CORRESPONDENCE.

Wairarapa Daily Times, Volume VII, Issue 1973, 24 April 1885, Page 2

CORRESPONDENCE.

MR REESE IN REPLY.

To the Editor.

Sir,—Kindly allow me space to explain that I have several reasons- for allowing myself to be nominated as a candidate for the Town Lands Trust. The first is a desire to be useful; second, a firm belief that I can b'e useful; third, a desire to gratify that belief. Now, in making an affirmation of this kind to the people, I feel altogether free from affectation, and, being given to, the habit of measuring other people's corn* with livy bushel, I naturally conclude that there are plenty others quite as eligible, who would-be as useful to the public, if they had the opportunity. Ininy case it. .seems the opportunity has come, and I am availing myself of it; that being so, I take exception to your remark where you evidently allude to Mr Girdwood and myself as not having any principles of our own, and " blindly following their leader." This seems to me a piece of cowl assuranco on your part, in face of my late experience, and I think it can only have the effect of causing the general public to reflect on your seriousness; but what will they say to your consistency when I point out to them that you take exception to our candidature on the score of our absence from the "annual statutory meeting;".as if that in itself were sufficient to disqualify us. If that were so why not object to Messrs Gapper and Parsons, as neither of these gentlemen were present. But this annual statutory meeting seems to have been a veiy tame affair, as, after making enquiries, I find that only five persons were present altogether, namely—two Trustees, one Secretary, one Auditor, and one reporter, The meeting was held in the upper room of the Institute, and Mr Woodroofe, who had some business with the Trustees, was walking about in front of the Institute "Hke Corebus watching the gates of another place;" and yet these five gentlemen managed to slip upstairs, and, I suppose, after congratulating each othor on tho absence of the public and Mr Woodroofe, they did tho little business thoy had to do, and came down again before tho quick eye of that gentleman could detect them, Now, considering the importance of this "Land Trust" to Masterton, and the manner in which its last "annual statutory meeting" was conducted, it seems to me just one of the strongest reasons that I could urge for advocating a large, healthful, and invigorating infusion of new blood intg its system, New blood means new faces, and for every now face at tho table there will be twenty outside interesting themselves more or less about the Town Lands Trust, that possibly never troubled their heads before' about it. This jn itself would be an advantage, 'to thegntym,unjty, as each section in its turn would get a look at the ad vantages, to be gained, by occupying certain positions, so we would have greater competition for every opportunity, and competition is the life of trade.

I am, &c., AljEx'i REESg, [ln comparing Mr Reese's letter with that of Mr Girdwood, we must congratulate . him upon the tone which he adopts. He, however, entirely fails to convince us that he has come forward as a candidate for any other reason than that Mr Hogg asked him to do so, nor is the public at all ignorant of the facts on this point. He could not expect Mr Bargfmij t(j bepreseiit, fqr he wag kept aj: jpjjo b,y illrjesa!" '|h§iio \jm nq slipping away upstairs, cjujetly." Mr Feist had boon there for some time, and Mr Hare and tho Secretary left another meeting in order to attend,—Ed, W.D.J