REPLY TO DR MENZIE'S LETTER.

Southland Times, Volume III, Issue 227, 8 June 1866, Page 2

REPLY TO DR MENZIE'S LETTER.

(to the edixob of the southland times.) Sir, —ln continuation of my reply to Dr Menzies, of the sth inst., I come to Quibble 7 —the real gist of his letter — the point on which his agreeably vituperative efiusion hinges, is the seeming breach of faith of which he accuses me, in re-entering —to use the grandiloquent language common to Southland — the political arena, after I had pledged myself to abstain thereirom, which he seeks to substantiate, by publishing the correspondence relating thereto. In making

public these letters, however, ho :. ..: '. overstepped the bounds of pnideuct. - : i ; ouglit to have referred to them mystei±teriously, as he has done to Q-azettes which few can obtain. Any educated, impartial reader will, I feel assured, dissent from Dr Menzies in the severe interpretation he is pleased to accord to this action of mine. As, however, the mr S3 — taking into consideration the plausible manner in which it i& presented — not as a rule, troubling itself to reason on points submitted to it — might agree with him, I will trouble myself to explain my conduct in this matter. The first impression conveyed by a perusal of this correspondence is, that so long as I agreed with Dr Menzies on all subjects connected with the Executive Government of the Province^ the position of Commissioner of Crown Lands was no bar to my taking an active part in. politics. Directly, however, I presumed to differ from him, the incompatability of holding the two positions became apparent. Dr Menzies wanted a tool — not an independent adviser. The correspondence shows the difficulty I had in withdrawing from the Executive; one which was only overcome by my resignation of my seat in the Provincial Council. Dr Menzies in one of hia letters says, " It is true that you became a member of the Executive at my desire — it is equally so that asliort experience of administration satisfied me that it was not advisable that a subordinate officer of the Provincial Grovernment, holding what is usually regarded as a permanent appointment, should intermiddle with politics." If such was his opinion, why did he send for me to form an Executive, on my re-entering the Provincial Council ? To return, however, to the accusation of breach of faith. I can hardly imagine that Dr Menzies is so utterly devoid of reason or common sense as to believe that in pledging myself to him to retire from Provincial politics, I bound myself to do so for the rest of my natural life. My promise held good so long as he was Superintendent; on his political demise, I was free to act. To pre\ent, however, any future misconception, before entering the Council lately, I ascertained from the present Superintendent that there would be no objection to my doing so. My having been a member of his Executive, makes this patent. Had I understood Dr Menzie's proposition in the light in which he noiv wishes to present it, I would simply have refused either to retire from politics, or the commissionership, lie knew as well as I did tkat he had no more power to dismiss me than to fly. The power of appoint ing or dismissing officers in the land department is under the "Waste Lands Act of 1858, vested in the G-overnor. These powers he can delegate, with or without restrictions. In Dr Menzie's case, they were granted to him as Superintendent, with very stringent restrictions, such as I do not think are usually attached; afc any ■ rate, they are not to his successor. Probably Mr Fox, the then Colonial Secretary*, knew the man, and considered it unsafe to entrust him with too much power, which evidences the estimation in which he was held at head-quarters. In the New Zealand Gazette, of 7th Jan., 1864, No. 2, in notifying the delegationit is stated that the powers are to be exer. cised, subject to the annexed regulations. REGULATIONS BEFORE BSFERRED TO : 1. The powers delegated by the foregoing warrant shall be exercised from time to time by written instruments under the hand of the Superintendent, to be approved of by a resolution of the Provinc.il Council of the said Province, to be duly made in that behalf ; such resolution to be certified to the Governor by the Speake r of the Council within one month from its date." 2. ItshallbecompetenttotheG-overncr at his pleasure to disallow any such exercise of the powers above delegated at any time within two months after the receipt by the Governor of such resolution. 3. ZSTo exercise of such powers shall ; take effect till the Governor shall have expressly allowed the same, except th.it the same may be made to take effect provisionally, and until the Governor shall have declared his pleasure thereupon. Had the Provincial Council been called together, Dr. Menzies would not have obtained the requisite resolut'on ; for at the last session of the last Council I may safely say I carried an overwhelming majo- • rity. Had Dr. Menzies had the presumption to dismiss me, I would simply have refused to go. I would have liked to see h : m force me. I did not at the time set him at defiance for two reasons. In the first place, the days of the old Provincial Council were numbered. For although Dr. Menzies quibbles in his letter to me, of sth August, 1864, to the effect that the Council was " only adjourned to Tuesday — not prorogued," he knew well enough that it was at my suggestion, and for the express purpose of not meeting again, that it was adjourned. — He might have whistled a long time for his ducks, they wouldn't have come. In the second place, I was perfectly certain that he would not be re-elected as Superintendent. Under these circumstances, I offered no objection to his late Honor's dictum. There are some meu who are " Pleased' with a rattle, tickled with a toy,"" and Dr. Menzies is pre-eminently one of these. I did not see why he should not enioy his cap and bells, as well as the the sorriest jester that ever crooned. In publishing the corresponence, Dr. Menzies has forgotten the last letter which, in justice to him, I append ; it will prove he had at any rate sufficient sense to appreciate merit. Dr. Menzies is of opinion that I have not " acquired a correct understanding" of the causes of the financial embarrassments of the Province — because in the pamphlet I have taken no serious notice of the excess of " expenditure and liability on the Bluff Eailway of above £100,000 over the estimates cf February, 1864." I was underline impression that I had pretty clearly fixed the responsibility of this on Dr. Menzies himself; on his misappropriation .of railway loans, and mismanagement of affairs generally,

0..- .c! Ed thcrowith. If I have not done •,.■ •-■ ill) cleat lj to satisfy Mm, I will, should an official enquiry take place. Further, I exonerate the General Government from blame, " although it is notorious that it led the Genera! Assembly, in 1863, to raise the price of land here to £2 an acre." I -would like much to learn who was at the bottom of this rise in the price of land ? I know Dr. Menzies approved of the act, and invariably spoke in favor of it. Any way, he supported Mr. " Holmes' motion in the Provincial Council, that the Canterbury [Regulations, and land at £2 an acre should be brought into operation in this Province. He also presented a petition to the Legislative Council from the pastoral settlers here to a similar effect, although the Provincial Council had passed a resolution that the price of land should be reduced to 20s. 1 find, in perusing the journal of the Legislative Council for the last session, that on the 25th October last, the Council being in committee, on the Southland land regulations, on clause 20 beiug read, which is to the effect ~that ""All lands not included in any of the foregoing regulations shall be open for sale as rural at the fixed price of twenty shilings per acre/ Dr. Me \zies , moved as an amendment, to be inserted set the commencement of the clause, the words " all lacdi not held under License for pastoral purposes ;" and on division for the amendment — ayes, 1 ; Dr Menzies : Noes, 12 — amongst which was Mr. Taylor. Thus Dr Menzies while blaming the General Government; for raising the price of land, seeks in defiance of the wish of the Council, to shut up from sale the waste lands of the Province, by making the piice of land within runs at £2 per acre, reducing only the remnant of the hundreds and 2000 acre blocks to 20s. If the action of the General Government in raising land to £2 an acre was so reprehensible how was it that Dr Menzies sought to perpetuate the evil ? I reassert that the General Government has acted throughout most liberally with this Province ; most judiciously in refusing its sanction to the loan to cover ordinary expenditure. Any other course would have been as insaue as giving money to a madman. The bubble must burst some time ; the sooner the better. As it is, Southland will weather the storm. Another year of ineoinpetency and extravagance, ■ would have ruined us utterly, irretreviably. Throughout this controversy I have carefully abstained from insinuating anything against Dr Menzies in his private capacity; a courtesy he has not been good enongh to extend to myself. Such a course on his part, I do not object to inasmuch as it assures the dispassionate observer, that my arguments must be sound when my antagonist descends to personal invective. Dr Menzies, in his letter, calls in question generally the accuracy of the statements made in my pamphlet. I can only say that I dare, and defy him or anyone else to disprove them, that I am prepared to substantiate on oath, before any commission which may be appointed/every assertion I have, adduced; and will he happy at the same time to afford still further information in . the causes which led .to the financial!, embarassmeuts of Southland, which wil by no means rebound to the credit of the late Superintendent. Dr Menzies appears to consider that my remarks in the Provincial Council were merely the effusian of "personal vituperation." lam sorry he should so regard them. I do not blame him for faults of the heart, but those of the head. I do not doubt he meaut well, according to the lights which had been giA-en him. I blame him most for aspiring to a position he had not the mental capacity to grasp, and thereby entailing serious embarassments on a Province, which under the most ordinary management ought, and wonld have taken up a position second to none of the Provinces of New Zealand. — Yours, &c, "Walteb H. Peabson. Invercargill, sth June, 1866.

" Superintendents Office, Southland 9th August, 1864. Sib, — I have the honor to acknowledge the receipt of your letter, in which you inform me that you have decided to retire from Provincial politics, in terms of my communication to you. 1 n reply I have to express the gratification of the Provincial Grovemment that it is thereby able to retain the services of a Chief Commissioner, who as head of the Land Department, has proved, remarkably eligible and efficient. — I have the honor to be, Sir, your obedient servant , (Signed) J. E. Menzies, Superintendent. "W. H Pearson, Esq., Chief Commissioner, "Waste Land Board Office."