Untitled

Thames Star, Volume XI, Issue 3632, 17 August 1880, Page 2

(To the Editor of the Evening Star.) Sib,—J see the Thames County has been wiped out by the Eing Parliament of New Zealand. The Eing Monopoly was ■ frightened of She Liberal tendencies of | the people, and therefore its destruo* tion. They are centring everything, private and public, to come through the Land King's large properties of Messrs Firth, -Whitaker, Eussell and Co., Mata Mata, Piako and Waikato—> that is the great focus where all the public money is spent on macadamised and rail roads, and from Taupo, Hot Springs, Eotorua, and all the surrounding country is to be carried round through Hamilton to Auckland, thereby cutting off that large block of country contiguous to the seaport towns of Tauranga and Grahamstown, the Ohinemuri country, and that up towards Te Aroba. The Thames, is sacrificed to the greed of a few greedy land sharks, and all the publio money is made subservient to the above greedy few, and Mr Sheehan has gone over to them and sacrificed his constituents to the land sharking class of New Zealand, Mr Firth is offering in England I am told about 120,000 acres of land, some of it ss high \in price as £7' per acre. . If it be true he will clear £700,000 net casb, and there are about 50 other gentle* men in the Same position. Now, sir, had -, this land been bought by the Government. at the time that Mr Firth bought hii.y some 12 or 14years ago—and.as .Sie lQi:< Grey thought to have done—accordhtgffhe : above price, the partisan Government need not levy any direct Property or -' other direct tax on the people, and •)• '".

though the country is eroaning under a debt of £28,000,00b still our members go in for making laws and withdrawing the proclamation proclaimed by his late Government under Sir G-. Grey. Just to let a few of the land sharks acquire about four million acres of land, which at £2 per acre, would be eight millions of money. Why should a few men be allowed to buy up the land at a small price and re-sell it from £4 to £7 per acre ? Why should Mr Firth be allowed to buy up all those lands at Is 6d per acre, and ho be placed on the land Board to p.no only 100 ycivs to a citizen of this connty at £2 to £3 10s per acre? Our laws »re a farce; the whole County is made snbseryient to a few pr<edy ; men that arc making them-, selves rich at the expense of the country, and the Thames public in particular are being swindled.—l am, &c, ' Old Settleb.