BOARD OF WARDENS.

Tuapeka Times, Volume III, Issue 109, 10 March 1870, Page 5

BOARD OF WARDENS.

(To the Editor of the Tuapeka Times.) Sic, — I presume my silence in your issue of the 26th ult. had the effect of making Mr. D. M { Alpine dream that he had gained a complete victory over me, and that for the second time he would send forth another despatch to the world of his abilities and glorious success. I now have to inform Mr. M'Alpine that it was neither the dread of his buffett nor the pleasure of his smile that prevented me. In his first he accuses me of playing fast and loose with his reputation. I have no desire to injure his or any person's reputation, and, on the contrary, deny doing his any harm. Not having a high-school education, I do not well understand the meaning of the word ; and unless reputation is well earned T put little value upon it ; neither do I put much faith in peoples pi-etentions or ceremonial faces, but prefer judging them by their deeds ; and I now inform Mr. M'Alpine that Ms application to depasture cattle was not the first I had called in question, and may not be the last ; and as a member of the Board of \Varden3 I have a right to call his or any applicant's number of cattle in question. The other members of the Board have the same right to call mine in question ; and that right I mean to exercise while a member of that Board, and more especially when I hare good grounds for doing so, regardless of either their favour or their frown. I was put there to perform certain duties, and mean to do it, otherwise I should do my constituency an injustice. It matters little whether I said Mr. M'Alpine had forty or fifty head of cattle, so long as I was satisfied that lie had more than fourteen, as stated in his application ; and even alluding to his own muster, I wa* not far out when he mustered twenty head of great cattle and six calves, at thesame time admitting, as the Inspector told me, that some others were missing, but as he had not seen them lately ho would not pay for them — a very smooth way of getting clear of the tax,_ when more than likely they were consuming the grass they had no right whatever to. I would further inform Mr. M'Alpine that he had no right whatever to smuggle any number of Ms cattle from the knowledgeof the Wardens without telling them the reason why ; and the Board would only have served Mm right by returning theapplication as not being correct. I further assure Mm that should his application come before that Board in future with the same omissions as they have done in the past, they will meet with vexy different treatment. I now a3k Mr. M'Alpine what rule, after taking into consideration the carrying capabilities of the district, had tho Wardens to guide them in the granting o£ new and increased applications except the present number of cattle and sheep upon the ground 1 and were they to grant to the full extent of the carrying capabilities of the ground, not knowing that Mr. M'Alpine kept a few from their knowledge — and I believe many more beside him — where would they then expect to find feed for those cattle. Men, after travelling round the world and blessod with such ignorance, ma;/ even be unqualified to count their own cattle ; and were I appointed Ranger to-morrow X would take good care not to trust any man's soft word as to the number of hi* cattle, but would ascertain the number for them, simply because it would be my duty to do so. In your issue to-day Mr. M'Alpine accuses me of sending the Inspector to Mm. I never sent the Inspector to him nor any other cattleowner in the district, because it is not my duty, to do so. At the meeting I simply said he had more cattle than the number on Ms application, and for any proof to the contrary that he has yet shown, I am still in the same mind. If Mr. M'Alpine's negligence was the cause of the Inspector putting him about, he must take that as he finds it. So far as this controversy is concerned, I am done with it, preferring to spend my time with more enlightened minds and in more agreeable company. In conclusion, I would call the attention of my constituents to the fact that if they are tired of my services as a Warden, I will be most happy, at the next election, to be freed from those services, and would recommend Mr. D. M'Alpine I as a fit aud proper person to take my seat ; he would then have an opportunity of passing Robertsons application forfourteen head of cattle when he had 120» on the Efround, all to prevent hurting his-, reputation — a thing Tdo not claim. — T am, &c, Peter Robertson. Lawrence, March 5, 1870.