THE LATE LEASING OF THE AHURIRI PLAINS.

Hawke's Bay Times, Volume 8, Issue 390, 2 July 1866, Page 3

THE LATE LEASING OF THE AHURIRI PLAINS.

[To the Editor of the Hawke’s Bay Times.] Sir, —Knowing that the columns of your valuable journal are ever open for the expression of opinion on all public questions, and that you are always ready and willing to denounce jobbery of any description, and advocate right against might, I wish to ask you whether the conditions of sale’, as published in your paper, were to be understood as positive, or whether the auctioneer had a dis cretionary power, and could dispense with Nos. 2 and 10 at pleasure ? As a purchaser, I can only say that in my case the said conditions were made absolute, for on the fall of the hammer the auctioneer called me to come forward and pay my deposit, in conformity with condition No. 2. I suppose if I had failed to produce the needful, condition 10 would have been enforced, and the section put up again and re-sold. But as the sale proceeded, I observed several (gentleman buyers) had sections knocked down to them, who only stepped across the room and signed a paper—l presume in the form of a purchase note. It was quite evident that provision had been made for them to do so notwithstanding the condition of cash in the terms of sale. Does not such a partiality show a species of imposition practised on the more simple part of the community ? If the conditions of sale were binding, why did the auctioneer give such latitude to his friends ? If they were not binding, why did the Government go to the expense of publishing them at all? Surely it would have been better to have saved the advertising money: and, besides, the dissatisfaction at the conduct of the auctioneer would not have been felt by the unwashed (who were called on to “ fork out” at once on the tall of the hammer), had they not been led to believe that the conditions were binding, and that nothing short of the hard cash would in any case be accepted by the auctioneer.

Sir, this is not the first time such things hare been done, and it will not, in all probability, be the last v In writing this, 1 may say that 3/not only express my own disapprobation of the partiality shown, but likewise tho opinions of many others, who, like myself, were obliged to carry the ready money with them, or stand the chance of the auctioneer doing Just as he pleased—leaving

it optional to that gentleman whether he should allow the unwashed to sign the paper, or again offer for public competition the sections knocked down to them. Hoping that the system of favoritism will soon cease in Napier,—l am, &c., A PURCHASER. Napier, 2nd July, 1866.