OTHER PEOPLE’S IDEAS

Wairarapa Times-Age, 23 June 1939, Page 8

OTHER PEOPLE’S IDEAS

THOSE HISTORIC DATES (To the Editor.) Sir, —As an oft-shot-at poacher caught trespassing too lightly in the sacred precincts of historic reserves; and thus enjoying, better than the uninitiated, the occasional detection of some fellow culprit protecting his larder, by potting his few choicest morsels with the word copyright emblazoned on a slender volume of his immortal contribution to posterity, I have an apology to make in respect to my recent letter to your columns, under the caption “Those Historic Dates;” and, in course of which, I erred in associating the late Mr H. H. “Stonestead” Jackson’s memory with the ship Tory, instead of the after-arriving survey ship Cuba, one of the- New Zealand Land Company's chartered fleet of 63 immigrant vessels to reach our shores, with 30 passengers aboard her, including Mr Jackson, of Greytown early settlement fame, as against but six passengers, including Colonel William Wakefield,'”who earlier (in 1839 as against 1840), came to make land-purchase and other arrangements for the soon expected arrival, in Port Nicholson, of the Company’s Mayflower Fleet (the Oriental, Aurora, Adelaide, Duke of Roxburgh cqmbination), which literally set first early Wellington settlement ablaze. For this transgression,, I hold out my hands, as in old Central School days most of us did, for your whack of the cane. Whilst on the subject of the late Mr Jackson’s pioneering-in-Wairarapa career, might I be further permitted to remark, that of all strangers to me previously I had ever had occasion to call upon and seek information from concerning same, this stalwart pioneer’s’ sunny smile of welcome has outlasted, them all. At this period, the year 1903 his long—and yet to be longer—span of years, had then reached its 86th stage of life, and he was, even then, busy with his 50-year-kept diary, in the translation of its contents into historic prose with a view to its eventual publication, for future reference of the possible younger generation of Wairarapa residents to pirate copyright editions from, or more openly and freely, offer them to the literary if need be, of the whole wide world'. '

And,* Sir, by way of interim conclusion to pioneering data in general, I may state that the apparent since-lost-all-trace-of valuable manuscripts, and even the most precious diary itself, is but adding the Jackson family loss to the Drummond one, as far as Greytown is concerned, and the Barton family one here in Masterton, the third priceless disappearance of just the first-hand material out of which we had hoped to build, on surest of foundations any sort of real and connective story of the best side of Wairarapa Valley’s never-yet-told, or ever-likely-to-be-told, story of worth reading interest, when the awaited Centennial Council effort to fill in the blanks from but spasmodically-written passages comes shortly, in 1940, into our hands.

Thus, leaving myself once again open for another pot-shot or two from those supposed authorities upon the subject of early settlement history in the Wairarapa who once wore the garb of poachers like myself at the present time; but, have since donned gamekeepers togs, by way of copyright editions, and are, at any time, liable to thunder their guns, or at least yell out. keep off the grass—l am, etc., N. J. BENNINGTON. Masterton, June 21, 1939.

POLITICAL ACROBATS (To the Editor.) Sir, —We have in power today the greatest lot of acrobatic Ministers that the country has ever seen. Start with. Mr Savage, the autocrat, who says that if anyone dares to get in the way they will be pushed aside, and, beaten by a learned judge on the import question, he now says if that Act was invalid, he will pass an Act to make it valid. Wait till Mr J. A. Lee gets thejn in Parliament. To raise the rate of interest from 31 per cent to 4 per cent is a complete betrayal of the Labour platform, but to make the internal loan so attractive the rate of interest was so raised. Otherwise at their pledged rate, not a penny would have been subscribed. Mr Savage said that borrowing from the public for the purpose of spending could not be supported; the State would have to accept full responsibility for finance. What a somersault. The “wizard of finance,” Mr Nash, has been sent to England to try to clean up the mess; his Cabinet has got us into. Then we hear that great Minister of Health threatening doctors should they not do as they are asked to. And now we find Mr Semple saying we want no dictators here and we will not have strikes. Does he forget? Mr Webb, when appointed Minister of Labour, said he had received many complaints about slackers on public works, and would investigate and deal wi’th them. Nothing has been done since,, although it was common knowledge everywhere. His predecessor must have been very weak to allow such goings on. These things were noticed after the election, and why not before? Too many votes to lose. Their immigration policy is a complete face-about. When in Opposition many of them strongly protested about bringing people here when dozens were out of work. Of course these will all be votes for them. They say we are a happy party, but reading the “Standard” we find the secretary of a labour union from Auckland condemning them for bringing carpenters from Australia, some of i#hom were not up to standard. Other delegates also criticised them for doing things to which their unions wore opposed. Mr Savage threatened to resign if any more criticism took place. What a pity he did not resign. I would suggest that Mr J. A. Lee challenges him to resign his seat and contest an election with him. Although I am opposed to many of the latter’s views, he is true to the Labour Party’s pledges, and would beat Mr Savage easily. In conclusion. Sir, we can liken the movements of the Ministers to the peregrinations of a cat on hot bricks, running all over the country, at the expense of the people. Expansion of industry is a parrot cry of Mr Savage and the Minister in charge. They notify managers that they will visit their works, and the staff is dressed for the occasion. Factories were in operation long before they were in power, and we will need a vast expansion to make up the depression caused by their senseless import restrictions, and frightful waste of money on public works. Wake up workers and help the plucky women who are game enough to defy the autocrats, or else we will soon be slaves of the State. —I am; etc., “FED UP.” j Mauriceville, June 22.