CORRESPONDENCE.

King Country Chronicle, Volume VI, Issue 415, 18 November 1911, Page 5

CORRESPONDENCE.

j I Letters tor publication, ami articles tor insertion must lie accompanied (not necessarily tor puhlij cation), by the name of the writer, and. pro\ ided j they are" not offensive in any way, will be oublished as space permits. The liditor does ml identify himself with the opinions expressed i iv correspondents, and accepts no responsibility orUieru.) MAPARA SETTLEMENT. To the Editor. Sir,-—On reading Mr Elliott's reply to Mr White iu your issue of the 11th ins.t., I was rather amused at the position taken up by the former in regard to the above block of land, it being, I presume, the one referred to in his letter, and quoted as Bluff No 1. Without wishing to enter into a political controversy with Mr Elliott, I am afraid he has been misinformed as to the position of things in the above settlement, or either he has dreamed those things he writes of. In the first place, every settler in this block was aware of the terms and conditions under which he was taking up the land, each being notified almost immediately after the ballot as to tenure and rental. There was certainly no misrepresentation. As to the assertion that settlers left on account of the tenure, this is incorrect. Certainly a few settlers on seeing their sections went away I daresay disgusted, becasue there wasn't a good

house, green pastures, etc., to be seen, but those few were, I consider, better away—not possessing the grit that goes to make a back blocker. At the present time there is only one section vacant, and if put on the market to-morrow would, I venture to say, be sought after by twenty applicants, only too pleased to get the opportunity of taking it up. About "fourteen months ago Mr Elliott tried to make capital out of a similar tale in a letter to the leader of the Opposition at the expense of us settlers, and without our consent, Qi sanction. These efforts on our behalf, though well meant (as far as he himself is con-

cerned), are misplaced, the Mapara folks being quite capable of looking after their own interests. This settlement, though only two years old, has about 14 miles of road and three traffic bridges, the settlers are doing well and quite satisfied with their position. The progress made in the time has been little short of marvellous; our demands have been fairly met, and being in a pusition to know. I'm not aware of there being one dissatisfied settler among us. Were the Opposition in power the chances are the majority of us would be carrying the "bluey and billy," touring the country in search of health or the proverbial five bob a day given under the administration in days gone by. Hoping that in the interests of fair play vou will insert the above. —I am. etc., R. JOHNSON, Hon. Mapara Settlers' Association. To the Editor. Sir, I have no wish to enter into a political argument with Mr Wall, but I would like to correct one or two misstatements.in his letter to you of 'he 15th inst. In the first place he states I am fond of seeing my name in print. That I deny. In the one or two instances that I have had occasion ■to write to your valuable paper I was personally interested. Surely Mr Wall would not deny me the right to do so. In the next place, he says I am blinded by some of the Government promises. I would like to tell Mr Wall that I have been a resident of this Dominion for 35 years, and in this district for six years, and I always worked hard, and do still. During the whole of that time I never asked a favour from any Government in power, Opposition or otherwise, nor am I seeking for anything now. My reason for supporting Mr Jennings is that he is one of the most honourable gentlemen in the House, and has done more for this district than any other man would do. It is entirely in the hands of the electors and I have not the slightest doubt when polling day comes round they will remember all this.—l am, etc., J. F. WALSH. MR JULIAN AND MR JENNINGS. To the Editor. I Sir, —Kindly permit me, as one of the readers of your valuable paper, to express to Mr Julian my best thanks for his outspoken letter of the loth inst. I feel sure that if Mr Julian could be induced to. write a few more such letters in explanation that they would bs much appreciated by your readers, and at the same time give no end of pleasure to the said gentleman to see his name in print. Surely it is not too late, even at the e'venth hour, to bring pressure to bear on this who!e-3ouled philanthropist, to offer his services to the electors of Taumarunui. As an expert in townplanning his services to the Dominion would be invaluable, his abilities being amply demonstrated in the works now being carried out by the local counci'. As Mr Julian so ably puts it, be has been a father to the back blockers, and, like the true philanthropist that ha is. in his desire to benefit others, probably he has over;? looked making clue provision for his declining days. Mr Julian's powers are well known to those who have had the pleasure of hearing him on the public platform, and I am convinced he could show our present member a few points. If we are to progress we must have roads and bridges, and j without our pioneer on the scene, it is evident we cannot get them. TrustI ing that he will yet come forward. I j am, etc., ! WHITE LEGHORN.