RAGLAN: THE RECENT NATIVE MEETING.

Daily Southern Cross, Volume XXVII, Issue 4409, 2 October 1871, Page 3

RAGLAN: THE RECENT NATIVE MEETING.

Tuo-ii; of the fricndlies here who are of known Kingile proclivities aro confident that a peace will he the te3tilfc of the next meeting at Te Kopiu, at which his Excellency is to be asked to be present. Manuhiri, in addressing M.ijor Mairat Te Kiuti, said, "You were a child of mine in past days. Were you sent here [by the Government] ? Are you the Christ?" This seems like impertinence, but ifc is nothing moie in reality than an irievercnt application of the interrogatories put to John the Baptist (John i., 19 and following verses). Tawliuo said he must hold communication with the Governor, not with M'ith subordinates, lleihau.i Wahauui or Te Wakahoehoa was the chief speaker. lie desires to be a " tupuna" (ancestor) over the land from Te Kuiti to Maungatawhii i, fiom Te Kuiti to Te Aroha, and from Te Kuiti to Turanga. What chis ancvstoisbip may mean, remain? to be seen ; but the fnendhes do not think it will be anything veiy terrible. Iveibana did the usual amount of talk also about Bcopping the road works, the telegraphs, the leading and selling of land, &c. — all talk if I mistake not — a last atcempt to hold on to a greasy rope, which he is aware is slippiug through his fingers. Jleihana was Tawhiao's mouthpiece. Matmhiri's song of welcome was of an extremely pacific ten dency, and this, with the fact that Tawhiao showed himself openly and saluted the Europeans (some 20 of whom were present), has made the Kupapas confident of a final termination to the so-called war. The advent of the letter from the Ngapuhis, demanding Todd's murderers, is looked upon as a somewhat unfortunate occurrence, and likely to cause much difficulty if the matter is pushed by our Northern allies.

ERECTION OP A SCHOOL-HOUSE. I mentioned before that the Aotea settlers were proposing to establish a district school. In aid of this object, a Mr. Johnson, of Hamilton, has made an offer, which others placed in like circumstances would do well to emulate. He proposes to give one acre as ! a site for the school, and he further promises two acres as a site for a store, post-office, blacksmith's shop, or any other private undertaking which will eventuate in a public good. Aa an unpleasant contrast to Mr. Johnson's generosity, the proprietor of a piece of ground in the Whangaroa district (which the trustees wished to obtain as a school site) asked £5 per acre for it.

MAOEI DEPREDATIONS. On Friday, the 22nd ultimo, two natives, Te Wiwaka and Reihana, appeared before Dr. Harsant, R.M., to answer to an information charging them with having stolen two pigs, the property of Rishard Galvan. Prosecutor had bought eeveral pigs from the Hauhaus ; .and the two animals in question were tied in the road near his house. There was a native settlement some 200 yards off, across a creek, and the pigs wore taken over there, and killed and eaten. Both the pri«oners acknowledged their guilt, but stated that the robbery was plauned by the whole oftlje natives in the house • and, the name of Hetaraka- Nero f a, £50 per annum assessor, was, mentioned. ■ Prisoners were 'fined ,£3,eacb, or, ia default,, one moqth. The money was paid. The natives do not hesitate to say that He,taraka Nero was a planner of the robbery and a consumer of tho proceeds. I ftin told that he dealt a pack of. cards to' decide who "was to go, and that he himself objected to 'more than two persons" being' employed,! ,as likely to. ,eridanger dia.covery. His own story is that .ho saw the stolen pigs hanging: up, and that he immediately left the.place with, his wife. , The maUeVi,certwnly/ t E(||W^4,' .bo",' inquired, jinto 5 . Hak'opa to- Kotuku" and Hemi Matin* were the means of the offenders being brought to boek.--[Correapondent.] . /

A meeting 6f the Members of the kuokknd Agricultural League was held on Saturday af fcernwj at $ ,o'cloqkj j)(i the British fHdtel. There was . a fair, attendance of mejrbers. Mr., Albia Margin, presid^at of the .League, in th"o chair. '•■''■ ' • !

A WABKET-fji^op.T-'jAfter the minutes of the' prebrtona 1 meeting. ; 'ha# l been read,i the secretary (Mr. ( H. ,S, Andrews) statejd' th" at ,cpnip]iahce witluan order ofithfe Ex^cutiv^ Committee he had sent jv 'letter-to the Mayor of Auckland,, with reference .jfcp .providing a. market-house -for jih'e' 'farmers! ftio Bel) their prbdiic'e" in. ■, The/allowiiig better he had r&-' ceived as ana^pwer :—" Borough Council of Auckland.— Auckland^ 21tibS6pteinber[ 1871. —Sir,— l have the" honour to' 'acknowledge receipt of your letter to the Mayor o'f 18th,, instant, 1 and, in reply,' to 'State that it 1 Is' the intention of' the Council to pj*orido market accommodation for the city of Auckland, that the work will be commenced asi soon na the funds are provided, and the market may be Completed, say, in six months from date. The Mayor will be glad'to receive any suggestions as to the agricultural require^ ments of the market, and will lay the same before the committee specially appointed to carry out the details.— l have, &e., F, Bkodik, Town Clerk. —H. S. Andrews, Secretary Agricultural League, Otahuhu," — $o action was resolved upon at present with reference to this letter, but a general wish expressed to see the market erected without delay.

Importing Diseased Sheep.— The following letter was read, received in reply to one sent by the League to the Provincial Government, with reference to the fees levied on imported cattle :—": — " Superintendent's Office, Auckland, September 25, 1871. —Sir, — In reply to your letter of the 15th instant, T have the honour to enclose a copy of the Sheep Act, 1863, Amendment Act, 1871, passed during the last session of the Provincial Council, which (you will observe) does nob fix any particular fee for the examination of sheep imported, but empowers the Superintendent to do so. This the Superintendent has already done by notification in the accompanying Gazette. The Act does not deal with cattle in any way. — I have, &c , Hugh H. Lusk, Provincial Seoretary. — H. S. Andrews, Esq., Acting Secretary to the Agricultural League, Otahuhu." The Gazette showod the g9ntlemen who had been appointed Inspectors in the three districts in this province. — The Secretary stated that, in connection with^-these imported sheep, a very important matter had come to his knowledge. How it had been allowed to escape by the Inspector he did not know, but he had been informed that at a certain port in this province sheep had lately been admitted with footrot. Such events were serious matters for the farmers, as largeuumbers of sheep in tbe province might be infected through these diseased imported ones. He thought it would bo advisable that an inquiry should be made into the matter by the League, for the purpose of knowing whero those sheep had been brought from, how they had beon passed, who had passed them, &c. Such matters, ho thought, were fully under the scope of the League, — Mr. Kempthorne said ' the importance of such an inquiry could not be disputed, and it was in such caseß that the League should show their influence. — Mr. Maclean agreed with that view, and hoped the matter would be made public through the Press. — The Chairman thought it was a matter in which a full inquiry should be made, if there was a possibility of doing so. — The Secretary said ho was already acquainted with a few of the facts m the case, and would conduct the inquiry, if instructed to do so.— Mr. Maclean said at the time those sheop wore imported perhaps the Inspector may not have known anything of foot-rot being amongst the flock, and might not have been so particular as he would otherwise have been. He moved that tho secretary bo instructed to make the necessary inquiry into the matter, aud to bring hia report before the next meeting. — Motion seconded by Mr. Woolfield, and agreed to.

Banktno Hours — The Chairman brought under the notice of the meetiug the fact that the hanks doing business in Auckland had decided oa closing an hour earlier on Saturdays than formerly. That arrangement would press hard upon agriculturists in general, — Captain Walinesley said Saturday was th* busiest day with the farmers. On that day their produce was brought into town, and sold at the different auctions. When they received their cheques from the auctioneers after the aale, it would be impossible to get them cashed at the bank, or the amounts placed to their accounts. — JMi*. Seotfc said they would be compelled, to hand their cheques over to some poison in town to qet them cashed, and tiust to his honesty to refund the amount a very unsatisfactot y arrangement. —The Secretary suggested that the bank clerks might get their half-holiday on Mondays or Tuesdays, but if any alteration was to be made he thought it should be to keep open an hour longer on Saturdays. — The Chairman said the whole arrangement showed how little the agricultural iuterest was thought of. It was very evident by this little change that at present the commercial interest entirely swamped the agricultural one. No motion was made on the matter, but a hope expressed that when the grievance was made known through the Press the banks would make some arrangement to accommodate the agricultural interest.

Regulat-ino THE Meetings. — Mr. Kempthorno said from what he could learn a considerable atnouub of important work was before the League, and therefore the business of their meetings should be con ducted in a formal manner, and a propoi record of all their transactions kept. Under that belief lie had prepared a series of r.solutions, which he submitted to the meeting. These were to the effect that tho meetings of the League and Executive Committee should be conducted in due and regular order ; that a meeting of the Executive Committee be held every Saturday, at which the president or vice-president shall preside, failing which the members present shall elect a chairman, seven to be a quorum; that all members' of tho League be invited to attend the weekly meetings ; that on the first Saturday of each month, the president or vice-president presiding, and 12 members being present, the meeting shall be considered to be a public one, at which tho rules, Ac, could be altered, but that no motion objected to by two members shall bo passed at such monthly meeting, unless a week's notice had been given of such motion to the secretary ; that tho treasurer be requested to furnish a statement of the accounts to each monthly meeting, and that the second subscription from members be due on tho ,Ist July, 1872, &c. ; winch were seconded and unanimously agreed to. — The Chairman drew attention! to tho fact that those resolutions, and the circulars which had been issued to the different Highway Districts, would soon bring a large amount of work, upon the hqn. secretary — more in fact than they could ask him to do gratuitously.— Mr. Kempthorne said he would be willing to assist to his utmost for a few months, until they saw how the institution would succeed,

Change of Name. — Mr. Kempt!) onre thought the preient designation of their institution was soarcely comprehensive enough for the work they had set themselvea to discharge. <He gabled a motion ( to that effect, which will come on for discussion at next meeting. He wished to see a more comprehensive designation, and one less/ antagonistic, than the word "League." | A. LAin> DkainulOK AcT.-?-Mr. } Woajflejd moved the following- -important resolution : — VThat a Land ' Drainage Act,' similar to the -one which was found ao beneficial in England and Scotland, bo adopted in tHis colony; asthis Leagve is- convinced thai; besides the large $mount of 6{tra labour whi6h would be employed at a time, of year wh< n many are^ ( Qut ( of work, the. value o? every estate which 'would bfe* placed uVider itsipr >• visions would bejvery'much increased beyoqd t.'ie actual ain,ount, of money sp, expended, and that, iunliko: many loan^oi'i /grunts wliiqh Government are called upon to make, this loan^woDldiba repaid, in lull with interest;. An *«ct G&'tmY'naturV would besides give employment to thoie immigrants which it it understood Government contemplate bring-

mg out. la support of the resolution ho staged *ha<j all $19 w f hioh hatl been »T6ng in cultivation Vaa rapidly chapgingin its datura/ It wks beaming '^aite'fiatd, so that the rama-of winter jdid nojb tl pass,a;way ias formerly. " Farms were diminishing in vilue in joonyi-quenooy arid iH/many places the number ■ io£ oattle kept had to be greatly dirai^ ished. The work of draining their estates tVai &nsi ; raJly beyond the' means of the farmera- themselves. It would also be seen that-tnef whole >.p£ the money advanced for the object contemplated in th6'im6tion ! would be spent on { labour, -pithily the co,y>ny. The drains' would i be, dug, by their own labourers, and the tiles us6a would be made. by. colonial labour out coheir owft raw material^ jW% the exception of a small sum for Government supervision, .the whole amount would be , spent^ on labour. ,He referred to tke working of a 'similar Act at home, and mentioned, many instances in which it had been highly beneficial ; amongst others'named his father's farm. > The money advanced l in Scotland was repaid in 21 .'.years, „aud 6£ per qen't. was charged^ f which..' included interest and sinking fund. — Mr. ' John Wallace seconded the, motion. Some people blamed the farmers for the backwardness of agriculture lin this province, and said they should put manure on their lands. He had found out that there was no use in putting manure of any land qnr undrainod lands— it was simply wasting money. Withaut some help the farmers were unable to drain their land, and the motion tabled he considered a step in the right direction. — The motion was; agreed to unanimously.— Mr. Woolfield then moved, " That a copy of the foregoing resolution be transmitted from this League to Mr. Williamson, M.H.R,, and that he be requested to draw the attention of the Go vernment and Assembly ,^o tbis subject." — Mr. Kempthorne seconded the motion, which was unanimously agreed to. Petition to thb Assembly.— The following memorial was then signed by the members of the Executive Committee of the League, for transmission to Mr. John Williamson, M.H.R. for Oity East, to be by him presented to the General Assembly :—: — "To the Honourable House of Representatives of New Zealand, in Parliainewt assembled. — The petition of the undersigned, farmers and settlers of the province of Auckland, respectfully showeth, — That great depression has for some' time past existed in the country districts of this province ; that the value of farm produce and stock has suffered heavy 'depreciation; the value of stock having fallen half within the last eighteen months. That, from this unfavourable abate of thtngq, and also from the l ate of wages — altogether disproportionate to the price of produce— and from the scaroity of good farm labourers, your petitioners are unable to compete with foreign produce. They consider, therefore, that a moderate protective duty ought to be imposed upon cereals, breadstuffs, flour, and timber, and upon hay, chaff, aud other farm and dairy and garden produce and stock imported into the colony, except stock 'imported for the purposes of breeding. Your petitioners humbly pray your honourable House to take these important matters into your consideration, and to devise measures calculated to give them such relief as to your wisdom shall seem meet. And your petitioners, as in duty bound, will ever pray. — [Signed by the executive officials for the Agricultural League.]" — The meeting then separated.