WAIKATO RAILWAY. PUBLIC MEETING AT HAMILTON.

Waikato Times, Volume III, Issue 171, 12 June 1873, Page 2

WAIKATO RAILWAY. PUBLIC MEETING AT HAMILTON.

A>" influential meeting whj held at Hamilton on Tuesday last. Mr S. T SiuKlon was voted to tlie elmir. After reudni » ( t!ie advertisement convening the meeting, lie saul that niter the admirable speeches on the subject they had met to discuss, delivered m Auckland «iul other places, there was liltlo liioiv to bo s.iid. He would s:rv, however, that the |.roj,ie*s of the Wuikato district in wealth and population \\ j» greater thsm lie h.i'l -een in any other part of New Zealand in the same turn-, nnd the advancement had been made under most disarlvant igeous circumstances. He considered the grout expense of truisit was the one thing that was holding the district back. He trusted that party feeling would not be 1 introduced into the matter; the Waikato liailwa\ itaolomal question, nnd should be treated as such He would call upon some gentleman to propose the first resolution. Mr R. W. Hammond then rose to propose tbo resolution placed m his hands, winch he would commence by reading : "In the opinion of this meeting it is incumbent on the General Government to extend the present railway from Auckland to Mercer, thence to some commanding point on the confiscation boundary in the Waikato district, thereby encouraging settlement and giving security from the attacks of the natives." Fortunately the resolution spoke for itself, and if he spoke to it for n n hour he would have difficulty in adding to its force. He was sorry to say, however, that he had come to the meeting unprepared to* do anything of tho sort. Ho was perfectly clear of the necessity for the construction of the railway ; in fnct he could scarcely understand any man not seeing that it should be done, both on financial and political ground*. He considered that if it had been constructed many years ago, that there would not lately have been outrages committed that ha\e been looked upon with horror by every man in the colony. A railway would prove a great civiluer ; nothing he thought would so boon bring the natives to the true sense of their position. It would supply a want that has always been felt, viz , the power to speedily coneentra'e ousting forces, and b i'ig reserve* to any required point. The existence of mean 3 ior speedy communication would obviate the necessity of maintaining so largo a force, and won Ul go far to do away with the necessity for the native department. As regards tho suga~ and flour policy, he was not prepared to say much against it, but he believed that if the enormous sums expended to conciliate the natives had been applied tj the c instruction of railways, telegraphs, mid roads, that, the colony would be in a more satisfactory state at that moment. The;>e would aid nnd encourage settlement. The evil of the present state of affairs was magnified when earned to other countries, and so long as it existed wo could not expect an influx of population. How could thej expect the people of England t > come to a country where they ha* o been taught that the lives and property of the settlers are not sacred. He did nut consider that tl ey could be charged with selfishness in urging; the construction of the railway. Ho felt Mi at it was the boundeu duty of the Government to support the settlers in the peaceful occupation of the land the.y had acquit ed a legal right to occupy. He would call attention to tin* A'btssmian war; this was undertaken by England at the coit of millions to coerce an Abyssinian Prin 'i' fo deliver Up a few of our countrymen. As regarded the cost, ho maintained that it was the duty of Government to expend any sum that might bo necessary to protect the ■ettlcn, even 'f another loan wns necessitate 1. He believed that tho making of the railway would bo the easiest manner of doing this. He thought 1 hat it was not for thorn to direct the route the lwlvray should follow, but he considered that t should no to some point on the confiscation bjuudary. Mr A. Cox, jun , seconded tho resolution in a brief speech. It was then put to the meeting un I carried unanimously. Mr William Jo.>ustone said hj hid not come to tho meetin > to speak, but ; s heliad beenasked to 3peak in support of the resolution, he would make a few reinvrks. He consideied that they had a Hist-rate causo with which to go to the Government and Legialatuie. Tt appaared to him that the policy had hoen to tide over ditlieulties with the natives until the Uuiopean population had become suflieiently numerous to overawe the natives and thus render ' another ontb> oak hopeless. Ho considered the construction of a tail wiy essential t<» tho " waiting policy." Tlie principal es-o ltial of that poKey it appeared to him was to m luco popula ion The Government had done little or nothing in this district in that direction. The Waikato wi- suffering f"om the dead weight hanging around the i wks of tho t-bwtlus in the shape of excessive freight. Pi o «lo sail t!i.it Llicr fai mors bad no enterprise. This he (•''im'k'i'l ,v jjlmj! ; ii was impossible that farming could ; "" > ' >■'", •- I •' ••>'!• and the cost of carnage remained at their present rat°3. Heavy rates of freight iuciease the cost of living, ami the rates «if wages are to a great extent eoverneil by that cost. In the WaiLito.'tOs would not go fin ther thin I'l in other places Everybody pays mm <> ihan tho full value for everything he requires, wheteas if he sen 's any of his goo Is to m u ket the rates of freight loluce then v.ilup, as it weie, fioin Is to Bd. The heavy weight of freight and libour stopped euterpiise, and the stoppage of enterprise prevented influx of population, the great essential he h id pie\ imisly said to be the success of tl c " waiting policy." Before population will come there must be employment found for it. One of the best farmers iv tho district ha 1 told him thai) "he could get along pretty well, beuau.se all, or nearl" all, tlie work was done by his owu faiiiily, but that had ho been compelled to employ labour, he could not have lived." This was a state of alfairs that the speaker considered should not e\ist. It was of uoumc cle.ir that uuluja mcv couM expeud their

money on labour at a profit that they would not expend it at .ill. War would entail an enormous expenditure, which wo dI be avoi led were i pie jondevance of European popul itio.i attracted to thecountiy. The southern members, in considering tho mikm * of the railway, should be.ir this in mind. He considered the miking of a railway would be the least expensive mode of quelling the natives. Defence expenditure would oe ise to a great extent wero a railway constructed. The necessity of the cause he rose to advocifco must bs so apparent to all minds th.it it would be superfluous for him to say more on the subject. Captain Steele tlun rose to propose tlie second resolution . " That the Government be requested to carry on with yigor and expedition the present r.iilwuy works to Mercer j this mooting being of opinion that the line when completed would be a great 9iiccess, either from a political or financia' point of view." In moving the resolution lie would not say much. He would s u that had a railway been construct* 1 1 through the Waikato seven 3 ears ago, hundreds of thousmds of capital would hive been applied to the improvement of the district, mid politically speaking would I'ave paid the colony. New Z'»land debentures stood second in value in the English Money Market ; in the event of war they would very soon stand much lower on the list of colonial securities The policy that had been piuauod had been termed a " waiting policy ;" he would rather call it. a coddling policy; the natives had ofcen be<m coddlpd when they ought to have boon kiekel. The course that hal boen pursued was a difficult one for them to *>tand an British subjects. Wo *>hould not be in the position of being coin-polled t) go t<> R'Wi to ask him w li it ho intended to do 111 the event of our inserting our rig'it to punish murderers an I those who harb Mired tin 1 n,or to construct railways throuih the country. He agreed w ltli the Wiclcnto Times — " H • that is not with me is against me." If the Mioris wer* onco gi\vn t) unWstanl that we moan business as regards the construction of roals and railways, half tho difficulty would be overcome, lie had seen by the newspapers that there would be considerable delay bo fore the railway was completed to Mercer ; this he thought a mistake. If iron cannot hi procured, wood after tho American fashion sliouH bi> used. What was wanted was mileage ; if the Assembly will only grant the money for this tho country will progress. All I 'm 1;m 1 ; is wanted wis secun'y for peaceful settlement, and tho making of roa U and railways Such sal affairs as Sullivan's murder kept money out of the country, and in or.lcr to prevent the recurrence of suc'i events lie considered it to be the bounden duty of the legislature to extend the railway as speedily as possible to the confiscation b iwnclnry. Mr Farrull, m seconding the re*ilut'm>, said there could not be two opinions as to the ndvisibilit} of constructing tho railway. Were there one in existence at the present time he felt confident that the natives would not dare to do as they were doing at the present time ; at any rate they could be goon taught that they could not do so with impunity. He thought that «-\ er> man should put his shoulder to the wheel to bring pressure to bear in tho proper quarters. If they did so he felt thnt iiicccss would attend their efforts. Tho resolution was then put to the meeting and carried by acclamation. Captain Beero paid the resolution placed in his hands to advocate left little scope for a speech. He had been ten years in the colony, ami tho idea of running a railway through it had always been on his mind. He thought that had it been done b\ privnte enterprise years back that it would have yielded a fur profit. The amount paid daily for the carnago of goods was enormous. The junction of Auckland with Wellington by railway was the object not only to be desired, but its consummation had become almost a commercial and political necessity. He proposed : " That Messrs Hammond, Johnstnne, and the chairman be appointed a committee to embody the foregoing resolutions in a memorial to the Government, and to prepare a petition to the House of Representatives." This resolution was seconded by Mr Martin, and carried unanimously. A cordial \ota of fcaanka to tlie chairman terminated tlio proceeding!.