A Wonderful Telegram

Feilding Star, Volume VII, Issue 135, 24 April 1886, Page 2

A Wonderful Telegram

Mr Seddon's precious telegram is a curiosity in its way, and not what might fairly be expected from one who aspired to the portfolio of Minister of Mines, and who was at one time almost within roach of it. The Ilokitika Guardian i 8 glad to find that "the brutally insulting telegram has met with universal reprobation. It has not a redeeming point. It is coarse, devoid of humor or sense, and could only have emanated from a man consumed by morbid vanity. We hope that Mr Seddon's Kumara constituents will insist upon an apology being sent to Mr Richardson for such a vulgar and wanton insult." Tho text of the message was as follows : — " From the Press I regret to find you contemplate shipping to here another batch of the unemployed from Christchurch. For my part I would sooner the GreyHokitika Railway were never made then to have tho West Coast created a ' New Caledonia.' Whilst some of those shipped are decent fellows enough, twas too bad, however, to ship with them well known bad characters. You might have had the courtesy to consult the member for Kumara as to the state of the laber market before flooding his district with the ' want no work to do' characters from Christchurch. If only sent here temporarily so as to increase the population whilst the census is being taken, the laboring men here may not complain. As yet the public hare not been enlightened by the Press or from official utterances what measures are to be taken to deport the unfortunate waifs back t« the place from whence they came. Perhaps it is intended they should work their passage back in constructing the East and West Coast Railway. If so, the sooner the work is put in hand the better. In replyipg, kindly inform me what was to have prevented you putting them to work at the Springfield end of the East and West Coast Railway, thus spending the £100 voted? or, better still, you might have given them more congenial occupation in starting them forest planting on the Government reserves situate on the plains of Canterbury.— R. J. Seddon, Kumara, Maroh 27, 1886."