The Wairarapa Daily. THURSDAY, AUGUST 16, 1888. "It Can be Made to Lie."

Wairarapa Daily Times, Volume IX, Issue 2978, 16 August 1888, Page 2

The Wairarapa Daily. THURSDAY, AUGUST 16, 1888. "It Can be Made to Lie."

Our local contemporary, referring to our statement that Mr George Beetham does not own a single acre of land in the Hawkes Bay district, and that tho Native policy bills of the Government do not affect his personal interests, claims that lie derived his information from a Parliamentary return. Now we admit that a parliamentary return is a very good authority, .that it does not as a rule make mistakes or" lie," but even our contemporary must admit tbat if it is quoted inaccurately or carelessly, or perhaps recklessly from memory, it can be made to" lie." We gather from our local contemporary's remarks that lie quotes the return to which he alludes, not from the original document, but from extracts in newspapers. However this may be, lie has found a mare'B nest. In the town of Masterton there i 3 not the slightest difficulty in verifying auy fact of publio interest relating to tho Beetham family, and it is a pity that our contemporary before misrepresenting and vilifying a political opponent did not ascertain, as he might easily have done, that the ground upon whioh he based a most serious charge, was a blunder on the part of some pre'sßinan who had in some wayor other garbled a Parliamentary return. The onus of proving the charge made against Mr Beetham, or of withdrawing it, rests upon our contemporary. We challenge him to produce a Parliamentary return which substantiates his statements. We ask our contemporary whether ho has not had a full explanation of the facts relating to this return direct from Mr G. Beetham, and whether he has not, in writing upon the subject, withheld these facts ?