Wairarapa Daily Times. [Established 1874.] SATURDAY, FEBRUARY 23, 1895. A CALUMNY.

Wairarapa Daily Times, Volume XVI, Issue 4959, 23 February 1895, Page 2

Wairarapa Daily Times. [Established 1874.] SATURDAY, FEBRUARY 23, 1895. A CALUMNY.

' Our local contemporary in his issue of Wednesday last declared that certain of the larger station holders of the ilasterton district have agreed among themselves to employ as little labour as possible during the coming winter, for the sole purpose of throw - ; ing working men upon their own resources and turning them against the Government. In our issue of the following day we challenged him cither to give' the names of the station-holders in question or to withdraw the charge. Yesterday he replies with the following evasive paragraph :- Our local contemporary asks us to : prove thai certain of the larger stationholders in the Mastcrton district have ' agreed amongst themselves to employ as little labour as possible during the coming winter. There is no necessity for proving such a thing. It is an open secret, and our contemporary knows it. Wc are not going to mention the names! of settlers, because, as we pointed out in the first place, they are at liberty to do as they choose with their own. But we repeat that the compact referred to is in reality, in existence. It will bo noticed that ho leaves out of liis second statement the special sting that appeared in the first, viz.: that station-holders, for a political reason, would refuse to employ labour, and we presume that he wishes to drop this portion of his original charge. But if he finds he has made a false and ungrounded statement, it would be far more honourable and straightforward to openly withdraw it, than Jo sneak out of it by a tactic of this kind. Our contemporary is also .pleased to say that we are aware that there exists a compact to employ as little labour as possible.during tlio coming winter. Now this statement is .absolutely false and unfounded, and we can give it a direct and emphatic denial. We again asfc-our Jocal contemporary to either give the proof he admits that he possesses, or to withdraw the accusation, It is simply infamous

that Liberals should bring false charges against Conservatives and refuse either to substantiate them or to withdraw them.