THE Wairarapa Age MORNING DAILY. FRIDAY, JUNE 12, 1908. WILL THEY TRY?

Wairarapa Age, Volume XXXI, Issue 9113, 12 June 1908, Page 4

THE Wairarapa Age MORNING DAILY. FRIDAY, JUNE 12, 1908. WILL THEY TRY?

The Trustees of the Masterton Trust Lands Trust meet this evening, when the exchange of sites question will, we have no doubt, be discussed. We trust that the result of the discussion »'ill bo a unanimous decision of the Trustees to urge, with all the vigour of which they are capable, upon the Minister for Justice the justice of agreeing to an exchange without payment of a single penny on the part of the Trustees. There is no doubt as to the morality of the claim which the Trustees have against the Government, and we still believe that if the Trustees would only be united and really make a determined effort to secure what they are justly

entitled to that they would succeed. It may be contended by way of answer to our remarks, that the Trustees have tried, but we do not hold that they have. They have never been united on the question, and the effort made fairly recently to induce the iVinister to give effect to the Enabling Act, was of such a puny description that it could not be called a try. Have the Trustees, for instance, called an indignation meeting of the voters? Have they circulated petitions, for voters to sign urging the Government to carry out their agreement with the Trust? No, they have done practically nothing, while a number of the Trustees are only too willing to pay away a thousand pounds of 'I rust money because the member for the district, or the Minister for Juetice, or someone else, desires it. We ask, would anyone of the Trustees, whu are at present anxious to present the Crown with a thousand pounds, be willing to pay if it were a private business matter? If it were a private | matter with any one of them there is not one of the who, if he had the ghost of a show to secure a level exchange, would not move heaven and earth, figuratively speaking, before he would invade his "breeches' pocket" to the extent of £I,OOO. As wc have said before, if Ihe Crown simply will not do its plain duty—and there can be no doubt whatever about the facts — then it is time enough for the Trustees to consider the advisability of making any payment. We urge upon the Trustees to make what can be regarded as a serious effort to obtain just treatment of the Trust at the hands of the The "point" that has been made in regard to the few extra feet in the Queen street frontage, not specified in the Enabling Act, is simply a miserable subterfuge resorted to in order to evade the real it-sue.