CORRESPONDENCE

Gisborne Times, Volume XXV, Issue 2041, 28 March 1907, Page 2

CORRESPONDENCE

OUR PARLIAMENTARY REPRESENTATION. To the Editor of the Gisborne Times. Sir, —In your report of the County Council’s mooting you inform us that Mr. Mat-thews congratulated Captain Tucker on his- being elevated to the position of M.L.C., and that Mr. Harding seconded the same. Well, there is nothing surprising in that, seeing that birds of a leather: aIL

HOR?k togetlier; but the astonishment is that Mr. Harding was not congratulated on his appointment to the sole supervision of the East Coast Native LantL Board, seeing that, although the appointment was surreptitious, the salary is larger than that allotted to the At.L.C. It is notable

how Mr. Carroll dispensed with the services of .the other two members

and appointed Air. Harding sole ruler of the Board. Of course there are technicalities connected with a racing chum’s actions which the public are not supposed to know, but the public will talk. It is rather an unusual thing for a publican to be appointed a Government officer, except that this is one of Air. Carroll’s friendly appointments, and the public are not supposed to find fault with it. Another of Mr. Carroll’s appointments is Captain Tucker (who is Airs Carroll’s trustee) to become a mate of Wi Pore’s in the Legislative Council. This is the man (Wi Pore) who stated that if he had his way lie would

drive every pakeha in Now Zealand into the sea.” This is another of Air. Carroll’s appointments, which proves that blood is thicker than water, which any unbiassed jierson can" judge. Captain Tucker stated that there are four representatives of the district in Parliament, but the question is, who do tliej r represent? There is Air. Carroll, whose actions at all times proves his adherence; then Air. Ngata, a clever, cunning native; then our townsman Air. "Wi Pere, and our ■noted Captain Tucker, who is a native interpreter., through which science, together with his trusteeship and intercourse with native customs, has acquired him the honor of AI.L.C. Then surely any thinking person can judgo how much the pakeha is represented in Poverty Bay. It reminds one-of. a Liberal Government trying to prove that conservative leasehold would bo a liberal land law. This must surely be Mr. Carroll’s liberalism in representation.—l am, ct.c., RATEPAYER.