PUBLIC MEETING AT GREYTOWN.

Wellington Independent, Volume XXII, Issue 2607, 21 April 1868, Page 5

PUBLIC MEETING AT GREYTOWN.

(FBOM OTJB SPECIAL COBRESPONDEIfT) . A Pubiic Meeting, at which between fifty and sixty settlers were present, was held at Greytown on Saturday last, the 18th instant, for the purpose of taking into consideration tho following resolution passed at a meeting of the Road Boards of tho valley :— " That a meeting of the electors of the district be held at the School-room, Greytown, on Saturday, tho 18th day of April, at one p.m., for tho purpose of dociding whether the present form of Provincial Government should not bo altered, and whether a system should not be adopted which would give tho peoplo as a reality the management of their own local affairs and tho expenditure of their own revenue : and that tho representatives for the district in the General Assembly and Provincial Council should bo especially requested to attend." — H. Udy, Chairman of Meeting. On the motion of Mv S. Rovans, tho Chair was taken by Mr Stephen Carkoek, who read tho advertisement calling the meeting, and expressed a hope that each speaker would receive a patient hearing and that the meeting would support the Chair. Ho would call on Mr Renall to move the first resolution. Mr Renall then rose and said — Mr Chairman and Gentlemen : I will preface the remarks I am about to make to you by congratulating the electors at tho good show they have made here to-day. In past times it has been most disheartening to your members or to those who wish to consult the electors on their wishes on important points, to find that after they havo called you together, have come from a distance to meet you, and have put themselves to considerable inconvenience, you aro not present to discuss the public business, and that we could not get a meeting. But when things come to tho worst any change must be a change for tho better, and I suppose that the reason we havo now such a good meeting is that things have got so bad that you are determined to effect a change, and get them bettered. Before this meeting was called I had consulted with my colleagues concerning having the usual meeting of tho members for tho district to meet the electors and hear their wishes as to what should be done and what courso pursued by the representatives of tho district in tho coming session of the Provincial Council. As wo havo an unusually largo number of electors present and as your members are also here, I presume that this meeting will take the place of the usual one, (hear, hear) and your representatives in the Provincial Council can say now what they have to say. I can assuro you that it was out of no disrespect to you that the usual meeting was not called. In fact it would have been called, before this but that I saw from tho paper that this meeting would be held and I therefore thought it would answer both purposes. Tho resolutic-n which I have to propose is one which we will all agree to. With your permission, Mr Chairman, I will read it now, with the privilege of making a few remarks before moving it. My resolution then is : — "That the electors present at this meeting are of opinion that the manner in which the provincial form of Government is carried out, and the provincial revenue expended, as far as concerns this district, is most objectionable and unjust, and requires to be altered." I do not think there is a single man in this room who will not agree with that resolution. It is certainly a strange thing that we old settlers cannot know what our requirements are — cannot see what we should do, and cannot do the work we require as well as one or two gentlemen who are sent by the Government from Wellington. Tho petty interference of these gentlemen is annoying, barnssing, and disheartening. (Hear, hoar.) Id© not ■wish to attack theai personally, or to throw any slur upon them ; indeed, I would not mention them at all, but that the instances where their opinions and decisions have gone directly oppo site to the wishes and knowledge of the settlers — knowledge obtained by experience — are bo numerous that I feel compelled to bring them before you. Indeed, I need hardly bring it before you, for you have it daily before you in the bungling and mistaken manner, in which work is done — involving a loss both of labor and money. Were Ito bring all the instances that occur to mo at this moment I might keep you here till dark enlarging upon them. Let me quote a few. I may mention first the malformation of the Taratahi road, which is ditched on the wrong side altogether, as we all know that the rivers of the valley run from west to east. Call these men engineers ! Why, there is not a man who handles pick and shovel working on the road but would know better. Look at the Underbill road, and the place where the ford had been placed in direct defiance to tho expressed opinion of those who pointed out a very much better one. If we have brains to judge of what is well done, we can surely equally well point out ■what is badly done. In the Hooded districts lie has taken the matter from the lee side of the road, and what is the consequence ? A flood comes and your road is washed away. I havo learned my experience of this from what has been done, and from vhat I have dono in the Hutt and Waiwetu districts. I have found that the road should be sunk and not risen. In tho Waiwetu I formed part of that road as a sunken road ; tho engineer would not agree with me, and caused it to be continued as a risen road. Then came the flood of 1858, and what was the result? Why, the road I mado was uninjured, and tho engineer's road was washed away. I think Mr Kemble, who I see present, can bear me out in what I 6ay of this. Those who are employed by the Provincial Government seem not to know or believe in what our experience has taught; us. Now I Avill say a few words about bridge-building. Porhaps the worst river we have is the Waioliine. The bridge over this river has certainly been in danger, but that danger has arisen from bad engineering, and from not having tho piles driven in deep enough. If we had the management in our own hands we should find things were different ; and here let mo say, I do not believe in bridge building by contract. Why, when the Hutt bridge was built the piles were t?omo twelve, some ten — in short, I may cay that there were none of the piles which were not seven feet shorter than set down in the specification ; indeed, I found tho heads of several of the piles in ray own stable covered with straw. (Laughter.) Unless we have a superintendent on tho work night and day, I consider this {bridge-building by contract to* be a great mistake. I could also quote the breastwork of tho Hutt bridge, which is now washed out. These are not solitary instances. The Waiwetu bridge was washed awny before it was completed. There has been a useless, and, what is more, an alarming and idiotic waste of public money. I could quote gross ignorance shown in the commonest and most ordinary matters. Tho ■waste of money has been such that wo aro now obliged to puddle through badly mado roads, which are left in their present condition owing to bad management and bad work. I now conclude by moving the resolution I have read to you. The Other resolutions which Avill bo laid before you will suggest the remedy for the evils I have pointed out. (Applause). Mr Masters : I rise to second the resolution proposed by Mr Renall. I have for many years been an advocate for provincial municipalities. If wo want to have good roads, we must take the management of them into our own hands. (Hear, hear). Whether tho Provincial Council will grant us this or not, I cannot say, but we mii6t make an effort. We, your members, aro fow as compared with those against us, but, when we know we have your earnest support, wo shall strain our power's to do something to better our present condition. The dangerous state in which our roads now are, with deep ditches und holes on each side, is disgraceful, and tho accidents which havo occurred, and do occur, are painful.

(Ho quoted a late accident, in which, by a trap going into one of theßO holes, a woman was seriously.;injured, and her child had both its legs broken). I do not find fnult with our present Provincial Government officials, for I must say they are as good as any wo ever had ; but I want to see the money which goes towards paying their salaries expended in the formation of roads. (Hear, hoar). I may compare the roads and bridges made by th'o Provincial Engineer with those made by the Mastorton Road Board. Look at the road 9 and bridges we have mado! Those roads of ours are better made, and our bridges are firmer. During last session the Mungaroa bridge was declared unsafe, and carriers were cautioned against crossing it. I went up to it and examined it thoroughly, and, seeing that I have known timber for thirty seven years, I think I may say that I could rely upon the opinion I then formed, which was, that the bridge could bo repaired for £50. I was absolutely ashamed to state that such a low sum on'.y was necessary, so that I Btated in the Council that I would stake my reputation thnt, for £100, I would repair that bridge in such a manner that it would stand for twenty years. Now, I should not havo been such a fool as to make such an assertion as that, if I did not know I could do it. I was laughed at ; they would not listen to mo ; but they made a new bridge at an expense of some £600. I give this as an instance of the way in which money is unnecessarily thrown away. 1 will now conclude by seconding the resolution proposed by my colleaguo, Mr Benall. (Applause). Mr Kemble : I do not wish to make any remarks as to the resolution. All I want to say is that Mr Ronall referred to mo as having some knowledge of some work that ho had done. All I have to say is, that I know nothing at all about it. The resolution was then put and carried unanimously. Mr Bunny : Mr Chairman and gentlemen electors of the Wairarapa— areoolution of a similar nature must necessarily follow on the one you have just passed. We must see if we cannot find a remedy for the existing evils. You have seen the injuries dono to the country districts at large by men whose interests arc not the samo as those of the settlers. I shall not yet touch upon the interference of the Government, with the Eoad Boards, because I think we have a greater grievance. The question is : — Do we, as being partners in the province, and as forming part of the general partnership, receive a fuii return in consideration of the capital which we contribute to the partnership account? If wo do, then we have no grounds for complaint. But if I show that we do not receive as fair a share as Wanganui and Eangitikei, we shall have good reason to complain that wo are laboring under a great injustice, and we must tako a firm stand against it, and declare that we will not allow the remainder of the assets of the province to bo disposed of without our being consulted on tho matter as a partner. I will now proceed to show, by figures which have been compiled from the blue books, what we have contributed during a certain period tt> the revenue from our land fund alone, and what hns been expended during the same period. From 1853 we paid into the Treasury £181,676, and wo had expended £56,298, out of which is to be taken £21,000 spent between Pakurutahiaud the Rimutnka. This does not include our indirect contributions towards tho other various sourcesof revenue, but only our land fund. I find from areturn furnished meby Mr Woodward, thnt the average population from 1861 to 1867, of 2313 souls making a contribution to tho customs revenue of £52,000. Now let me see how another portion of the province — our co-partner — has been treated. I will show you that Wanganui and Rangitikei have been very much better treated than wo have, and we must tako a firm stand to havo secured to us by law, some remains of tho existing asßets to give employment to thepopulation (Hear.hear). From July, 1853 to 1859 the return from Wanganui and Rangitikei was £17,531, while during the same period there was expended in the district £27,555 or £1.0,000 more than had been contributed. In 1863-64 Wanganui paid into the partnership account £7505 10s 7d, while it drew from it £13,779 14s 7d. In 1865, £13,278 Is 9d was contributed by Wangauui and Rangilikei, while £27,121 was spent in them. In 1866 tho return from them was £24,337 6s Bd, as against £26,083 spent in tho district. In 1867 the revenue received was £16,832 10a 9d, while the expenditure was no less that £22,718 11s 4d. To sum up therefove in round numbers during the years which I have mentioned tho receipts from Wanganui have been £79,000, while they have had expended amongst they £117,000. No wonder the people of Wanganui do not object to this partnership ! I should like to enter into a similar partnership myself. But now where has the money come from to pay tho tremendous overdraft in the partnership account ? From the unfortunate- Wairarapa. Is it to bo imagined that our revenue is to bo taken up to prevent Wanganui from separuting from Wellington ? Is it fair that we are to tax ourselves and our children to prevent it, and to benefit Wanganui to our own injury ? We are told that Wanganui-Rangitikei is the garden of the province. I should think it was, and more to their shamo if it were not so. If wo could change the picture ; if we could show that we had received 40 per cent more than we have contributed, I doubt, not but that the Wairarapa would be tho garden of the province, and we should hive roads and bridges without taxing ourselves. We havo a case which shows that we should demand and obtain justice before wo are asked to tax ourselves, and we want our fair share of the assets of the province, or, let us put a stop to the present stato of affairs at once, and if all else fails, demand to have left the little that remains to us. Let ub lay tho wrongs we compluin of bofore the General Assembly if we fail to obtain justice from tho hands of the Provincial Council. Wo have been placed in this position by the operation of the New Provinces Act of 1858. By that act any place that had a port like Wanganui by getting up a petition for separation with the duo number of signatures, could obtain tho separation 03 a matter of course. The. Wairarapa has been sacrificed to keep Wanganui quiet and prevent them from getting up such a petition. But circumstances aro now changed. The Now Provinces Act of 1858 has been repealed and any district, oven when it has not a port, can demand to bo made into a new county. Now understand mo— l do not say that I desire to rush afc once into new changes and form new schemes of government. Let us carefully consider whether wo will make a change or let things remain as they aro, I say we ought to let the Provincial Council have one more chance. Let us lay our case fairly before them — demanding as a right our fuir share of the assets of tho province, and that wo may for tho future receivo our just share of tho provincial revenue; but I should require that we had uncontrolled management of our own affairs. Wo must be trusted to spend the few pounds left to us according to ourown discretion and judgment. Men who give a great deal for nothing are not going to subject themselves to tho interference of the Government. I will give you an instance of this objectionablo interference. In Fobruary last I applied for £50 for necessary expenses connected with tho Road Board. This money I expended as I found necessary. I shortly after received the following totter from the Government, -which I read you now, with my reply : — " Provincial Treasury, " Wellington, April 11, 18G8. « g IRj — I am in receipt of your letter of the 6th instant in roference to the sum of £50 advanced to you by mo in January last on account of the Board, in which you stato that ' you submit your duty is lo account for such sums to the ratepayers and not to tho Provincial Government. 1 "In reply, I havo the honor to inform you that the Government considering it to bo their duty to exercise a supervision over all moneys paid by them to the Road Boards under the grants-in-aid system, established an inflexiblo rule that all such moneys should bo accounted for by tho various Road Boards lo tho Government. " I trust, therefore, that you will at your early convenience furnish mo with tho particulars of the expenditure of tho £50 in question j pending

tho receipt of which information that sum stands at the debit of your Board. " I am, &c, "W. Hickson, " Provincial Secretary. " Henry Bunny, Esq., M.H.R., " Chairman, Featherston Board of Wardens, " Featherston." " Featherston, 15th April, 1868. Sir, — I acknowledge the receipt of your letter, dated 11th inst. In reply I write to say, that as Chairman and Treasurer of the Featherston Road Board I am not subject to any rules (whether flexible or inflexible) which the Provincial Government in their wisdom may think fit to make. I have for my guidance " The District Highways Act, 1867," and by that act, section 12, " the Board is to keep an account of all moneys paid and recoived by it during tho year, and such accounts are to be examined by the auditors, &c," but there is no clause giving the Provincial Government any power to examine the accounts ; and by the 17th section, " cho Treasurer is to hold all moneys until appropriated by tho Board " From tho tenor of your letter, anyone would suppose that the £50 paid me as Chairman and Treasurer was the gift of the Government instead of a payment out of funds (about £1000) in their hands belonging to the Board. The Provincial Council (not Government) in appropriating the year's revenue, think fit to give to District Boards grants equal lo twice the amount raised by them, I submit that immediately a Road District has collected any money such district ought to receive from the Provincial Government an amount equal to double that raised by such district, and that such amount should be paid by tho Government to the District Treasurer, to be appropriated by him according to the 19th section of the District Highways Act. Tho Wellington Town Board receivos its Bubsidy voted by the Provincial Council without the meddling interference, of the Provincial Treasurer us to how the money is spent, and I see no reason why country Boards should be treated differently. At all events, I decline to furnish you with the particulars of the expenditure of the £50, as I cousider you have no right to ask for it. "I will say, in conclusion, that I do not sco that any good is likely to arise from a continuance of this correspondence but I shall be quite prepared to discuss the question with you during the next session of tho Provincial Council. — I am, &c, " Henry Bunny, " Chairman of Featherston Road Board. " Tho Provincial Treasurer, " Wellington." I will aek you, 16 not such interference as that on the part of the Government very irritating? If we cannot spend our own money properly ourselves, they cannot do it for us. (Hear, hear.) If they showed that they were superior men, we might submit j but we cannot do so when we find they are no better than us to say the least of it. The Government do not care if they do squander £1000, it is not their own money, but wo look at each pound knowing thut we are spending what is our own. In the case of the Featherston Road Board, wo have found so much dissatisfaction thnt we no longer rely on the Government for engineers and inspectors of roads, but have appointed our own surveyor to carry on our own works, and that is Mr Hay ward We ought to receive 30 per cent, of our land revenue, and this is not my opinion only, for I find I am backed out in my views by a little book which I havo received from an unknown hand. This book is entitled " The History 'of Local Government in New Zealand." In this I find : — " Sir George Grey was not wrong in ' relying greatly upon municipal institutions as a very important element in tho constitution of tho country ;' nor in believing ' that the inhabitants of New Zealand, generally, would very unwillingly sco them swept away to give place to any other system that is aB yet to be proposed ;' ' the more especially when the system of municipalities provided that one-third of the gross proceeds realised from the sale of land in their respective districts was to be placed under the control of these municipal bodies' " Sir George Grey was not alono in these views, as they were backed by Earl Grey, who wrote as follows : — " I think that great benefits would result from regulations, by which it should be provided that such portions of the funds derived from the sale of Crown lands within a hundred as were applicable to the erection of public ivories, such as roads, bridges, Sj'c, should be so applied under the direction of officers elected by the inhabitants of the hundred, under the usual restrictions regurding the rendering of accounts, &c." The following alse appears in tho Royal Instructions dated 12th August, 1850, and transmitted by Earl Grey : — " We do hereby further declare, that it shall be competent for the Governor or officer adminstering the Government of tho said colony to authorize tho application of any proportion not exceeding one-third of the gross proceeds of the sales of the Crown lands effected within the limits of any such hundred, towardt such pxirposes as shall be signified to him by the wardens of such hundred." That is tho sort of local government we want We do not want tho services of men who are entirely useless to us. We want the expenditure of our own money. Mr Holdsworth 6aid to me, on this subject, that many of tho Koad Boards had spent their money improperly. I replied, it would have been well if the Government had not done the samo. Look at the contracts they havo entered into ! Look at the wharf of which we hear so much ! After having legal proceedings we find that £10,000 less than tho contract price would have been remunerative to the contractors. Tho Patent Slip contract has been taken by some gentleman in town out of Messrs Kennard's hands. Tho sum to havo been paid to the latter was to have been £20,000 and even that was not to bo paid in cash, but now we uro to guarantee the interest on £<10,000 besides paying £3,500 cash. I think it would have been better taste for the Government to let the representatives of the people say whether we approve of this little arrangement, especially as the Council is to meet in about two weeks. For myself I will overturn tho arrangement ii I can find those to back mo. (Hear, hear). I must express my entire disapproval of tho course taken in this matter by tho Government. Another point I will go in for, is to rcduoe tho number of members for tho city of Wellington from twelre to five or seven, I will allow them Beven if I cannot get them down to five. What is tho use of us three members, representing tho entire district of the Wairarapa, going down there and asking for justice from a council composed of members with such a majority against us. We havo one great point in our favor, and that is, that tho moment we get our separation by act of Parliament and that act is sanctioned by the Governor, that moment destroys Wellington as a Province. Tho power of the Wairarapa now lies in the sympathy of the Colony. It muy be said that we have no money to go on with. To prove the value of tho assets of the Province I will produce that wonderful document prepared by our Treasurer, which was laid on tho table of the Council last yoar. (Laughter). It must be admitted that it is absurd in a Council of thirty-two members to allow one constituency to return twelve of them. We must havo a complete alteration in the representation and in the Executive. The people of tho Wairarapa wero almost threatened that if they did not allow things to go on as they were they would be deprived of tho miserable pittance now doled out to them. Do you know what has been allowed us ? For the last fifteen years wo have received £2000 a year only. [Mr Keniblo — Then it is tho fault of our representatives. You ought to have dono better for us during all these years.] It has not been from want of will ov voice that we have not got what you desired and what we desired, perhaps it was from want of ability. My colleagues and myself have dono everything wo could do against twelve Wellington members, tvho were supported by the members from tho Waiiganui and Eangitikei districts. I hope however that with tho support and sympathy of the colony things will be righted: Wo

have no desire to dismember the Province, we only want to havo secured to us what is our right and our duo. What that is may bo shortly expressed in tho following quotation from the little book from which I have already read you extracts : — " There is yet one plan not unworthy of consideration, especially with reference to districts whose land is almost all sold. It may be shortly stated tbus : — That the amount of grant to any district of a province shall bo proportioned to the total land revenue received in all times past from it, and which shall not exceed ono third of the whole to bo paid in five, or ten, or more years ; and that in addition to this, there shall be supplementary grants to each district afc the rate of £2 for each pound raised for ten years from tho date of the first grant." My idea of taking this out of the aßsets of the province is you see not entirely new. " Now, if ever, the outlying districts of provinces which havo still a landed estate should rouse themselves, and demand tkeir rights in unmistakeable language. Tho territorial revenue Bhould be kept Bacredly distinct from ordinary revenue, and solely applied to its legitimate objects, not to cover the cost of expensive establishments, doubtful guarantees, and unprofitable speculations ; and tho watchword of every truehearted colonist should be, Helurn to the land the Revenue whic7t is derived from it." Tho Province of Wellington would like to go on as wo are now, but wo will not submit 'to it. I trust, however, that the Provincial Council will see the justice of granting us [such sums as are justly ours, and absolutely necessary to us. I will now conclude by moving this resolution. "That a system of Government should be adopted giving the electors the management of the local affairs of the district, and the expenditure of a fair proportion of its revenue, independent of tho unnecessary interference of either tho General or Provincial Governments." Carried. Mr. H. Jackson seconded the resolution. He thought before proceeding any further in the matter it was desirable to make an appeal to the Provincial Council, and show them the justice of the claims made. It was well known that several lines of road had been laid off by tho Provincial Governmen which would not have been formed to tho present day had it not been for tho Road Boards, while the money for forming them had been placed time after time on tho Estirr ates. He hoped that for tho future when money was placed on the Estimates for work to be done in the district, that their representatives would see that it waß expended. He concluded by also appealing to them to open a subscription list towards defraying tho expenses oi Mr Groves, who was prospecting the valley in tho hope of finding a payable gold-field. Mr Kemble wished Mr Renall to explain how it was that he allowed twelve members to be appointed to the City of Wellington, seeing that ho waß a member of tho Provincial Council at the time, and had voted for it in 1854. Mr Renall was then member for the Hutt. Mr Revans said that this had nothing to do with the question under discussion. The answer was however a very simple ono. In 1854 the population of Wellington was much greater as compared to Wuirarapa than it now was, and therefore tho representation for population was a fairer one. Mr Renall said that it was a pity to hear a gentleman like Mr Krmblo make such absurd blunders. If that gentleman had read the blue books, he would find that he (Mr Renall) spoke and voted throughout against the increase in tho representation of Wellington. He had even tried to throw it out on the third reading ; at least, ho had supported the motion of Mr Watson who moved that it bo read a third time that day six months, and had it not been for tho defalcation of Messrs Ludlam and Hickson, they would have thrown it out. He did not think the rcsolntion before them was exactly what was required. Ifc went very much further than as regarded Road Boards. It would be impossible to hope to pass a bill, such as this resolution would entail, in the Provincial Council, with twelve members against them. It was like asking members of tho other various districts to vote themselves less and the people of the Wairarapa more, which they would not do, as at present each member went in for tho scramble to get as much as he could for his own district. They would get nothing from the Council (A voice : Then we will appeal to the Assembly). Ho would much sooner appeal at once to that House instead of to the Council. [Mr Renall then proceeded to ppeak of various instances of the way in which Koad Boards had been treated by the Government, and of the desirability of forming local laws for local purposes.] Mr Masters said the resolution had his warmest sympathy. If they did not carry out tho desires contained in it, it should not bo for want of trying. The resolution was then put and carried. Mr Revans, in rising to move the third resolution, said : Mr Chairman and gentlemen, — The first resolution you havo passed expresses our discontent, and determination to seek a remedy ; by tho second, we determine to appeal to the Provincial Council. lam not very eanguino that we shall succeed in this second ; but, if we fail in it, wo shall succeed in uniting the people together. Failing in Iho Council, wo will bring our complaint before the General Assembly, signed by every man in tho Wairarapa. I was aorry to notice Mr Renall indulging in his habit of tlrowing cold water on the matter, by declaring, as though to a certainty, we should not succeed. I feel tho time has come when wo ought to be a colony — one and united. Wo ought not constantly to hear the different jealousies of Auckland, Otago, and Wellington brought up. When wo have a colony composed of shires, we shall not hear those constant recriminations. Some may think that the resolution which I have to propose is intended as a menace. It is nothing of tho kind. It only shows plainly what we are going to do. Mr Bujny has laid our case boforo you by figures which are past argument; but, if we had left the matter in its present stago, I should say we had acted foolishly. I consider our case kas been made out. For myself, lam anxious to see Provincial Councils abolished and Shiro Councils established ; but I do not know that nli of you will agree with mo. We know that if our first efforts are unsuccessful wo shall havo to go to greater lengths. We have now the subject before us, and I hope we shall keep it, before us. It will be admitted throughout New Zealand that there is no part of tho colony which has received a titho of tho injustice that the Wairarapa has been subjected to We are placed in the same position as tho people of England would be wero they suddenly to find themselves saddled with a double national debt. I will not detain you longer, as tho hour is getting late, and tho subject has been already so well treated by former speakers. The resolution I have to propose is — " That our representatives do in the ensuing session make a final appeal to tho Provincial Council for justice to be done to this district as regards revenue received therefrom and expenditure mado therein, and shou.d tho Provincial Council refuse to give redress for past grievances, and to do justice for tho future, then that a petition bo prepared for presentation to the General Assembly at their next session, praying that an act may bo passed forming tho Wairarapa into a county separate from and independent of the province of Wellington ; and securing to such comity tho management of its own affairs and the expenditure of its own revenue, and also providing for an account to bo taken on a fair and just basis betwoen such county and the then province of Wellington of revenue received from and monies expended in this district." Mr Vennell seconded tho resolution. Ho felt certain that by an appeal to tho General Assembly they would get sojrething, if not all they asked. At all events they could not bo worse off than they now were. The resolution was carried by acclamation. A vote of thanks to tho Chairman terminated the meeting.