Patetere.

Thames Star, Volume XI, Issue 3704, 8 November 1880, Page 2

Patetere.

Our contemporaries, the Auckland journals, are coming somewhat to oar opinion re Fatetere. The following extracts we clip'from Saturday's issues. The Star says :—" But from beginning to end their (the Government's) proceedings have been suspiciously dilatory and wavering. That the Native. Minister mast, bar* . had an unpleasant recollection that the transaction would be keenly renewed in Parliament is of course certain* and we presume he has prepared some kind of defence. Of all the administrative acts of the Government, however, there will, if we mistake not, be found greater difficulty in offering even a colourable justification for this one than any other. And if the strong dissent which is already sounded in the press of various shades of opinion throughout the colony fails to find an echo, within the walls of the House of Eepre- , sentatives next session, it will only be because Parliament no longer represent! . the general sentiment of the country. The. Observer:—" I say bluntly that it is sheer hypocrisy to say that a Govern* ment which can borrow a million from the Public-Works Fnnd in Treasury Bills to ' support an extravagant system of adminis> tration, which can maintain an idle force of 800 constabulary to entrench Taranaki contractors, and which has the power to shut out all competition in its land purchase operation, could not hare taken £150,000 more from the Public Works Loan to complete the Patetere purchase, and given the. colony the benefit of the enormous profits which will now be reaped . by half-a-dozen sharp individuals. Bah! the thing is a flagrant job P " , The Herald :—" Thereafter (the re* moval of the proclamation), all Patetere, \ except the blocks selected by Government, stands clear. In the eye of the law all parties are then on an equal footing) but ; no doubt it will be found .that the arrangements are complete, and that each block, as it passes the Court, will simply go into the bands of the Patetere Land Company. This is the programme, which we have no doubt will be carried out

We should have much preferred to bare seen the land have a different fate. We

should hare preferred seeing the Qiown? ment complete the purchase and sell the land, or such portions as were suitablt, in somewhat the same manner as they are now selling the Waimate Plains."