CORRESPONDENCE.

Feilding Star, Volume VI, Issue 71, 25 November 1884, Page 3

CORRESPONDENCE.

We are not responsible for the opinions ot our- correspondents.) ■ •

FEILDING manchestkr; block.

TO TH* EbnW'oF THB h*& .. g; rj _ Your> .'* More Light," asfcun the beginning of bis letter two questions which I ain happy to be able to answer in a way tkut, j iidgmg from thefr^nfly t»neof his'insmaatipns against the Corppratipn, will be, eminently satisfactory to " More Light." In ank swer to question ffo 1. The CorporaMtion bought the Manchester Block, 100,000 X acres, rough and smooth, at 15 shillings per acre, with all the obligations of -internal survey, &c, amou*fing,'as thtfn estimated byithe Cheif Surveyor of the Wellington 'Province, to ffiFWlcre '(but really costing more) at a_time when anybody could select and pick the best section in the Manawatu, all surveys being done by the Government at £1 per acre. The Corporation accordingly paid for a large - block of 'land, containing all large blocks must necessarily do, river bedswamp, and some inferior land, the same price as a selector could then pick out a small section at free from these defects. That i* answer to question No 1. Now as to question No 2. The Corporation, like every other land owner, is rated both under the ordinary rate and under any special rate now levied, and has paid daring its tenure of the Manchester Block £8,309 4s 5d in rates, and has always paid them an demand, that is, as soon as the rate was due. " More Light " could have ascertained this by a simple inquiry from any local body in the district, thicollectors of all of winch will vouch for the truth of 1 what I say. No obligation to make ro*ads in the block und^r the Corporation's contract with the Government ever existed. The Government simply at one time gave a limited sub.-i ly Against Corporation expenditure on roads which has now been spent ; and all expenditure on roads made by the Corporation to the feune of tens of thousands of pounds have been made voluntarily under the far-sighted policy of promoting the sale of their lands by opening them up before sale,;instead of selling their lands and leaving tbe settlers to get their roads afterwards as best they could. If "Mort Light" wants any more U«ht I shall be happy to give it in answer to any letter over his real name or personally to himsel i on application to me. I am, etc., D. H. Mac.vrthub, Agent E. and C Aid Corporotion