The Patea County Press, AND Manutahi-Waitotara District Guardian. “Be Just and Fear Not.” MONDAY, NOVEMBER 14, 1887. WHO IS AT FAULT?

Patea Mail, Volume I, Issue 7, 14 November 1887, Page 2

The Patea County Press, AND Manutahi-Waitotara District Guardian. “Be Just and Fear Not.” MONDAY, NOVEMBER 14, 1887. WHO IS AT FAULT?

The Hawera Star of tli© liltli instant gives the following interesting opinion to its readers : ‘ Batea people still keep on ‘digging away, re the stinginess shown by Ha went, settlers in not contributing more than £:io9 to the bonus to the Batea Tinning Works, out ot of a total subscribed of £917 before tin final inerting was held Seeing tint Hawcra was prepared to subscribe £IOOO if the works were erected within the County, with the assistance given by the Anclr. r Lino of s.s. Company, this wotdd have left the magnificent total of £IOO to be subscribed by Batea County, had the positions been reversed. We repeat that tin transaction is purely a business one, and that th.o,-e nearest to the works are the only graziers who can count with any certainty on much direct benefit. In thicase it would seem that the Batea people .find it necessary to point out to Hawera settlers what is to the latter’s benefit, li the woiks were to be at Hawera, no doubt the advice would come from ihe other aid Dcsptft) ail the hard things said about Hawera settlers, who had prior to tie iim. meeting already subscribedjucarly one-ha.i of the total promised, we trust that tho e

more directly interested iu Jlawera C’ounh will subscribe a. fair share of jthe balance of £327 yet required, though guaranteed by i;-} gentlemen. We fancy it was the uu pleasant amount of truth in the argument used by the Star which caused the soreness expressed by the Patna people. ‘lt is the ttuth that stings’ says the proverb.” If tlio Star refers to our remarks on this subject, it might have saved itsci: the trouble of publishing such a fearful attempt at seif agruiulisoiueut. li is far too lute iu the day for the Htu\ to come out with such ridiculom statements as “ Hawera Comfy wu. prepared to subscribe £it-Ob ut the works were erected within the county ’ iho Star evidently forgets that tin “ Hawera County ” alternative Jlist.wero forwarded to Patea shewing precisely what “ Hawera County ’ was pi ©pored 10 do in the event, of worksestablished within the county, orwithoyt the county, and those lists spoke for thomsedves very plainly indeed, and gave the totals; if (the works are erected) in Hawera county £43f if in Patea £134. These were tin figures handed iu to the meeting, and vouched, for by such gor. loman as Messrs Lysaght, Gaverhill, Livingston, &c. The lists were very freely canvassed at the meeting, and no exception taken to the amounts by the ilawem gentlemen present. Wo are, therefore, much inclined to think that the Star is drawing very free!-, on its imagination in saying - “ Hawera was prepared to subscribe £IOOO if tinworks wore established in the Hawera county.” The 6 ar, as many of both Hawera and Patou readers state, did much towards fanning the Ih.me oi jealous discon;cat tit the bare sng-gos tiou of having the works at Patea and it notv endeavours to mako matters worse by giving the direct lie to some of Hawera/s best and stoutest settlers ; a course as useless ns it is unwise, as few settlers indeed will be inclined to*think that such men as Messrs Gaverhill, Lysaght - , and Livingston would bo likely to mislead a public meeting on such an important subject us the bonus subscription, undoubtedly was. at that time. However, “ all’s well that cuds well,” • ml the end beingwvell wo arc not inclined to quarrel with Unworn or any other place, but think that a journal of such standing as the " Star's” might have seme slight regard for tin- truth, if it has not for the probity of its country s best settlers.