OTAKI.

Manawatu Times, Volume III, Issue 7, 16 November 1878, Page 2

OTAKI.

[»BOJ_; OUB OW.N QOttBJ-SPOirDßir'P^i A general meeting of tlie- subsci-ber»j: to- the Otaki library was held, here par. * the 9th instatttj.tojcon^rin.the-newruleaj carried by the committee. IJheiteviy j McWilliftoi.s,, who was vojiedl to. the. chair^. read, the- -julpa,. which, Were al_= 'agreed to— mostly without apy dis-. cussipn.. A. vote, of thanks to the Chair-. man,, prpppsed by Mr Hjadfield, tor^. ! urinated the- meeting. I notice that the;. Hrrepressible Mr " Yandex," like a jack-. , in-the-Jbox after, a- protracted, disap-. ipearanee,. pops up. again, and, in.ake« : isnoh aa exhibition of himself i^yonrissue of the 2nd ittst-r-tliatf areal.disK. play of a Jack-in-the**box. -would be'-:*__.- ----■ positive intellectual t-*eat-,in : comparison*, to it. Re protests that he ha** not been« vanquished,, aud that facts and figures*. • cannot b/e.. Oh, M* "Jindex" !, - Jj vaajjr he" intensely stuped, " hu.fr! must ad-, mit; that I am somewhat sceptical of£ facts, and figures m. general. aM those- ■ propounded by "• Yiftdex " concerninßrtthe Mission School,, and the proposedj Board Sphool x arenqt to. be entertained Ji although coming fron*. one who, writes, of keeping "-in sight 6f .truth and^ charity." Charity- forsooth! and yet. ihe writes- that cry to, serve somes purpose of hist-*-.own." Does * Yindex "• not Icnpw that the settlers, m. this dis-.. trict have long agitated, for *% school fortheir children* who. now nuniber up-, wards of seTenty— rfifty of whom have, been promised for- Board School? .lithe not aware that meetings have been*, held, and petitions signed with the ob-, jeot to, secujre for Otaki what Terysmaller communities possess — a Board, School P Is it news to him that : the. Inspector of schools* m making his re-_ port last year to the Wellington EdiK. cation Board, stated that the settlert^ of QtaM had established a good claim., for a school P But the cry for a school is not from the Otaki public, but ttemanates from your "own" alone,, and is merely a sham cry to, serv/e aomepur^ pose of his " own." Fie, fie, Mr " Vm-. dcx !" this is hardly keeping ?m. sight, of truth and charity.!" Is it unreason, able for the Education Board to first, ascertain if either the Mission or Col-, lege could be obtained for .h,eEuropean\ children, instead of erecti.ug a third school m a small village like Otaki !* It is shown that no. portion of th« - Mission estate can he legally acquired.. by lease or otherwise, the ma/tter ends* and the Education Board will be forced to erect a achooLhouse and residency for a teacher. In ..patting' .9, case toi de» monsrrate the iniquity pf attempting to acquire the College or school, "Vin-. de* " js peculiarly unfortunate :— " Mr H[. owns a thousand pounds; He onice put it out to interest . and increased it must j but for reasons known to himself he now keeps it locked up and onlyuses a shilling now and then. Had c we not better go and take it from him, and give it to poor Mr W. t who would spend it freely." . This is clumsy^ and shallow m the extreme. "Mr H." haa., a perfect right to do as he think^propw

with his money, whioh has probably been amassed by the exertions of his relations or himself ; and to take it from him and give it to " poor Mr W," who is possibly poor through lack of industry, would be robbery and probably result m " poor Mr W." finding himself m durance vile for receiving stolen property.. The other case is m nowise similar, the trustees of the Mission Estate have to study that the greatest possible benefit accrues to the trust; and if a disused College, school or other building on the estate is without a fair chance of being utilised m a manner somewhat suitable to its capabilities—as the College for instance which brings no adequate return, being occupied by a small family, when it is capable of quartering half a regiment pf soldiers— l say m such a oase it teems reasonable to suppose that it would be fa the benefit if the building was acuired by lease or purchase for a school for European children ; a course, according to the parallel drawn by w Vindex," of 4ownright robbery from the Mission Estate. If a man writes m a reasonable manner, and withhonesty of purpose, it would be questionable taste to refer to his deficiency ; but for # write? to propound such absurdities m a newspaper. as " Vindex " does, and m every letter expose his U-nited knowledge of Lindley Murray is most deplorable. He may understand the Maori " language," m which he gives me a Jons lesson, but having no occasion to ac&re it, I merely thank him for the attels.ia_Vand m return send him a little work* by the above named another, trusting that he will toad, mark, learn, nnd inwardly digest it, before he again figures m print. To follow him further In his twisting and turnings to expose bis unwaran table deductions would be Superfluous ; but I cannot refrain from condemning his practice of imparting to Sic what I have never spoken or written : for instance he writes-^" %t was he m every instance— on the church, on the ichoolar— who made the attack." To say that I have attacked the church is absolutely at variance with the truth. I have never referred to it bnt once ; and the extent of my offending is contained m my communication of Sept. 25th m which I administered a gentle yeboke Jo " Vindex" for- introducing the subject of the church, saying : '' It is satisfactory to hear from Mr " Yindex," that the church is still standing m perfect repair, but the information is somewhat beside the question. T ear c? fully avoided the subject, having decided, that he was fishing for the chance of preaching through the Times, and that I at all events would not give him the opportunity of perpetrating such an infliction on yonr readers. If m expos--ing the state of the Mission School I have hurt the feelings of anyone lam -sorry ; bnt my only aim has been to bring abont a remedy land secure the disused College for the European children. The subject is exhausted; ao I bid adieu to "Vindex" who will relapse into the obscurity from which I lifted him by noticing his co_nmnnica** foma, 7