CORRESPONDENCE.

King Country Chronicle, Volume III, Issue 191, 16 September 1909, Page 5

CORRESPONDENCE.

To the Editor. Sir. In your issue of the 9th inst I notice a letter of Mr Sandison's where in hj« accu •» th» "Coaaty Committee" set up to set in motion the Ohora County Council, of "Thimblerigging" in fixing the boundaries of the separate riding. 1 unhesitatingly aay that such a statement to not according to fact. I would remind ratepayers that thn task undertaken by the County Committee llMbltß enewhicfe has cost them much tiro* and labour. and to be ' termed * "thimble-niggers" at this IK«rr is not the hind of remark 1 would tappet ftom Mr Sandison, who should h«ve the good of th« district at heart; though such might be excusable from others. The thanks of the ratepayers and alao that of the County Committee are due to Mr G. Lovcday for the very great assistance he has rendered them t am, etc.. SAM. EL MEKEMTH, Sec. Ohura County Committer. To the Editor. Sir.- tn a recent review of Dickens* novel "Bleak House/' the writer says: "Glancing at the book as a whole, we see that the purpose, the condemnation of the delays in Chancery, worked out in the gradual deterioration of the character of Richard Carstcne. la foreshadowed and emphasised by the pathetic figure of Misa Ftite and the angry misery of the man from Shropshire." Is there not her© an analogy in the "Taihoa" policy of our Native Lands Administration 7 Leaser are hung, up through the most trivial causes. For example one of th* would be lessees possesses only half a dozen acres in the btock. Why should he not be permitted toselt this useless patch, ami go co the ballot along with the pakeha brethren, so that he might secure an area sufficient to maintain him. Ilia very landlessness would prove an additional This would be one step in placing both races on an equality. Another thing is that, except in very important matters such as lease, agreements, receipts, etc., between man and man should suffice if drawn up in English, without the formality of w itnrsses, etr. The young Maoris are sufficiently welt educated to read and writ© English, and some cat* atways b«s found to» explain a matter to those who art? deficient in this respect. —I am. etc.. ANTI-TAIHOA. To the Editor. Sir,— I read with much interest "W.R's." letter in your issue of Monday, and agree with him in many points of his contribution: but think that if he had given us t'ewer adjectives, and less complicated sentences his protest would have been more effective. Also, he has allowed his feelings to lead him astray from the exact path of verity, e.g., when he refers to the speakers as monopolizing and waiting hour upon hour in distorting historv, etc. If I remember right the meeting only lasted about two hours, and portion of that time our worthy friend utilised in his protest. However. all this by the way. I would assure that although I am a strong advocate for No-license, yet I believe in fair play, and would like to 9t»o this subject: "The Liquor Question in the King Country." dealt with in a straight and above board fashion. I am at one with him when he says the Maoris shoutd have a voice in saying whether the restrictions should be removed or not: provided always that the district shall be placed under nolicense conditions to begin with. At present we have equally reliable men. on both sides, giving different versions of what the Maori chiefs asked for at ( the opening of the King Country. One aide says that the Covenant had only reference to the exclusion of liquor at Land Court Sitting*. The other that no liquor whafever was to be allowed to come into the country. Both tides are positive that their contention is right, yet one of them must be wrong. Which? It la not for me to say. The only thing we can do is to get to know not what the Maoris requested, but what was the final agreement as embodied in the proclamation ; a document which ought to be in existence and easily accessible. Perhaps someone may have a copy of the Gazette or a newspaper in which it was printed. Until this information is available I would advise "W. 8." and others not to denounce those who happen to hold an opposite, yet an honest opinion as to the original covenant. I was very much disappointed at the position which the leaders of th* N. Z. Alliance took up Like "W. 8." I thought they had come here to get information, and not to give us a temperance address. At the same time I could not help but notice how the opponents of No-license religiously avoided the meeting. —I am, etc , M.