THE Wairarapa Mercury. MONDAY, NOVEMBER 4, 1867. MR. BUNNY AND HIS CONSTITUENTS.

Wairarapa Standard, Volume I, Issue 44, 4 November 1867, Page 2

THE Wairarapa Mercury. MONDAY, NOVEMBER 4, 1867. MR. BUNNY AND HIS CONSTITUENTS.

The space occupied by the report‘in our present issue ofthe public meeting- held on Thursday evening, precludes us from commenting upon it at that length which we should desire, and which its importance would, warrant.■ us in doing, We must decline. re-printing the speech which Mr Bunny made in the House, and which he read to the meeting on the Local Government Bill,,as it has.already appeared in our issue ofthe 22nd August. He has accused the “Mercury” of misrepresenting what he said on the occasion, but it will be seen .that precisely .the same view’s which'our special correspondent represented him to have expressed at the time were again enunciated by him •at the meeting of his constituents at Grey town. We do not consider the matter of any great moment, and wo agree with Mr Bunny in thinking ,thn|t that measure was of too complicated a character to have been worked satisfactorily. It was not on this ground that our objection to the course adopted by Mr Bunny on that occasion was,based’. It was because the tenor of his speech indicated that he would have no objection to saddle the cost of making, roads on the revenue derived from taxes oh articles of general,consumption, to which revenue the laboring and landless classes Contribute by far the greater portion, provided that the wealthy classes and i large landed proprietors” were let off ■“ scot free.” Mr Bunny would rather the. Government should contribute Is instead of 2s out of the Customs revenue than that landowners should contribute anything for those improvements :by means of which their property is enhanced in value, • He stated as much in the House, and his conduct in the Provincial Council had been in strict accordance with the views he there enunciated, ■on this vital question. We have no objection to Mr Bunny personally, and we believe that anything Me takes in hand he will energetically prosecute tq a successful issue,; but.we feel, no ; confidence in him when his interests and those of the public .at large are conflicting. : There was a greater amount of passive opposition at the meeting khan would be gathered from our report of the proceedjngs, which opposition Hvill possibly take a more active form when the i meeting of the members for the,district in the Provincial, Council takes place. . The fact is, however, upon record, and cannot be disputed, that after numerous invitations from Mi?;:Bunny!a opponents >toforward there could be dnly ,; three; found to r’espdnd td the call-— not one iof his proposers of seconders at his election either for the Prd\H‘nc!aT Gdiineil or for

the General Assembly could be found { bold enough to Come ronvard and pro- v pose a‘vote-of confidence in'him. His! coquetry with' the-, Stafford Ministry has justly lost him thf; support of his constituents. ; He. ia “ off with the old love before being well on with the new.” ;