CORRESPONDENCE.

Wairarapa Daily Times, Volume 6, Issue 1812, 13 October 1884, Page 2

CORRESPONDENCE.

THE NORTH WAIRARAPA COUNTY SJiTTLBRS ASSOCIATION.

To the Editor, Sir,—l trust tliat your dirge over the Settlers' Association is premature and that the settlers by their renewed support of it will testify their appreciation of its value. No one can deny that it has contributed materially to the political life of the district in the past year, I retire from the Presidentship simply for the express purpose of showing that it is not as you please to call it a " Hawkins" association, and that it can be as active and useful under another president. I appeal to the settlers not to allow the Association to drop, cure its defects, amend its constitution, hut do not in the preseut position of public affairs allow an organisation to die, which, to say the least of it, is powerful to awaken the settlers to abuse of public administration, and to sacure a free and intelligent discussion of public questions. No one regrets more than I do the delegates difficulty. Mr Bunny, I imagine, has in view this in the suggestion of local committees, correspondence with which would allow of a more central resident deligecy, I admit that much of the practical usefulness of the Association has been absolutely in abeyance from the difficulty of securing a qjorum of delegates, and it is manifest that settlers from great distances, cannot, especially in winter, attend to the duty. I end as I began by earnestly appealing to the settlers to prove by their support that it is their Association not my Association; and I without fear appeal to the past year as evidence that it has existed totally for the public good and not in the interests or for the advancement of myself or any other individual, I am ic,, Robert S, Hawkins. [We quite admit that the Association has existed solely for the public good and not in the interests or for the advancement of. Mr Hawkins or any other individual, but it has been a " Hawkins" Association, in-as-much as its founder really effected by his personal exertions all the good work done, though he is pleased to place it to the credit of the Association,—Ed. W.D.] i