MR GREEN IN EXPLANATION.

Observer, Volume 6, Issue 137, 28 April 1883, Page 83

MR GREEN IN EXPLANATION.

»j|To the Editor : Sir, — I see by the Otago Daily this date that you are reported to have Green, " in the course of his speech HH^^^Bkhad the impudence to throw a slur ■^■^H^^HP^ of Auckland by insinuating that HB^bH^^H^^l Volunteers showed the white j^HHjj^^JHHne Waikato War," and you thereH^HH^^l^HH^K^ presumption, if not with B^H^^H^^^^^HHL understand what authority H^^^£B^^H^H^^^^Lsucli a statement as the Many of those serving j^Hj^^^^flHHH^^HHM^ vere m y own personal BHBflß^B^Qß^^^^Hj^Hf have no doubt whaturmg the war there abundad^HH^J£ ar from casting PHyTenection upon thelHHHflP T el ' ll Jj ■■■''.' " J '".' *■ Auckland, or of any otkerlH|^^tP' tn Z.-.' lhu, I think their conduct thnS^H^^'V' v '" r y^V most praiseworthy, and I ceSH^^^ ■■" !il) .' J --'Wi complimented at being chargedHßß living uasc a reflection upon those who risked their lives for •their fellow-colonists. My remarks, from which the above charge appears to have arisen, were as follow : — " Major Atkinson had been pointing out that instead of his Compulsory Insurance scheme injuring the Benefit Societies, it would really benefit them ; and, in illustration, he cited the fact that when the settlers in Taranaki, during , the Maori war, were compelled to join the Militia •or the Volunteers, that they chose rather to be Tolunteers than appear as pressed men, and he predicted that when men were compelled either to •contribute to the Government Compulsory Insur- , ance Fund, or join some benefit Bociety, that they would do the latter rather than submit to compulsion.

a- In the few remarks I made in reference to this ■matter when supporting the vote of thanks, I said /Major Atkinson had omitted to mention one thing in connection with his illustration, and that was that at the same time they compelled men either to join the Militia or to volunteer, they also had & law in force preventing anyone capable of serving during the war from leaving the Colony, and that every vessel leaving the ports was searched for stowaways ; and I stated my conviction that if Major Atkinson's scheme became law, unless he also passed a law preventing persons within the prescribed ages from leaving the Colony, there ■would bo a. wholesale exodus of our young people within tbojiß ages who preferred leaving rather than submit to so oppressive a scheme. I think you will have a difficulty to find any reflection upon the Militia or Volunteers in the above words. It is true fr.lio Major, in his reply, gave them, a turn, as though, they contained a reflection upon the courage- oil the people of Auckland, but that was th<\Hajor's ingenious way of getting out of the din^ultj-j for which I am vc no way responsible. It is a well-known fact that such, a law was iii force ; that some few did leave the Colony by 'stealth ; and that inoro would have j^done so, but could not. And ths Major admitted this was the case at Taruuaki also, but he said they were only the worihlftss portion of the population who left. Just !>■..». I might have made the same remark in regard to Auckland, if the thought of t.heir bravery or otherwise had been in my mind : hut r,;r simple point was to show that, as there was thy-;: a law in force preventing per- . sons from le;t- iug the Colony, unless it was the •■re's intention to bring iv a law to the same .5 in regard to his scheme, its effect would be rive people from the Colany and to prevent rs from coming. ' *

Jr I trust you will publish this letter as a simple '' act of justice, and, if needs be, thus save me from a gibbet. I still have a few acres of land in the Port Albert district, and hope. some day to. have the pleasure of again visiting, the district, and of renewing with old friends in the city of .|H|kland; but if I had to look forward to so gravl|||; welcome as your writing indicates, I

might indefinitely postpone my visit. While Ido not object to dying if I have done aught worthy of death, my recollection of the people of Auckland would certainly lead me to believe that they would not refuse to hear before striking. — I am, etc., M. W. Green.— Dunedin, April 16th.

[We founded our remarks on a telegram in the N.Z. Herald of April sth, and if Mr Green was misreported, it was no fault of ours. The telegram was as follows : — " I was in New Zealand at the time of the Maori war in 1864', and the hon. gentleman did not tell you that the Government would not allow anyone to run away. They took care that every vessel leaving New Zealand was examined to see if there were any stowaways, for if there had been any freedom to leave the colony, depend upon it that large numbers who objected to go into the militia "would never have gone into the volunteers. (Laughter and applause.) They would have bolted to Australia, and I am quite sure that as soon as this system comes into force, unless the Hon. Major Atkinson brings in a law to compel people to stop in the colony (laughter), our young men and women v, ill flee." MrGreen need be under no apprehension that he will not receive fair play in Auckland, but the people here whose property and blood were sacrificed in defence of their homes are naturally tender about anything said in the South, whose members have always taunted Auckland with being a burden upon them. However,brighter days are dawning for Auckland, and all business men who visit this city tell us that commercially it is sounder than any other city in the Colony, and exhibits more signs of material wealth and progress. With these signs before us we can afford to be generous and to forget the past. — Ed. Obs.]