CORRESPONDENCE.

Wairarapa Daily Times, 6 March 1894, Page 2

CORRESPONDENCE.

' ' the Park Trust, -"I

(To ibe Editor W. D. Times!)

~.Sir,—Your leading article of day is disingenuous, consequently very mialeading to the general public. With your reference to the struggles /of h"o Park Trustees in the early days'and the good ,iwork. they;did,; I : have no wikb to say : ohe ,word'except of praise; but; you mislit when giving figures have done .'more justice to the .Town Lands Trustees.; • Their subsidy to the - public subscription of £75. was £lls not pound for pound, and the,average annual grant since 1878 is . within'a fraction <<f^s9—notameansubsidiary grant you must allow,' The .debt on the Park—thanks to the Town Lands Trust- is now paid offhand' the question of its future management is now the subject of-discussion,' you state in the leading article' referred to that ; at the repast of a leading metnbor of the Town Lands Trusfc,.: the : «rk Trustees offered to place ilif reserve in iiilie' hiinds of the 1 former body : and that, authorised by ■.thai Part .Trustees, asked- tbo Town. Lands Trustees plainly whether they J were prepared' togiveVgrnnt in.tbe'. future as they bad in:the past,'.and thit Mr-Bunny.was authorised to expreVs the view ba did, etc., etc., and that the Chairman of the Town Lands' ; Trusteesshelved the whole question by saying that the Park Trustees were not'unanimous, &nd hinted that Mr Bunny did not represent their views.; This is all stuff, Mr Editor, and you know it. You know that the discussion of the subject at the Park Trust meeting, " according to the report of the Daily," held on 22nd , Feb. clearly showed that the memhers would not ' give, up their Trust without attaching impossible conditions, viz,, a guarani tee to Bpend a definite amount (£3O) per annum for five years. Knowing ; at ihesame tinie that the Town Lands Trustees could not possibly 1 lake.over the Park under such a conyou try to make capital by en- . deavouring, to throw the blame on the " Chairman of : tbat body, Read your own motion'/proposed at the Park Trust meeting on the 22nd February, whioh is as follows: " The Chairman i ,then proposed that tho Town Lands ; Tmateea be asked;to hold a meeting, arid a'committee of the Park Trust I as a whole attend the meeting to disi cuss the matter." • How can you reconcile the above with your statement that Mr Bunny was duly, authorised to represent'the views.of the Park Trustees. When Mr Bunny attended i the meeting ol the.Town Lands Trust, ' he very naturally expressed his astonishment at the non-appearance of his i colleagues, an<}. suggested that ho should .wait half an hour for their appearance, failing whioh he thought the matter had better Btand over, but tinder eucoutagement from ' tho Trustees, he expressed his own 1 views upon the matter, Under such circumstances what else could the ebairdo than postpone the consideration of the Paik Trust letter, and so allow,a deputation in accordance with the letter of the Secretary and ■ the resolution of the Chairman, to attend. The Chairman ot lhe Town Lands Trust; had ho'idea of shelving the matter, but acted simply with the view of aL lowing tho Park Trustees an opportunity of proving that they were earnest in their desire to hand oyer their trust. I; may, however, here State that I do not think the Park Trustees are unanimous in this matter, but the.,. Chairman '.would; like tho publio tobelieve so, and failing its accomplishment would make a Bcapn goat of the'.-. Ohairman of 1 tho Town 'Lauds,Triist, He will-not accept; that l position! I submit that • there was no other course open, to him than ,to postpone tho consideration, of the proposals contained in their letter aunounoiog the advent of a deputation consisting of the ' whole of the Trustees, the nonappearance of'which threw confusion upon their Bole representative, Mr Bunny, You tell us that the question whether the Town Lands Trusieeß will.givo agrant, and what .that grant will be; are questions that will'have to be answered, and only a few days before you inform the public that the Park Trustees are pledged not to ask foraerant again. Strange inconisteney I You profess yourself desirous of handing cyer; the Park Trust to another body bat as Chairman point out difficulties in the way sttoh as the passing ot a short act, etc,, when you as Chairman- ask tho Town Lands Trustees to- receive you as a deputation to disouss these matters, you are conspicuous, by your absonoe; then lay the.blame.on me.—lam, etc.,

Wr Lowes, . Chairman, Trust lauds Trust,