MATTERS POLITICAL —AND OTHERWISE.

Feilding Star, Volume XVIII, Issue 121, 20 November 1896, Page 2

MATTERS POLITICAL — AND OTHERWISE.

TO THE KDITOR. StR, — 1 Lave noticed m your paper from time to time letters from Mr G. WilUs dealing wish a variety of subjects. He was just as fond of writing 18 years ago when lie was coming out to New Zealand, and I remember our ship had scarcely left the Downs before he started a newspaper ; and, sir, it was a prodac tion that, even after the lapse of 18 yctrs, I ofien have a good laugh at when Itl ink of it. It was a rag so poor, sir, that one who is now a much and higblycsteomed settler in the neighborhood of Feilduig, and myself, decided upon starting what I presume would be called an opposition paper. I remember the result of that opposition was tint Mr Wilks ceased publication, while the opposition paper was published regularly up U) thy time the pood ship Mcropo dropped anchor m Lyttoitoi) bnrboiir. 1 never thought for olio moment that after a h.jise of 18 years [ should be found again writing against Mr Wilks, but his letter which appeared iv your issue of the 1-Hh should not, I think, be allowed to pass without comment. Mr Wilks appears to me in thit letter to take some amount of pride in thinking that ho has called the Government a blundering and plundering Government. After such an impeachment, and by so eminent a person as Mr Wilks, the Government may be expected to leel very uncomfortable. I do not think, however, they need trouble themselves about what he says, as 1 do not think much notice is taken of Mr Wilks 1 eCiusions. and if they are taken notice of I can only say that times are much altered since I first saw his literary productions. I am inclined to think that he is a very small star indeed iv comparison with other luminaries in tbo political nrmann-nt. Most, of your readi-ry, 1 feel sure, wi.i n it comes to a question of tabling the opinion of Mr Wilks, as against say that o Sir Robert Stout, will »ive preference to Sir Robert Strut's, even Mr Wilks will admit that Sir Robert is a very decided opponent of the Government - one who misses no opportunity of what is tinned "' slating the Government " - and yet, sir, on this very conversion question which Mr Wilks in his eagerness to discredit the Government if possible, now brings forward, il may surprise Mr Wilks to know that the conversion of tins ioan was contemplated by the lufco Mr Bailnnce, for I well remember when this conversion operation was boiug discussed in the House. From his place in the House I heard Sii K Stout say that Mr Billance had supplied him with the papers showing how the conversion would work out, and Sii Robert stated that he had no doubt it wis for the benefit of the country, ot Mr Billance would not have undertaken the conversion. Does 51 r Wilks, or anyone else for a moment, think that had it been possible for Sir Robert to have made political capital out of this transaction he would not have done so? I fee] certain be would, but he is silent and there is no doubt whatsoever that as a critic Sir Robert far outshines Mi Wilks. But, sir, Mr Wilks' unfairness remains with him, whatever else he maj have lost since I first knew him, or bad he been fair, would ho not have told your readers that as against the debit increase of interest there was a credit side also ? Was the liberated sinking fund not to be taken into account Mr Wilks professes to want truth, Why does he then try to hide it ?" And if he had no desire to hide the truth, he should have told your readers that computing the released amount of £1tV3,7Q2 at a moderate rate of interest it returns this colony some i'sooo per annum — which more than pays the small amount of interest that has tc be remitted. Surely, Sir, Mr Wilks in. suits the intelligence of your readers if he thinks for one moment that they are not aware that these released monies are not used in a beneficial manner. I have not time to compute what the extra interest would amount to at a fair rate of compound interest; for 20 odd years; Mi Wilkes should have worked it out. Why did he not endeavour to estimate, if possible, the benefit; the expenditure of that released Sinking Fund would be to those settlers who are roadless ? Can he estimate for 20 odd years the value of roads chad amount of money will make ? I say he cannot make those estimates ; it is beyond his power to do so. But the other calculation he may do ; let him do so ; and then prate about the poor deluded people who pay the piper. I should have thought it would not have been necessary after all the letters Mr Wilks has written to refer to your readers aad New Zealanders generally by the term of poor deluded people, which only proves that he does not set a very high value upon his own teaching. With your permission I will take up the other portion of Mr Wilks' latter in a further communication. ' I am, etc., E. Gascoigne.