CORRESPONDENCE.

Wairarapa Daily Times, Volume XI, Issue 3693, 22 December 1890, Page 2

CORRESPONDENCE.

y.t Tho Alleged Duumyism (To the Editor) Sir —My attention has been called to your leader of December 12th. It 13 so bad and untiue that I almost feel inclined to cut it out and send it on to my sohoitor. Without knownig whom thw land was taken up for, and without taking into condelation the fact that 1 bad assumed the sole responsibility so a; to piotect the applicants, you apparently revel m the success of this charge against ine But the matter is not ended-yet, and it may turn outfquite toyour-readers I -wislvto say a; few words.- The Land Board lias done a cruel thing in allowing people to" put in the applications they, have- done, It was thought a fow years since that relatives could take take up land together; one taking it- up arid paying for it for the abscntep others, ■ I understood quite dearly that, this could be done, or I, should not have meddled in the business at all. Ypu, sir, like the Laud Board, think that I beguiled tho ladies into signing the applications for my own benefit, Therein lies, the mistake. The ladies have not said so, and neither have I. The land was taken up for the family-benefit.. That is why I think you have laid yourself open to heavy damages for libel.' But. the cruelty of the proceeding on the part of those administering the Act in allowing persons'. to make these applications at all, appears to me to be simply dreadful. I am only a single man, and any mistake I have made only affects myself, and I : can easily fear the consequences. But what of. the scores 'and scores of families in this colony, some members of whiohhave taken up!; Crown lands together! One third of the Pahiatua ■ County sections' are, I; suppose, held in' this way, Husbands have taken up lands for their-wives, fathers for their' daughters, and brothers for'their sisters. The department knew that this was being dono and received tk applications 'in simply an wholesale manner, I never wont to the ballot box myself; but I saw heaps of these applications given in, yet now it is held tliatsuoh holdings'arequite illegal,. Afeinale taking up land must hold it for herself and pay font out of her own monies, The money mußt not belong to her husband or to her father or to' her brother, Yet, I. was distinctly told ; that members of a family [could take. ! tip land for the head of the family, Your readers will at once see the awful cruelty of the position, There is scarcely a family pt prominence in the province some member of wbioh has not applied for land in this way, I am sure 1 don't know what is to be done, unless refer the matter to Parliament and have a full investigation into the, whole unfortunate business. Sincerely sorry am I for breaking any Act, for it was not my intention to do so. Those who know me best give mb credit for being desirous of develop, ing our land resources in their proper manner, My life for years has been passed in draining, bushfalling, ploughing, rabbit matters, small farm settlements, dairy factories, milking cattle, tree planting, irrigation, oto, etc, and it was only when I saw the unemployed some years ago wandering through,the country in hundreds, that I said to the Commissioners, " throw open your Crown Lands for five shillings an acre; throw them opeu for nothing," For I- knew that that was tho cure for the unemployed, And although for years previously I had refused to touch Crown' Lands (as will bo explained in due time), then it was I consented to tako up COOO acres, I saw that capital should be employed in our bush lands and I said I would employ it. The result has verified the result I took then, for labour last winter was 8s to 9s a day; one of the causes that led to the abandonment of thePuketoisections, I am exceedingly glad now that I did abandon them. I do not'know, however, what is left to be done. As to myself I should liko'to finish ray irrigation proposal. But if lam to be sacrificed and made an example of as a cover'or protection to the' wretohed mistakes of the Land department, ut accepting or advising tbeso illegal applications at all, then I fear it will end in my having to leave the district, As toothers, truly lam sorry for them, Tliqif best course in my opinion is to admit the Act lias been evaded and to petition parliament at oiice for relief.

lain.etb, Coleman Phillips, Knoll, Foatherston, December 20tb, 1890, [Surely there must be two Colemaiv Phillips' I The one we know used to scare his enemies with a pistol, not with libel actions; the man who wrote the above letter cannot be our old friend of Dry Biver ?- Ed.-W.D.V

TiW foil Bfttttl. (To tho Editor.)

| Sin.—Re your leading article of the 20th about Mr Andrew, you state that you believe he was in the wroug., What grounds have you in l stating this ? Do you know how much money he has'expended in exterminating the pest? I do not think LIOOO would cover it, You do not know whether he is or was a squatter of the olden time, Let ine tell you Mr Editor, that years before the Daily came into existence Parson Andrew owned tho lea statiou, He was our member for the Wairarapa, and he did his lovel best to promote the interests of'tbo district. I only hope our member will do as 'much. Then you go on to say that he would be better running a college than sheep farming. On the name theory you may as well say that a man can't run a newspaper and be a member of the House. It's a rotten argument. The faot is the Inspectors have a down on the parson, and they go for him.' Let. the Inspectors go .from, here to Tinui and look along the road. Unless they are blind they can see rabbits in all directions. Why don't they run those people in ?' No, the parson is a good mark, and fromwhatlhaveseQi}wdheardii)tlie R.M. Courts I consider that between men anfl men no one has been more unfairly treated than' Mr J.. (i. Andrew. : Take ,iny: advice, Mr . Editor,.: and. don't muddle yoiir columns up about rabbits, Ui us have something 'more interesting, We are perfectly sick of the pM; Ws see it every day jit is; painful enough to look at without having it ; recorded in print, flaviug no shame about Wi Iclbn't apologise for intruding oil youvvaluablospace; . ■:.■■ "«.i -,. ;;^;F,CnAwuK,::;;';'

;.G.eurge':Bubear,the; English sculler &nd.Ghas.Stopl)enscaii -champion of New Zealand, hav'ftl.UiJcn : ; inatohod for £IOO aside, tl»raooto tabo plaw on January