OUR RESERVES.

Evening Star, Issue 3894, 17 August 1875, Page 3

OUR RESERVES.

To the Editor. Sib,-—Many thanks for your leader last night You have undoubtedly placed the facts much clearer before your readers than did the ‘ Daily Tunes in regard to our Education Reserves, ihe Crown granted to this Province these reserves, but by the Abolition Bill as it now stands according to the clauses you quote, you would have the people say we return your gift unconditionally, because you (the Crown) know better what is good for us than we do ourselves There is no stipulation that it is a mere change of trusteeship. It is an absolute reversion to the Crown that is evidently intended, although cunningly expressed. At all events would it not be safer to have these reserves conveyed by deed to non-politi-cal trustees, when the people’s rights would be protected by the Supreme Court and Privy Council, and not be at the mercy of eyery political wind that happens to blow? You are aware that my conviction has long been that abolition must come, and I can only now express the deep regret I feel that those in power during the laat two or three years should have wasted them time and the golden opportunity in attempting to bolster up a tottering edifice instead of securing to the Province the benefits of those lands that have been hitherto preserved for our’children, and that it was hoped would have been for our children’s children also.—l am, &e., T. ~ . . Observes. Dunedin, August 17. [Although we differ from our correspondent regarding the design of the Bill in regard to the reserves, we quite agree with him that they should be vested in non-political trustees. They ought to have been long ago.—Ed. ‘ E.S.’]