CORRESPONDENCE.

Wairarapa Age, Volume XXIX, Issue 8254, 6 October 1906, Page 5

CORRESPONDENCE.

(To'the Editor). Sir,—Will obliae by allowing me to draw attentiongto an error in your report in oonneotiou with my remarks on tho occasion of the discussion of the Land bill at the special meeting of tho Masterton branch of the Farmers' Union. Thus, I am credited with having said: "That the early New Zeulfmd settlers had worked to fertilize the Hoil." I did not make use of either of the words "fertile" or "fertilize " which would have been inappropriate and quite inapplicable to the point of my contention, which whs that with the exception of a few favoured localities the North Island was,gin the days of the pioneer settlers, devoid of natural pasture, nnd it was only by dint of persevering, l toil and outlay that: the land (at that time covered variously with fern, manuka scrub and forest) was reclaimed into b productive state by the introduction of theEurupennAmerican grasses and clovers, which now represent the pastures of New Zealand. And it was in verification of my incontrovertible statement that 1 submitted to the meeting the return showing tho areas of lnnd laid down in grasses, embraoing the wliolo of the Commonwealth of Australia, by way of comparison witb thai of Now Zealand, conclusively demonstrating the heavy handicap of the early settlers, and how they have acquitted themselves. —1 am, uto., EDWIN MEREDITH. Liandaff, October sth.

CABLE NEWS.

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