WAIPUKURAU.

Hawke's Bay Herald, Volume 13, Issue 1035, 30 March 1869, Page 2

WAIPUKURAU.

THE LATE MONSTER MEETING OF • SETTLERS. In last Hebald we gave a telegraphic summary of the proceedings afc the public meeting held at Waipukurau the previous evening — Thursday the 25th inst. "\Ve now give a more detailed account. , The meeting, was, without doubt, the largest and most influential ever assembled inthe inland district of Hawke's Bay. Among those present were settlers from distant localities, and men of all classes of society, as well as representing all shades of political opinion. The meeting, which was most orderly and earnest in its conduct, was unanimous in its expression of opinion. Not one man could be found ready to say a word for the government of the country. Ministers and their actions were alik e condemned "by all — by the speakers in their speeches and by the listeners in tha earnest assent they gave to the serious charges which were made against the authorities. Among oth .ers attending the meeting we noticedtheH on.R. Stokes, M.L.C: Messrs A'Deane, Gollan, Nairn, Canning, T.P. Russell, Ph. dip Russell, Carlyon—magistrates; Mr/. Ormond, M.H.R. ; Messrs. Hunter, D rury, Rathbone, Drower,tHarwood, AVoott, Bibby, Campbell, Grant, Goodwin, ; Knight, and numerous other settlers oi" standing and interest in the province. ' ; Onth' a motion of Mr. A'Deane, seconded by Mr. T. P. Russell, the ohair was taken by the Hon. R. Stokes.; The Chaibman having read letters from Majo/t Carlyon and Mr. A. Chapman, _ regret,tinsr their unavoidable absence, -and expressing a desire to co-operate cordially with the objeot in view, — proceeded to 'co introduce the subject for the consideration of the meeting. The condensed report we subjoin of his remarks and of those of the other speakers, most inadequately renders what was said . by those gentlemen. The speech of Mr. Ormond is given at greater length, it being desirable that his opinions as representative of the district should be made public; but even in his case the reporting does not pretend to be more than a fair reading of the purport of his remarks. The Chaibman said that the notice of the meeting had been necessarily short, hut the intelligence of the removal of, Mr. M'Lean from the General Government agency required prompt action. The difficulties ot the situation were not to be exaggerated, and there was scarcely a divided opinion as to Mr. M'Lean's fitness to cope with them, if any man could. He (Mr. Stokes) said unhesitatingly that Mr. M'Lean was the fittest man in the country for the position of General Government agent on the East Coast. Had he been left alone, the position of the East : -Coast would have been very different to what it was now. But Mr. M'Lean had mot been left alone— had not been permitted free action. On one most important occasion in particular an underhand opposition had been working against him, and his best exertions had thereby been frustrated. Mr. M'Lean's fitness for the position he' had so long held was unequalled ; therefore there should he very grave reasons indeed to justify the Government in the step they had taken. No such reasons existed, or at least were apparent to the people of this province. Mr. Cannin g moved the first resolution, which was as follows .- — This meeting has heard with alarm and regret that ministers have withdrawn from His Honor -Donald M'Lean the General Government agenoy on the East Coast ; but, looking at the services His Honqf^has rendered, added to tbe influenoe he possesses over the EasJ Coast an^ Taupo tribes'} ahd, •- further, to the confidence reposed in him by people of both races' in this provinoe and upon the East Coast— this meeting is of opinion that the withdrawal from His Honor of the powers he has for so many years successfully exercised to the general benefit of the colony, is, at the present critioal conjuncture, a great publio calamity— is calculated to destroy confidence, and seriously to weaken the friendly relations with the East Coast, Hawke's Bay, and Taupo tribes^ whiqh, Baa laboured bo successfully to deve- : lope and maintain. ; —He supported the motion by referring to Mr. M'Lean's long services on behalf of the public. He would refer especially to his services since Ruaki Ture. Had Mr. M'Lean's plans been allowed free scope,— -had Colonel Lambert carried out the Wairoa expedition, as projected, many disasters that followed would have been averted. But Mr. M'Lean had been unfairly treated, and the colony had suffered for it. He believed Mr. M'Lean to be the fittest person in this province, or in this colony, to have the management of the native question. No man iv the estimation of the publio at large, could tide ; the colony over its difficulties as that gentleman could, if permitted to act. Of ministers, all he had to say was that they were fast ruining the country. Mr. Cablyon rose to second the resolution. First, he wouldsay thattheattendance of settlers from Waipawa and all other districts in the neighborhood showed the unanimity of public feeling in regard to those questions the meeting had met to consider. He would now ask, who were the persons who had just dispensed with Mr. M'Lean's services, and what was Mr. M'Lean's position as compared with theirs. He found Mr. M'Lean receiving tributes of respect and confidence from all sides in the House of Representatives and elsewhere ; he found Mr. Stafford himself paying a tribute to Mr. M'Lean, which he endorsed by offering him a seat in the ministry. Perhaps, in making this offer, Mr. Stafford felt the weakness of his position, and sought for the strength "Mr. M'Lean's alliance would have given the government. Perhaps, too, the latter gentleman was actuated in his refusal by a feeling that Mr. Stafford's ship was sinking ; and, if so, he undoubtedly was right, for Mr. Stafford's government was about to fall ; there was no doubt about that. The course taken by the Government in reference to Mr. M'Lean was a disgrace to themselves and a calamity to the colony. How have they treated Mr. M'Lean ? Have they sent their instructions through him, although their agent . Have they not sent instructions to others calculated to thwart him ; have they not held correspondence adverse to him, and issued orders without his knowledge or assent P Was not such treatment disgraceful? Yes, and even that language was not strong enough for such conduct as theirs, entailing, as it did, disaster upon the colony and district. As an example of their mode of acting he might mention the corps of observation inaugurated by Mr. M'Lean, the value of which was acknowledged by every settler in the country, as well as the fitness for the duty of the officer commanding, 'whoise knowledge' ■ of' the localities requiring :, io : be watched was excelled hy none, and who under took'the work without pay or rew ( ak-di But no sooner, was this, valuable body organized than Mi-; Stafford's government, simply from ; a feeling of ' spite ! because tho idea originated with- Mr; M'Lean, - it to be disbanded. v!;, Now, that very- same corps, he had heard, T.AS ...ajjput,. , to ..be, , /.enew^,-^. it i was *„ ll : *sP . : ftw ne^essaryi no \v', ,'fojj} poifc lundcr . ■jihimsterial protection. There were numey ./!'•> ous such interferences. The motives of ministers were thoroughly apparent ; they

were malicious and disreputable. All that could be said of such actions was that they were common to the government of Mr. Stafford, the present premier of the country, hut of whom the country must be rid without further delay. Mr. Osmond rose and said—l hold in my hand, and hope presently to introduce to the consideration of this meeting, a very important resolution. Before I do so, I trust the meeting will allow me to refer to the resolution tnat has just been passed. I desire, on the part of my friend Mr. M'Lean, to thank* you sincerely for the ready, general, and graceful tribute you have paid to him. You have, hy the unanimous voice of this influential meeting, expressed your warmest approval of Mr. M'Lean's services and acknowledged their worth. You have answered the attempt pf Mr. Stafford to pass contumely upon him, hy rising as one man, and assuring him that he possesses the esteem, approbation, and support of his fellowsettlers. I tell you that you have done that which is the recompense of a public man who works for the publio good. I say more, that you have caused the pitiful and mean spite of the Government to recoil upon themselves. They have endeavoured to throw discredit on Mr. M'Lean; you, his near fellow-settlers, have at Once come forward and said that your confidence is in Mr. M'Lean, and not in the ministers — that to his services and his worth you owe the escape of this province from the disasters that have threatened it ; and I say that, presently, when the voice of the colony is heard through its representatives in the General Assembly, a similar verdict will be re"turned there. The day of Mr. M'Lean is coming, and the life of the present contemptible Government of the country is fast drawing to a close, and depends only on the time at which the General Assembly shall be enabled to pass its vote of censure and disgrace upon them. No one knows this better than themselves, and they will defer the day of reckoning as long as possible. They will be true to the last to the only policy they have ever had, and .stick, limpet like, to those offices which they have long held against the general voice of the people of the colony. I should like also to state to this meeting the actual grounds upon which the ministry have withdrawn their agency from MLr. M'Lean. Most of you know that this was in consequence of Mr. M'Lean having refused his consent to Ropata and the Ngatiporou tribe being taken to the West Coast, in the present critical position of this side of the island. The facts are as follows, and I cah vouchiafor their accuracy, having been present ai Napier at the time Ropata and -the Ngajtiporou arrived. I would first .desire' t%ijafce.-that the Government had been made Cognisant hy Mr. M'Lean of the condition of the East Coast. They had been p£esi|_a^.by him to render of service to the c#|pny: llje successes of Makaretu and Ngat^ga j iWfr had been begged to have Te Kooti^-^nd followed up ; whilst dispirited by cUfeats, and when known to he destitute of ammunition and food, they would have been an easy prey to our -forcesjpd allies. But no ; the Government VjgpPjfeas, as stated in their organs—" TdßLootimas annihilated, and no further rd^ff^y^ouM be done by him." He was ae^tSi-dingly allowed to reorganise his forces, and he has lately proved, by his attack on the Bay of Plenty settlements, how fatal an error has been committed by the Government. Indeed, it would almost seem as if the present Government were bent on drawing disaster and financial ruin upon the colony. What proof could we have of more shameful incompetency than: this instance of their. action in this case. J In place of the annihilated band, whiph.the Government reports' and organs described Te Kooti's after Ngatiapa, the colony now, after a short interval, finds this miscreant at the head of a larger force than ever, ravaging the country, and daily drawing fresh supporters to his side. The effect of the victories of Makaretu and Ngatapa is gone, and the colony has to hear the cost and brunt of another East Coast war. But to return to the action taken by Mr. M'Lean in regard to the stoppage of Ropata and the Ngatipoyou. That chief and the men of his tribe arrived in Napier by the St. Kilda, en route for the West Coast. Ropata detailed to Mr. M'Lean how he and his men had been induced to consent to go ; how freely his name and influence had been used in inducing them ; how they were threatened with the withdrawal of Government support if they did not obey the behest of ministers ; how, to use his own expression, they had been kidnapped into the Government service. Mr. M'Lean replied hy telling Ropata the latest news that had come of Te Kooti's movements. That intelligence was, that Te Kooti, with a largely increased force, was behind Opotiki, and was debating whether he would attack Opotiki, or return to Poverty Bay and renew his attaok there. Ropata— a man of action -—at once took his own j course. ' He said—" My feeling hefore was against leaving my own district, which depends much on me for its safety. Now I will not go, nor shall my men ; my work is plainly on this side of the island. Mr. M'Lean telegraphed Ropata's decision to ministers, saying he acquiesced in its prudence. Ministers replied that " for several reasons it was desirable Ropata and men should go to the West Coast, and requested Mr. M'Lean to use his influence in getting him to go." Mr. M'Lean's reply was, that he could not and would not use any influence he had in inducing Ropata to leave tho East Coast in its present critical position; that he and his tribe were the chief support we had to depend upon, and that, in the absence of any other force, ifc was imperilling the safety of the whole coast to denud *it of its chief protector. Ministers then tried, by direct communication through the telegraph, to influence Ropata's decision ; thafc chief, however, thoroughly disgusted with the selfish and cruel manner in which they, knowing the peril, had desired to place his tribe in jeopardy, absolutely refused to go, and demanded the landing of his men from the Government steamer. That is the true account of the proceedings on which ministers had founded their attempt to throw discredit on Mr. M'Lean. I may state that I was present at Napier during the whole of the transaction I have described, and that I advised Mr. M'Lean in the strongest terms to interfere, if necessary, and prevent ministers carrying out their shameful design of depriving the East Coast in the time of need of its most reliable allies. These are the grounds upon which tninisters have dared to jeopardize .the .colonial interests on the East Coast, hy withdrawing from Mr. M'Lean those powers which have so often been wielded ,to ; the security/or interest of the colony. I venture to /say that the mean and personally spiteful course which ministers have taken w/'ll recoil upon themselves, for has not, Mr. M'Lean's judgment been already; fully verified by the disasters that have happened in the Bay of Plenty ? and has not the shameful incompetency and j neglect of /f^he Government been again signally p*oved by the revival of Te: Kooti's power of mischief ? I wjUJUppw;. propped to the resolution I haye^q jwye,, lin. asking you to. give, it yopr ■ cordial • ; support, I would state that the /resblutioh has been worded'in nibst temperate language ; that the reasons set forth in support )of its prayer are incon*

testable, and that in my judgment, and in that of those fellow- settlers who joined wiih me in calling this meeting, the only hope of relief lo the colony rests upon the success of its prayer. I will now read the resolution — That, in the opinion of this meeting, it is extremely desirable that an humble but urgent appeal should be made to His Excellency the Governor to forthwith convene the General Assembly for the despatch of publio business, inasmuoh as this meeting considers that the present critical position of the Oolony — the serious additional burdens necessarily entailed by protraoted warfare— together with the spread of the rebellion under the conduot of affairs by the present ministry,— are matters of serious import, requiring that the advice and assistance of the Legislature should be taken without further delay. And that a memorial embracing suoh opinion should be. transmitted to His Excellency so soon as it may be corroborated by the signatures of tho settlers of this province. — I believe that not only the people of this province will join in this appeal to the Governor, but I trust further that our humble example may be the means of inducing the people of the larger and more populous provinces to join in our demand, and that this movement will spread and call forth so unmistakeable an expression of opinion in its favor throughout the colony, that His Excellency will see the wisdom and justice of acceding to it. I will now refer briefly to the reasons set forth in the resolution for the appeal we propose to make. First, there is stated "the critioal position of the colony." None of vs — no man in New Zealand, can contest that such is not the condition of things. With a war on the West Coast which has now lasted month after month without result ; with war on the East Coast renewed with increased vigor on the part of the enemy a few short weeks afterthe Government of the colony deemed the rebellion in that part of the countryextinguished; with a still more formidable difficulty threatened from the side of the Waikato, a difficulty that may even at the present moment have burst upon vs ;— I say, fellow settlers, that, in the face of such evidence as I have adduced, the unfortunate accuracy of which you are equally aware with myself, there is no controverting the fact, that the position of the colony is indeed critical, and that the emergency is so great as to entitle the people to demand that, through their representatives, they should have thp privilege of expressing their opinion upon it. The next paragraph of the resolution relates to the expenditure necessarily entailed by the protracted wars in which we are engaged. We know the provision i which the Government asked the Assembly to make at its last session for the conduct of the war ; we know how thoroughly inadequate that provision was considered at the time, and must have proved, to meet the expenses of the large forces the colony has since that time employed. We are supposed, under the form of government which we live under, to have the right, hy the vote of Parliament, to express our opinion before the Government of the country can entail additional burden upon us ; hut we are living, unfortunately, under a Government which tramples under foot all those rights without scruple, which is fast bringing our form of government into contempt, and is succeeding for the moment by the sheer audacity of its insolence in riding rough shod over the colony. The paragraph referring to the spread of the rebellion under the present conduct of affairs, I have already touched upon ; and the fact is too apparent to us to be capable of question. I have already brought to your notice, in the case of Te Kooti, how this spread and renewal of rebellion is brought about by ; the inexcusable' 1 incompetency of the present Government ; how, m the case of the East Coast war, if that Government had been equal to its position, the colony would have been saved from the loss of the blood and treasure which it can so ill afford, and which is now being expended there. But that is not the only instance in which we have to blame their unfitness for our misfortunes. Let us look back at the Poverty Bay tragedy and see who was to blame for that shocking disaster. I say that the Government for weeks, almost mouths before, were warned over and over again of what was threatening. We, Mr. M'Lean and myself, as your representatives ; Mr. Stokes, the chairman of this meeting ; and those other gentlemen, members of the Legislative Council, who so cordially supported our representations to the Government at the time the Assembly was sitting, and with us foretold what was coming — I say that we did our utmost by entreaty, by every form of appeal, to endeavor to induce the Government to nip in its bud the then threatening danger ; but no— for reasons which I cannot pretend to account for, the Government resolutely shut its eyes to the danger, culpably allowed it to mature and develop itself, and at last woke up to find that, through their shameful, cruel neglect and incapacity, blood had been shed like water, and the lives of those lamented fellow settlers of Poverty Bay had been sacrificed. I say, fellow settlers, that the blood of those murdered Poverty Bay people is on the heads of the Government, and that if the Parliament does its duty they wili be brought to account. In my opinion, simply turning these men out of office will be no satisfaction, no atonement for the ruin and desolation they have brought upon the country. What that ruin is, every man of you here present has to a certain extent realised. The unfortunate position of the country has lessened by one-half the value of your properties, be they large or be they small. Perhaps, of all the evils ministers have had so large a share in bringing upon the country, the evil most to be deplored is the utter want of confidence that is felt throughout this North Island. Everywhere alike we see its effects. Men are men no longer, for they are crushed down by feeling that struggling under the guidance of men such as those at present directing affairs is useless. I say that this is the reason, and the only accountable reason, why we have seen Englishmen not upholding the character we are wont to boast of. I say that the feeling of utter want of confidence is general, and that to its effects most of our present unfortunate position is due. Gentlemen, I will conclude what I have said by expressing my opinion that I see no hope for the country but in an appeal to the Assembly ; that Ido believe the colony, in capable hands, can struggle through its difficulties, great as thoy are; that in doing so we shall have to make great sacrifices, — hut that I believe the people will make those necessary sacrifices, and will,' when affairs are directed by men trusted, capable, and deserving of confidence and support, give them that confidence and support which is required to subdue those troubles we are struggling under. I expect the memorial which will be addressed to the Governor founded on this resolution, will be heartily supported by the people of this province, and I do trust sincerely that the people of other parts of the colony will join with us in that appeal to the Governor for which alone we jiave to hope for a speedy relief fromi our present difficulties. ■ Mv. _T. .P. Russell, in seconding the resolution, said that, in the first instance, he -would refer to the former one and express his entire assent to it. He would further say that he had, through recent

events, materially altered his opinions as to the value of local governments. He believed now that, in a condition such as ours, the value of an able local direction of affairs was a great advantage. With respect to the motion now before the meeting, he gave it his cordial support. He believed an immediate meeting of tho Assembly to be essential to the best interests of the country, and trusted to see the desire expressed in the resolution complied with. Mr. A'Deane would wish to, say a few words. He referred to the first resolution, and proceeded to pass a graceful eulogy on Mr. M'Lean's management of affairs at a time of great difficulty. No man, he believed, was so capable of managing native affairs as Mr. M'Lean. He fully concurred in the resolution now before the meeting, and saw no life to the colony outside it. The resolution was then put and carried unanimously. Mr. Gollan moved the third resolution, as follows :— That all practical means should be adopted of communicating with other provinces, with ' the view of obtaining their co-operation in this matter. — He moved this as a necessary sequence to the second resolution, and to give it effect. Other speakers had gone fully into the question and had urged the imEortance of action being taken, in which c fully concurred. He further cordially agreed in what had been said as to the value of Mr. M'Lean's services, and the treatment he had received at the hands of the General Government. Mr. Nairn seconded the resolution. He said that Mr. M'Lean was one of his earliest friends, and it was with great regret he (Mr. Nairn) heard of his being displaced from office. Mr. M'Lean had rendered great services to the colony, and would, he hoped, soon be in a position to do so again. He hoped this movement would be general throughout the province. Mr. Philip Russell was but a young settler, but he had arrived at the opinion that Mr, M'Lean's services were of great value to the country ; and he felt that that gentleman holding the direction of affairs in this district was of immense importance. He concurred thoroughly in the proposals mado to the meeting, and hoped the day was not far distant when Mr. M'Lean would direct native affairs. The resolution was put and carried unanimously. A vote of thanks to the Chairman terminated the proceedings. The following is the memorial prepared after the late meeting, and now being numerously signed:— To His Excellency Sir George Ferguson Bowen, Knight Grand Cross of the Most, Distinguished Order of Saint Michael and Saint George, Governor and Commander-in-Chief in and over Her Majesty's Colony of New Zealand. The Memorial of the imdersigned settlers im, the Province of Hawke's Ba/y Respeotfully Sheweth,— That your Excellency's memorialists view the present critical position of the colony and the spread of rebellion, under the conduct of affairs by the present ministry, with anxiety and alarm. That your Excellency's memorialists are of opinion that the measures taken by the ministry to meet the great and increasing difficulties of the colony, are not satisfactory, and that the. spread of the rebellion is mainly owing to the unwise and inefficient administration of affairs. That your Excellency's memorialists believe that the protracted wars in which the colony is engaged must entail serious additional burdens upon the people, and, as it appears to your memorialists, without any adequate or definite result. That your Excellency's memorialists see no hopes of an amelioration in the existing deplorable condition of the colony under the administration of the present Ministry, and would urge that the general want of confidence felt in your Excellency's advisers is in itself a source of weakness the mischievous effects of which cannot he exaggerated. That your memorialists consider the grounds they have set forth to be of suoh serious import as to render it expedient and necessary that the advice and assistance of the Legislature should be taken with the least practicable delay, Your memorialists therefore most respectfully and urgently pray that your Excellency will see fit to call together the General Assembly at as early a date as possible, in order that such measures may be adopted as the critical condition of the colony demands : and your Excellency's memorialists, as in duty bound, will ever pray.