“WORKING MAN’S" DEFENCE.

Temuka Leader, Issue 1603, 5 July 1887, Page 2

“WORKING MAN’S" DEFENCE.

TO THE EEITOR. Sir,— Will you be so kind as to publish this letter, which I sent totheTimaro Herald a short rims ago, Lika many others, the Editor refused to publish it. It is a feeble reply to his article of the 16th of June.—l am, etc., W orking Man. TO THE IDITOR TIMAETJ HERALD. Sib,—L thank you -for publishing my letter of the 16th inst. upon *be political situation in which we lia»e now entered. Your loading artic'o of the same date calls for a short reply from me. Allow me to say that ! do not in any sens'' share in the benefits of the Village Settlement scheme. The piece of land I and,mo«t of my neighbors have is under ihe deferred payment clause of the Land Act, which requires us to pay for wliar, we have, and not to look for any help from the public purse. But lately some sect'ous under the Village Settlement Scheme have b eu let in the Arowhenua district, with thofdlowing conditions: —30s per acre ; in cases of need £2O lent for the erection of a cottage at 5 par cent. The amount the saltier has to pay is £2 10s per year fora term of 31 years, with the right of a renewal, th-> men being told by the Steward (iMr March) that the money and improvements must be carried out to the letter. I submit there is no gift in this and no guilt of theft either. The expenditure of the State is £2O, the tenant pats BROthec £2O, making £4O, and if it turns

out a failure the Government has the best of the bargain—no loss to the State can possib’y follow. But the Opposition said the Hoo. J. Ballance carried it too far. Well, suppose we say he did a little wrong and a great deal that was morally right, and there need not be a Bill of Exemption /h« same as there has been in other administrations. When Sir Robert took offi e he saw ; thousands of men and vr "-n"n nnd children in want—clamouring for htcttd. It was quite time something was done. I maintain that Major Atkinson’s Government allowed this state of things to continue for years, which was a disgrace in a good country like New Zealand. 1 hate the words unemployed and swagger. Let men settle, in n district, and try and make the same happy and prosperous, To this end let the Government oobd up, say, 10 or 20 acres of land at a r’ldsontble rent tc every honest laborer. It will have to come. How would you, Mr Editor, like to be compelled to reside on a half-Here section, and be dependent on casual labor, which amounts to about three days per week, with a family of 90r12 to keep t If you were brought into this state of things for 12 months you would come over to our side of the question. I will try and make the piece of laud a source of profit and pleasure to myself according to your good wishes, but there my poor cow and horse, have you no good wishes for them 1 Tnsn, in your leading article you gave mo an illustration of a horse that h«d been given to me by the State, und that I wouldn’t examine its mouth ; also, that I was prepared to sv.ear that it was sound, nod that the p irty who gave it me did not steal it. I must admit you bent me in this, for I am no judge of horseflesh, as my old grandmother always used; to ted mo never to become a horaedealer for the'6 w-ro so rainy fibs told in that business. But I am not ashamed to tell you that when a Government, whoever is at the head, allows large tracts of land to go into the hands of banka itid companies, it will become a curae to any country. Is not England, Scotland, and poor Ireland bleeding to the very heart over the same thing! Mr Gladstone,,and almost all the leading men of note, even down to Lord Salisbury, are is favor of small holdings, and they promise to curry, the same out by State expenditure. In conclusion, allow mo to say flint a report has been apreud that my letter of the 16th inst. w«8 prompted by the Editor of the TemDKA Leader, which 1 flatly contradict, he not knowing of Us contents. Were you a good Liberal i would wish you every success in the coming contest.—l am, etc., Working Man. Temuka.

[Nothing could be more disgraceful than for the Herald to stifle public opinion in the way it in trying to do. The first letter this working man sent Jo.thjaJElorald, defended 1 he land settlement of the Government, but for fear it ?would-produce any effect on the mind of its readers the Herald published a feaifully unf «ir and unjust article on the working man, suggesting that the money with which the Government bad settled people oh the land had been misappropriated, and made the working mao appear as if he were a receiver of stolen goods. The working man sent the above reply, and the Herald lefused to publish it. No previous Editor of the Herald would have rejected' this letter, There is not one editor in a thousand would have rejected it.. It is a fair, honest reply. What hope is there for the dis- , (riot in which its leading paper attempts to suppress public opinion in this way 1 As regards the report about the Edi'or of i he Temdia Leader prompting the writer of the letter, we never heard of it before, and wa believe it had not a very wide circulation. The renders,of (ho TimHKA Leader ka>.w that when its Editor has anything to say lie does not go behind a bush to say it, and that it is very un ikely he would get a working man to say it for him.— The Editor].