W.B. AND THE LAND SALE.

King Country Chronicle, Volume I, Issue 23, 29 March 1907, Page 3

W.B. AND THE LAND SALE.

TO THE EDITOR. Sir, —I read with some surprise a wordy effusion from " W. 8.," in reply to letters appearing in your valuable paper, with reference to the tactics pursued at the recent land sale at Te Kuiti. As an effusion, the letter in question was in the well-known style of the able writer ; as a reply to the complaints made by " Back-blocker " and " Disgusted," it was hardly a success. Your esteemed correspondent constitutes himself, on all possible occasions, the advocate of the Maori. W T hether the said Maori appreciates the advocacy, is beside the question. However, I would remind " W. 8." thai although man in general is recommended to take up a hobby, there is such a thing as riding even a " hobby horse "to death: Bitter invective, and blatant partisanship are quite unnecessary weapons in any cause, and usually succeed in doing more harm than good. Let me assure " W. 8." that he is too able a writer to require such trumpet-blar-ing aids to notoriety, and his admirable stories of Maori life, and the light he sheds on Maori character, are far better arguments, and more calculated to attain his avowed object, than descending to the methods he adopts in his recent effusion. I searched in vain for some convincing argument to refute the charges brought by " Backblocker " and " Disgus'ted." The only exculpation offered was that all the doubtful practices, adopted by the Maori, were learnt from the Pakeha. Truly a beautiful reason ! It seems a pity that the Pakeha virtues were so entirely disregarded. Following "W.B.'s" line of argument, where would the Maori have been to-day had New Zealand been colonised by any other power than Britain ? The Congo atrocities speak convincingly of the fate of uncivilised people at the hands of an enlightened European nation ! However, these matters are immaterial in the present instance, and entirely foreign to the main point at issue. I have only been moved to reply to my friend " W. 8." because I admire his work in the main, and feel that he is not doing himself justice when he departs from his best. Let him continue, and be content with the good wrought in the cause_ of the Maori, by his indirect (and incidentally his strongest) appeal, through his really fine stories. Thanking you in anticipation. —I am, etc., BACK-BLOCKER..