TOKOMAIRIRO.

Otago Witness, Issue 653, 4 June 1864, Page 15

TOKOMAIRIRO.

(PBOK THK DAILY TIMES CORREBPOKDEH T.). The induction of the Rcvd. Mr Allen to the ministerial charge of Waihola took place on Thursday last. After the usual relitrious services (in which the Revds. Messrs Todd, Kirkland &c . officiated) the members of tlie Presbytery and a number of other gentlemen dined together at the- • Lake Hotel. In the evenin? tli^re was a soiree* ■ Mr Mollisoa's large Barn at Waihola Park had been selected as the scene of operation, and ifc was most tastefully decorate! with ferns and evergreens. Tie tables were supplied by the ladies of the congregation, and it i 3i 3 soarcolj necessary to say that an abundance of good thiniw was prodded. About two hundred people were, present, mchidia?, of course, a fair proportion of ladies and children. The Reva. Mr Todd of Tokomairiro (Chairman of the Commission of Presbytery) presided; and the tables oncecleared, opened the proceedings with an appropriate speech. He was followed by the Revd. Mr Meiklejobn. Mr E. T. Gillon, Revd. Mr M'Naufirhtori, Revd. Mr Bannerman, Mr Allen • the newly inducted pastor, and Mr I>. M'Master. During the evening several pieces of music were well rendered by the choir, and tbe proceedings terminated with the usual votes of thanks to the Ttanons parties who had exerted themselves to forward the tnjoynient of the evening. A3 a whole. I am inclined to thin)? that this toiree was < one of the best arranged and most successful I nave ever been present at. In my Isst letter I alluded to the dissatisfaction occasioned here by the education rate of sixpencein the pound. On Saturday Bight last, a meeting of ratepayers was held in tbe Wkite Horse Hotel, for the purpose of considering the qaotion. Notwithstanding the inclemency <jf the weatherthe meeting was one of the most numerously attended that I have ever seen in this district, and many of those present had come from a considerable distance. Thoma3 Muir. Emj., was voted to the chair; and alter a number of gentlemen had expressed their opinion of the tax and intentention to oppose it, the following resolutions • were pa-sed. Proposed by Mr H. Ciark, nnd seconded by Mr E. Martin :-£•• That tbis meeting unanimously prolest against the principje of the Educational Assessment, and considering that the school in this district should be self-support-lap, resolves to oppose tite raie in every Je>iainate manner." Proposed by Mr Trewerk, seconded by Mr Robert Margrie :— " Tbat a committee be appointed for the purpose of taking a Solicitors opinion as to the best means of opposing the rate • committee to report result to a public meeting " Messrs Clark, Treweek, JS. Martin, and T. Muir, were appointed fl3 a committee; and the meeting ndjourned, after a hearty vote of thanks to the Chairman. On Tuesday evening, the meeting of tbe SchooJ Committee was held, to receive and hearobjectious to the rate. About, seventy ratepayers were present, and almost all nf them were objectors.' Not content with ratio; the land, theCommittee have rated the dwelfing-liouses-and farm-buildings, although the latter are expressly exempted by the Ordinance The notices of assessment are filled up in this way : •' Build - WX, 1 "" 1 so many aores of land >" annual value, - LIOO, rate, L 2 10s, as the case may be. Th* particulars of the amount of cultivated or uncultivated land is not stated, nor is the rateable, value of the buildings given. Tina can only be , ascertained by a guess, grounded on the ratesaxed by the Ordinance for the land. On Tuas* day evening many parties asked what their build. - ings were valued at, and in more than one~ lnstanoe the Committee refused to give the information. The Committee refused to hear any objections, save on the score of excessive valna-' kon, and in their minute book oejng aoked for ia order that the ratepayers might satisfy themeives as to the Committee having complied with the requirements of the Ordinance, it was stated that the book, was not there, and the Secretary point blank refused to Snow tt at all. Indeed, the whols assessment has been gone shout m auch a blundering way/that I have little doubt the ratepayers will manage to carry it into the.. I supreme Court by cert>orari and qua«h it Many of the ratepayers are resolved to letiheir goods be sold by distress, rather than pay the rate, and almost all of them would be willing to pay the amount at which they are assessed in order to upset tbe rate. • ' Later oa Tuesday evening a public mating wa*.held at whwb the letter addresaed to Mr /ames Smith, Solicitor, was read. Thfr'meeting approved of the.action taken by the G>mmittea apprinted . on Saturday, and then adjourned to Wedaeeday^ • Bth proximo, by which lime it was anticipated that Mr Smith's opinion would be received. I never jaw the people of Tokomairiro so indignant > about anything as they 'att about'tbJß affirir. 1 hey we.fully-determined to carry their 6pposi« ' tion as far ns possible. .. ■'- ' 'v? Tll « Market Company fa getting on. Almtonaraber of shore. We been diipWd of. v.R £ &* S» " h * w!loWm PwtaWjr be held.