The Wairarapa Daily. WEDNESDAY, AUGUST 27, 1879.

Wairarapa Daily Times, Volume 2, Issue 249, 27 August 1879, Page 2

The Wairarapa Daily. WEDNESDAY, AUGUST 27, 1879.

Mb G. Hunter in addressing his constituents is reported by the Times to have made the following allusions to a letter published in this journal:—" I dare say some of you (said Mr Hunter) saw a letter which appeared in one of the newspapers the other day signed Valentine Smith, an old settler; and you have, all of you heard or read of the views put forward of late by Sir George Grey on the same question. But those views are very different to the ones enunciated by him years ago. At that time they were sound and statesmanlike When Sir George Grey first came to this country he saw the necessity of attracting to the place people who were prepared to advance the interests of the colony, and who would do their very utmost to do so by taking up blocks of laud, and so giving employment to labor and developing the resources of the country. And at the time he was associated with such men as Clifford, Weld, and others, and thoroughly appreciated such views' His whole aim at that time seemed to be to improve the condition of this country by holding out inducements for people to come who would be in a position to employ labor. And, gentlemen, at that time the rate of wages was 2s Gda day; men were glad of such a rate, and even then often could not get it, It is all very well to talk about these estates now. Why every one of them has been acquired under the regulations approved of by Sir George Grey. At the time I speak of I tell you that Sir George had almost despotic power in the colony to do whatever he pleased; he gave a current and direction to everything. He had indeed almost the control of the Legislature, where then was all this talk about the lands and the people. It is all very well for him now to come forward and propound his views to the people of the present, but there are numbers of old settlers who perfectly remember how different he spoke in the days gone by. 1 repeat that Sir George Grey had almost despotic power in the colony at the time these things were done, lam not blaming him for it; it has resulted in New Zealand being a great colony. People were attracted here, and made improvements and employed labor in a manner that was most beneficial to our country; and I say that if these newfangled theories propounded at this late period of the day had then been in vogue that such improvements as we have seen would have been impossible. In the early days Sir George Grey saw this, and saw it clearly, and himself advised the very means which had the effect of raising New Zealand into the position it stands, I want you to see clearly the views which he entertained in those days, and those which are enunciated by him at the present time. Those views I say are diametrically opposed to each other."