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Daily Telegraph (Napier), Issue 3252, 3 December 1881, Page 2

In the course of his speech on the Waipawa hustings yesterday, and in reference to Mr Ormond's statement that the best of the country had fallen into private hands before he had become Superintendent, Mr Smith asked, " how long ago was it that Pourerere had been sold, and how waa it that reserves had not been set aside in that large block for deferred payment settlements ?'' Now, strongly as we are opposed to Mr Smith, we did not suppose that he was so utterly ignorant of the affairs of his district as to make such a stupid remark in a speech mainly addressed to people well acquainted with the country, and with the history of this province. The block to which Mr Smith referred was sold to Mr Nairn in 1873, and consisted of the wholeof the centre of tbe Pourerere run, all round the borders of which had long previously been bought. All the road frontages, tbe sea frontage, all the bush and stream frontages, the eyes of the country, had been bought, leaving the broken hill centre absolutely valueless to any outsider. No small capitalist in his eenaes

would bave dreamt of occupying any portion of what was left, and if Mr Ormond had reserved it for a small farm settlement it would have been said—we certainly should have said it—that the reservation had been made to save Mr Nairn the expense of buying it, while he could use it for ever as a sheep run. The facts speak for themselves ; when the land was put up to auction at .Is no one bid against Mr Nairn.