CORRESPONDENCE.

Wairarapa Daily Times, Volume IX, Issue 2768, 7 December 1887, Page 2

CORRESPONDENCE.

MASTERTON TOWN LANDS.

(To the Editor.) . Sib,—l find in the report of Mr. Renall's meeting at Kuripuni that he feels very unhappy owing to my absence from Masterton. In the early days of settlement he had no doubt a sincere wish or perhaps love forme, and now he appears to bo longing for my presence, and apparently frets himself because of my absence. lam sorry, as an old friend, he. should feel so unhappy, and would endeavor to console him by assuring him that lam looking after tho interests of the Mastcrton Trustees in having, if possible this session, that little " primary" Bill which ho appears to be so fond of made right. Mr Renall says lam the cause of much mischief in the action I have taken, but the people as yet have not ■shown any signs of disapproval of the action which the Trustees have adopted in regard to the amended bill, and 1 assume, therefore, that the disapproval of the measure has only emanated from his (Mr Renall's) own brain, and not from the people of Mastertou, for whom the Trustees have been working with satisfaction and approval for the last ten years. Mr Renall says lam the cause of this unhappy state of affairs, but I fail, in the discharge of my duty as a Trustee, to see the mischief he imputes to me. In the early days of settlement, Mr Renall and I were appointed, with Mr Masters, as the first Trustees of the Association, to look after the interests of the people in the management of onr to*n lands, and we framed our first bill for the Provincial Council for the management which became law, but owing to some error, I suppose, town acre 42 was removed from the schedule of the Bill. I confess I was very mischevious in 1883 in giving my assistance to the Trustees to have this particular acre restored to the town. During the period Messrs Renall and Masters represented the district in the Provincial Council, thoy allowed the Park and Cemetery reserves to hi taken from the people and handed over as education reserves. But in 1875, I again became mischievous, and with the able assistance of our Masterton paper the injustice was forcibly brought before the Government wlien Mr Bunny, who was then Provincial Secretary and M.H.R. brought in a bill and restored this valuable property to tha people. Again, as Captain of Volunteers, I was mischievous in bringing to the notice of the Government the withholding of the land scrip which the law permitted the volunteers to receive, and with the assistance of MrTravers, the Government had to comply and give the Volunteers their right. Again, 1885, J was verv mischievous in pointing out to the Government the injustice it had done to the people of Masterton in taking and selling to Captain Rhodes a public road at the Kuripuni end of tho town, and for which ten acres as compensation has been granted next to our park Mr Renall has endeavored at all his public meetings to impress upon the young hands, who know not Alfred, what great things be has done for the town. Ho is reported to have said that he gave town aero 42, 106 and 111 for picnics to the children, but these acres never belonged to him, 106 and 111 belonged to Child and Ward, who forfeited them to tho Association for not complying with the terms of purchase, and were appropriated for picnics, prizes and scholarships for the children of both schools, but the former (picnics) the trustees were given to understand, were not required, and I beliove tho children did not approve. Can Mr Renall point out anything else he has done for the town and people] Since Mr Renall lost his seat at the Board of Trustoes lie does not fail to throw all the odium he can on the action of those men who have been elected by the people, and who have discharged their duties to tho best of their ability ar,d to the satisfaction and benefit of the people, lie only being the dissatisfied one, and has endeavored to impress upon his hearers the aotion qf the Trustees jn, parting with their interest in the Qreytown Reserve, In Mr Carter's pamphlet npon the settle: ments of tho Wairarapa he saya, with respect to this reserve, "My opinion is, and always has been, that it belongs to Greytown." On the 29th March 1856 and 30th June, 1858 £24 was paid for the Grey town reserve, and he further adds, in order to clear the unfriendly feeling theii existing between the two townships, " Greytown has not prospered, Masterton has, therefore Masterton can afford to be generous, I humbly suggest that Masterton should take the commercial value of these acres at ten times their original cost, which would give the sum of L 250, one half to be paid by Greytown for extinguishing the claims sf Masterton." But, Sir, Greytown acted more liberally by giviug a full £250, which the Masterton Trustees, in all honor and justice accepted, and the Parliament approved,notwitlistandingtheoppositiou then got up by Mr Renall before a meeting in Masterton, by a petition to the House and hjs personal attendance before the Committee to, whom the Bill • was referred. Mi'Renall is now trying the same little game in respect to the present Rill, in order to annoy the Trustees and make himself a haro, but lie assuredly will not succeed for the. people are satisfied with the management of their Town Lands, OwiDgto t(ie session soon closing the Masterton Bill will npt be passed this.year. R Hare Wellington, Pcceqibev 0,1887, '