Mr MACARTHUR IN REPLY.

Feilding Star, Volume II, Issue 142, 13 October 1880, Page 3

Mr MACARTHUR IN REPLY.

TO THE EDITOR. . ■Sib,—ln last Wednesday's issue of the Marten Advocate Sir W. Fox professes to answer the statements in my letter to the Guardian - of the 29th September re ilu; AVanganui and Atarton EndowmentsHe says that " I admit I was entirety wrong in making tlie charge " about the Marlon Endowment, that "I make a sort of apology, and try to shift the blame on Mr Johnston." Tire above is a specimen of- Sir W. Fox's artless way of putting things, which quite gives him the right to tax me in the same paragraph with being disingeui'ous and unfair. I made no charge, but merely repeated a statement made by a gentleman whom I considered a good authority, whoso name 1 gave, .and immediately that Sir W. Fox showed there was a mistake, I apologised for my share in promulgating it. In my humble opinion, Sir AY'. Fox would have consulted his own dignity and reputation better'by accepting my apology m the spirit m which it was offered. Now for the Winganui Harbour Endowment, anent which Sir AY. Fox raises a' cloud of words about Provincial Governments and the powers and rights of Parliament to deal with the waste lands, which powers and rights nobody-ever disputed. Tim words "spoliation and robbery" seem also to have hurt his sensibilities. Let me point out to him that the word " robbery " never occurs in my letter, and the word spoliation Jean have no offensive meaning in this connection, as Sir YV. Fox's right to do his best for his constituents was most fully admitted by me. Under cover of the obscurity created by the introduction of a miss of irrelevbmt matter, he endeavours to escape from the corner into which he was fairly driven. ■The point at issue between Sir W. Fox and myself ' •<- the Wanganui Harbour Fndowment is this, and this Only. Be stated most' distinctly that " AEanawafu was not a shilling the worse" for the fact of the Endowment being granted, a'r.d I, as I think, conclusively proved that at a low estimate this county was about CtiiOi) (he worse. This point Sir AY Fox carefully evades replying or referring to. and it may therefore fairly be inferred that he found the proverbial

policy of " No case, abuse the counsel on the opposite side " the most convenient. ; His other statements about the E. anil C. j Aid Corporation, and my connection with I it, have nothing to do with the question j at issue, but as anything emanating from j Sir A\ . Fox has a weight with many people out of proportion to its intrinsic value. 1 will deal with them as shortly a'?I can. He goes on to say that a protest against the ".-puliation" comes with a bad grace from me as an employe of the ■■Corporation, that bought 100,000 flrresof land at Ids. an acre from the Government some years ago. and is likely to reap a large- pri.lit by 'the re-sale of such land "it is generally stated of at least cent, ptr cent.," or as Sir W. Fox presumes "not less than.one or two hundred thousand pounds.' Public gossip is not always a safe foundation on which to build an argument. No one can tell as yel what, if any. the profits of the Corporation will be. J only hop,.! that Sir YV. Fox's presumption about "the our-or two hundred thousand pounds" will tun; out more correct th.-m his assertions about the Ki.dowinent Block. The 15s. an acre paid by the Corporation .1 -may say was in addition to cost of survey and. other obligations, making the purchase money more than equivalent to id an acre, the then upset price of Government land in AJana•va.tu. .As Sir W. Fox .-ays, tin- price paid is of no importance! and if the Wanganui Harbour .Hoard does for its •block in proportion to its • size,-only one halt of what the Corporation lias" done for the Mar-chester Block, 1 shall be (piite willing to retract all T have said about • spoliation." and to acknowledge Sir YV. Fox as a benefactor to Alanawatu. Until that unlikely even! comes to pass. 1 must be permitted to retain Hie tinplea sari' opinions-! now hold about the flitoo. An one knows better than Sir NY. Fox that the Government cannot be persuaded to follow the example set them by the Corporation, under Mr Halcombe's management, of the best mode'of dealing with bush lauds, and as subagent of that Corporation,, and chairman 01 M'anawntu County. I feci doubly qualified to protest against the spoliation of that fund, which under ordinary circumstances would have been devoted to the opening up the 25,000 acres of the Endowment with roads. I confess I am much • disappointed with Sir W. Fox's reply. I expected something more worthy of one of the few survivors of that body oj' public men who ruled New Zealand when I came to the colony as a boy twenty five years ago ; something that would be a better example to the generation that must in the course of nature; succeed himself and his contemporaries. Instead, he descends to a tone of invective and personality, which is quite out of place in discussing a purely public matt'-r. and which strongly suggests a cause too weak to be supported by argument. Belter far to have at once candidly acknowledged that he had committed a blunder in saying that " M'anawatu was not'a shilling the worse " than to have stooped to a course so unbecoming a politician of Sir W. Fox's age and experience. •I am, &c, 1). H. AfACAIiTIIUK. Get. s, jsso.