the Presbyterian settlsrs, or any person who wished to attend, and he wa« sure it was the opinion of tho subscribers generally. — The meeting supported him in his remarks, and the motion was put and carried. — Mr. B. McEwen said the settlers had long been accused of complicity in the collecting and withholding of that money, and he hoped it would be either forthcoming now, or that the settlsrs would publicly clear themselves, from the unjust imputation. — Mr. Douglas next called the attention of the meeting to the education question, and in doing so read an extraot from a report of a meeting of the Central Board of Education, stating that, "A memorial had been received from the residents at Pollok Settlemtnt asking aid in the establishment of a school- house, and supplementing of the teacher's salary, the memorial stating that a school-house was already im course of erection, and that the residents in the district; would subscribe £40 per annum to ward's a teacher's salary, and £20 to the sohool-building fund " He need hardly say these statements were utterly incorrect ; that no school-home was in course of erection ; that the residents had never promised any suoh sums ; nor were they ever consulted upon the matter. The whole affair might be characterised as a deception, and, if allowed to go on, was sure to bring down upon the settlers the displeasure of the Central Board, and prevent their obtaining aid when •hey might stand more in need of it. He, therefore, moved the following resolution: " That, in the opinion of this meeting, the report prtsonted to the Central Board of Education was a mii-itatement of facts, and caloulated to convay a wrong impression to the Board with respect to the resident settlers; and tbat this masting requests tho ootnmlttee to forward a true statement of affairs without delay to the Central Board of Eduoatlon for their information." The motion was seconded by Mr. Notman, and carried unanimously, Mr. R. MoEweo said there w»a another question lie weuld beg to bring under the notice of the meeting: though, perhaps not originally intended to be brought up, it was still closely connected with church and ■ohool, and had been too long overlooked. They wished to get % transfer of eight acres of land, whioh had been subicribed for byth* ettlers for a churob, sohool, and cemetery, and which had been taken up in a private individual's name. A. resolution, which he begged to propose, would explain it more fully : ' ' That the committee be empowered to request Mr. John Anderson to transfer over to them, without expense, the sight acrea of land purchased for •hurcb, sohool, and cemetery, subscribed for by the settlers, %\xs same to be hell in trust for the settlement ; and, in the event ef his refusing to comply, the committee be em* | powered to take such proceedings as they may dr«m necessary." — Feoonded by Mr. ft. Scoaler, and carried.— A vote of thanks to th* chairman terminated th* prootedings.