MR RHODES ON LAND SETTLEMENT.

Temuka Leader, Issue 2517, 17 June 1893, Page 2

MR RHODES ON LAND SETTLEMENT.

to the editor. Sir, — In your article on Mr Rhodes I think you overlooked a very telling point. Mr Rhodes bewailed the fact that there there was no land settlement in this district, and you very properly pointed out that Major Steward had made land for settlement in Waimate by exchanging school reserves. Was there not some school reserves let iu this district not long ago, and why were they not exchanged I The conclusion is that we had not a representative to look after our interests. Mr Rhodes thinks he has done enough when ho gives £2 to a school committee, £5 to a bazaar, or £lO to a church, but this is not what I wish to call your attention to. I saw some years ago in your own paper, that at the instance of Major Steward the Atkinson Government placed £IO,OOO on the estimates to buy land in Canterbury for small settlements, and that Mr Rhodes voted against it. This was lost by two votes, and if Mr Rhodes had voted for it the voting would have been equal, and the Speaker would have had to give hia vote. Speakers invariably give their votes in favor of the Government, so that in that case it would have been carried if Mr Rhodes had voted for it. Even Sir John Hall voted for it, large landowner and Conservative as he is supposed to be, and if Mr Rhodes had the slightest sympathy with the class this was intended to benefit he would have voted for it also, lam surprised at you, Mr Editor, forgetting all about this, as it shows pretty plainly that Mr Rhodes’s professions as regards land settlement are not sincere.—l am, etc., Consistency. [We are much obliged to our correspondent for reminding us of this. We had completely forgotten it. There have been many other votes given by Mr Rhodes which show that ho has very little sympathy with small settlement.—Ed.]