CORRESPONDENCE.

Wairarapa Daily Times, Volume XV, Issue 4911, 27 December 1894, Page 3

CORRESPONDENCE.

Mr Hogg and theComis;V ..- siornr. [To tub Editor,] Sir.—There are periods in the lives of some men, wlion everything they say or do is applauded to the echo by tho multitude, no mutter bow untenable their actions or their arguments may be, Our representative appears to have arrived at that happy period, and cim absolutely say or do no wrong in the eyes of his admiring constituents. His wordy assault on tho Commissioner of Crown Lands at the recent meeting of the Land Board, for doing his plain and bonnden duty,is spoken of in terms of the highestadmiration even the press—or a considerable portion of it—lmslont its aid to swell the note of praise on his behalf, while Mr Baker is very gonerally condemned, Yet, in the eyes of an unbiassed critic, Mr Hogg's position will not bear the slightest scrutiny? t What are tho facts ? The GovernJft, of which Mr Hogg is a most Questioning supporter, passed thdso Acts which gave birth to Special Settlement Associations, the conditions and ramifications of those Acts were placed on the Statute Book with his entire approval. That being so, I think it will be admitted that as Chairman of tho Land Board Mr Baker has done his best to administer those Acts in their fullest integrity, and with tho strictest impartiality and justice. The demands which ho made upon the settlers are perfectly legitimate and proper,andifthosodemandsarefound to press too heavily on them, then the remedy lies not with the Commissioner, but with tho Government, And when we see a member of tho Land Board—who is also a member of the House of Representatives—and who may fairly be hold responsible amongst others for what tho settlers are complaining.about, when we see such a mail attending a public meeting andtryingto bring discredit on an officer for doing his duty, it is not—to my thinking—a thing that calls for applause. And further when we find that same member having a direct interest in the particular Association whose battles lie is fighting with such magnanimous disregard of self, would not the presumption be intensified, that he is merely putting forward the much oppressed settlers (including the Poles and Swedes) as a stalking horse, under cover of which he is grinding his own littlo axe ? Such a presentation would, I am sure, bo justified in the case of any other man, particularly if his political colour was not of that exact siiade which goes current in onr land at the present time. The Special Settlement sohemo has proved an unmitigated curse from ita inception to {lie present time, and the reason is obvious, It has' been the means of inducing people to go 1 on land who iiro in no way adapted for it, with the result that it has been—and always will be—" square pegs in round holes," all through the piece. If the Commissioner is, as Mr Hogg says ho is," a square peg in a round hole," then he is just tho man for the position. When land was to be got in the old way, those who took it up were well adapted for it; tlioy overcame every obstacle through their own grit, and made l homes and are now prosperous. But giiice the Government took to putHre people on, there has been nothK> but discontent and agitation, Kicli only needs time to develop Hito agrarian crime.

I am, etc. Busii Settler,