THE Wairarapa Age MORNING DAILY FRIDAY, SEPTEMBER 20, 1912. THE TRUST ELECTION.

Wairarapa Age, Volume XXXII, Issue 10714, 20 September 1912, Page 4

THE Wairarapa Age MORNING DAILY FRIDAY, SEPTEMBER 20, 1912. THE TRUST ELECTION.

Our evening contemp,,iary. ~iiich possesses a penetrative and inventive faculty worthy of a Maori "tohunga," lus regaled its readers with over a column of rodomontade concerning the Trust Lands Trust election.. It works itself into a condition of frenzy without tho slightest provocation. The Age, in its issue of yesterday, touched briefly on the coming election, but reserved its criticism of the claims of tho respective candidates, until it was in possession of details of thev candidates' views. This has been stigmatised by our phlegmatic contemporary as lack of comrago. We a"re prepared to rest under that impeachment if we are expected to practice the art of tohungaism or witchcraft, and divine the opinions of candidates for public positions without being afforded an opportunity of heating those opinions expressed. However, our friend appears to have supernatural powers, and we will take his word for it that he knows the opinions of both Mr Hogg and Mr Evans on Trust matters: What, then, is tlu> position? Mr Hogg has stated that he favours the establishment of an agricultural high school, though he apparently will not go so far us to disestablish the District High School to secure this woi\ thy object. Clii this connection our contemporary makes the false and tin-, warranted assertion, that Mr A. H. Vile, as a member of the Wellington Education Board, opposes the disestablishment of the District High School. Our contemporary must have known that it was postponing the truth when it made the suggestion. It must have been fully aware that Mr Vile had at the very moment a notice of motion before the Education Board, advocating the disestablishment of the District High Schools in agricultural and pastoral districts in favour of agricultural high schools). But to proceed. Our contemporary says that Mr Evans stands straight out for the proposal supported by the public. It then proceeds to prove that he is doing no such thing. The meeting of delegates of local bodies and School Committees, recently- held, decided in favour of 'the establishment of an agricultural high school, and our contemporary, in its issue of yesterday, publishes the'report of a meeting of the "Masterton Agricultural High School .Copimrtteo." But, with reckless disregard for tho intolligenjee,; :of tun public, our friend saye that Mr

f:.T.!:s is out "ftr the ciKstublifli-iv.-.vl ..f tho District High SJ;al and for iii.: substantial of a legitimate :uiri v . cpei'ly-equipped secondary x'iifKd with i>n agricultural side." That is not what the meeting of delegates asked for! That is not an ag- ! .'cultural high school! It Mr Evans ,uands straight out for the proposal supported hy the public (meaning, ef ,'ourse. the meeting of delegate-'-V •hen he ist.mds for an agr:cuitur; i! high school, and is on precisely th,same footing as Mr Hogg, wito '. !i ■ sole exception that, in tho meantime Mr Hogg does not favour the disestablishment of tho District Hign ?ch ■• 1 in the terms suggested by the. Education Commiss'-jn. As tho e.ues '• n of disestablishment is one- for U'o Edncation Board and Government, ant not for the Trust Lands Tru/i io del with, it can have not the s'lgV'est hearing "upon the forthcon up ruction. The whole position ; s t!>-t :b'> public have to choose betwt -: . ; t\vo gentleman who are anxious to render the best possible service to the com- \ munity. It is unfortunate for Mr , j Evans tlnit he shouldi have for a ] champion a journal which resorts to misrepresentation and fabrication to mislead the public. When our contemporary s'.ated that until a few ■veeks since tho Age had "scoffed at the proposal for additional educational facilities in this town," it knew it was telling an untruth. The Age had been advocating the establishment of an agricultural high school or a College for this district before our contemporary or its claqueurs ever dreamt of such a thing. When our contemporary states that the Age is opposed to the disestablishment of the District High School, it states what is false, and it knows it. We hope that we shall never descend to such despicable means for the promotion of tho interest of •my individ-. ual or institution. Mr Evans, who is a thoroughly good settler, and a gentleimn for whom we entertain the very highest respect, will require to restrain his literary champion, and induce him to keep to the truth, if he hopes to have tho slightest chance against so redoubtable a campaigner •is Mr Hogg.