FREEHOLD AND "SENTIMENT."

King Country Chronicle, Volume I, Issue 7, 7 December 1906, Page 3

FREEHOLD AND "SENTIMENT."

TO THE EDITOR. Sir, —Whether the present Cabinet will succeed in foisting a repellent burden on the patient camel that trudges the unapproachable wilds, and tramps down the fern and supplejacks, that people with wierd notions of travel may follow, next session will probably decide; and, if our representatives remain faithful to their hustings pledges, that decision in favour of its rejection is assured. But Mr McNab seems to think otherwise, and in his Onehunga speech metaphorically smote his thigh in the jubilant anticipation that when he has properly displayed his new wares, and sufficiently extolled their excellencies, our hard-headed, practical tillers and toilers will lift a lively foot in their haste to adopt the new fashions ; and flippantly dismisses the Britisher's inherited privilege of private ownership in land as a " mere sentiment." In view of the importance with which he endows his latest discovery, it is permissable to inquire: What is " sentiment" ? Without applying a dictionary definition, we may construe it to mean: —A body of sensations, the product of custom, education, environment, and the instincts of a man free to regulate his own actions. It is sentiment which prompts a man to resent the familiarities of a stranger towards his wife, whom he cherishes, protects, and labours for. It is "sentiment" which places a door to a bedroom. It is " sentiment" which induces a man or woman having business to transact, or confidences to impart, to do so out of earshot. It is " sentiment" which decrees that a visitor shall knock at the door; and to emphasise that decree, the neglect to use knocker, or door-bell, and enter unbidden, " sentiment" recognises as boorish, and impertinent intrusion. No one but an eccentric would think of outraging institutions which civilisation has declared a safeguard to personal privacy. And when Mr McNab imagines that the " sentiment " of the freeholder is not co-terminus with the " sentiments " I have enumerated, he is as the horse looking at a heap of shavings through green glasses. No, friend McNab, human nature may be selfish when it cries: "My labour is expended for my own emolument, and those I am responsible for ;" it is a " sentiment " sanctioned and hallowed by aicustom, neither you nor I may ignore. Go to, therefore, into the byways and seek for the halt, the wastrel, and incompetent, and of your large humanities divide with them your private freehold, which you publicly acknowledge to be a very satisfactory "sentiment"; but permit your friends, Tom, Dick and Harry to acquire and retain like cosy freehold, " sentiments " of their own ! To us who are not daunted by inhuman pioneer vicissitudes there is a jarring note of insincerity in these ever recruding innovations : for these apostles of " future " take all sorts of fine care to secure their little freehold " sentiments " where the pioneer has hewn the way for them ; the pioneer for whom the arm-chair Demosthenes would unveil tenures, restrictions, supervisions, inspectors, rangers (or go per cent, cash)! £50,000 limitations, and compulsory mandates, repugnant to a free man. And when ye do come, it is in the guise of a summer's jaunt. Catch you trapesing through seas of winter mud, which might disillusion YOUR " sentiments "! Do ye wise acres ever realise the barbaric impossibilities the advance picket of civilisation has to endure? Where the exile, having a heart fashioned to crave for and love companionship, in desperation makes a pet of his homestead, and tenderly watches and touches every tree heihas planted, and the smell of every spadeful of earth he turns up permeates his soul like a blessing; where the view from his front door has greeted him many cheerless years as an old familiar friend, and called in a language, only known to hermits —and ye would not understand : " I am the everlasting; do not despair!" Or, the home where his children were born, and grew into man and womanhood; whose threshold was made sacred by the outpassing body of the choice of his youth, and wetted by hot memorial tears, what time reminiscence wanders back to years spent hand in hand; of hardships borne ; of sorrows shared; and the quavering voice wails a desolate farewell to Her, who was comforter, mother, companion and friend. Are these " sentiments," O'friend McNab, not up to date any more ? And when the sons are gotten stoop shouldered and grey after 66 years' love and devotion to the dear old home, a callous edict orders them forth to compete with a Pharaoh who knew not Joseph; Go to, with your platitudes of " mere sentiment"; the hope for an ultimate freehold knows better!! —I am, etc., W.B.

TO THE EDITOR. Sir, —In *eply to the enquiry of your Mangaohae correspondent referring to the mail contract, if he will kindly visit the office of the Secretary to the Vigilance Committee here (Mr Darrow), he will see a pile of eorres-. pondence relating to the The work of the Committee includecr-tKe' obtaining of tenders for the service from Te Kuiti to Ngapaenga and Mangaohae, which were forwarded to the Chief Postmaster, Auckland. No final reply was received, biit the next intimation was the publication of the acceptance of a tender for the service. Those particularly interested in the matter were the writer, as representing the Vigilance Committee, Mr Somerville, Miss Melling, and Major Lusk. The latter had the last word with the Chief Postmaster in Auckland, and pointed out the reasonableness of the amount of the tender. Now whether the final result came after the efforts of the Vigilance Committee or on account of their efforts, is not known, but the fact remains that the object is attained ; the means are unimportant. —I am, etc., E. H. HARDY, Chairman Vigilance Com.

[lt is gratifying at all times to see ' people uniting for the attainment of a worthy object, and as the wants of one are r practically the wants of all in the district, it is important that a complete sympathetic understanding be arrived at—Ed.K.CC.3