MR GOODEY IN REPLY.

Temuka Leader, Issue 1381, 20 August 1885, Page 2

MR GOODEY IN REPLY.

TO THE EDITOR. Sir, —I claim in your columns a small space in reply to the wild assertions you made about me on the istb instant, in which you stated in the Leader that I wanted things but not; to work for them—it would suit my constitution. Would you tell the public or give one case wherein myself or any of the men wanted things without working for them ? We are willing to work for wages to pay our just debts and support our families—but not uider the old truck system, for therein iin the monstrous proposal. One of the most incomprehensible things in your Leader is that Mr G. stands by himself, as you stated in yours of the llth inst., and ou the 15th inst. you beg of those standing and being led by Mr G. to give him up and be led by him no longer. Mr Gray was consulted before the men held any public meeting, mid that gentleman declined. You, Mr K liter, pretend to have such sympathy for us. Put it into practice and you call a public meeting and see what yon can do instead of talking and having tin* nine days wornler repeating itself again. If the Society was formed for I

the relief ot the sick it should stand to that. Distross arising from want of employment should have been pressed home on the Government, as I wanted the Society to do before any meeting was held in the Volunteer Hall, and if I said anything objectionable then should have bpen the time to have said so. Relief works would help the men, but they would be left in the same position as before if something more is not done. Then my action, you are inclined to think, did harm instead of good, Allow me, in a polite, way to say it is not so, for I have replies from Wellington informing me that the railway Bidings would be planted ; also, two very prominent Bills have been brought before the House by the Government through our humble endeavors. There will no doubt be an opportunity before long for you or the proprietor to contest the seat for the Geraldine district, Then we shall see what the farmers and working class think of your schemes. If you will uphold the present system of Education and a generous proposal for settling people on the land then you will have converted tne really. By publishing this you will oblige, yours, etc., H. Goodsy, Temuka, August 18, 1885. [We most sincerely thank Mr Goodey for his kindness in offering us the representation of Gernldine in Parliament. We promise him that, as soon as elected, we shall leave no stone unturned to carry out his behests. In the meantime we remind him that he said in his first letter that it was a monstrous proposal to ask men to work for anything given by the Charitable Aid Society. On the strength of this we said that probably Mr Goodey would be alone in preferring to get the money for nothing to having to viork for it. However, it is useless to argue with Mr Goodey. What we want to say is this :—Let the men who are out of employment at present try to get work first, and the land afterwards, As we pointed out before, the proper course is to requisition Mr Gray, Chairman of the Town Board, to hold a public meeting. If they do this, we shall give them any assistance we can ; but the proper person to call a meeting is Mr Gray. If working men do not take our advice, we cannot help them. Our advice is—Get work first, and the land afterwards, if they can ; we shall not be sorry to see them securing homes for themselves. (nince writing the above we learn that Mr Gray has received £6O from the Government to give work to the unemployed, so there is no necessity for a meeting now), —Thk Editor.]