ANTI-POVERTY SOCIETY.

Waikato Times, Volume XXXIII, Issue 2708, 19 November 1889, Page 2

ANTI-POVERTY SOCIETY.

TO THE EUITOK.

Sin,—l feel that your report in last Tuesday's issue of; the Anti-Poverty meeting a* Cambridge, calls for a few remarks from those interested. From a general glance it would appear that neither the speakers nor the audience were much in sympathy with the object of the meeting, and the reader is much puzzled to know why tho meeting was called. 1 think I may confidently assert that this wane of sympathy was almost entirely in the mind of your reporter. He studiously suppresses the main points in each speech, and magnifies unimportant particulars. He also puts in n little parenthesis of his own to the effect that Mr Griffiths "did not state how many acres (of the confiscated area) are not worth improving." Now, it is well known that a great part, if not all, of what is .-not already improved, would be worth improving under more prosperous conditions, and that is how the matter would be understood by Mr Griffiths as a Single Taxer. But apart from such conditions, your reporter has only to turn his eyes to any township in the Waikato and he will see large numbers of acres lying idle and worse than unimproved. His insinuation, therefore, instead of implying ignorance on the part of the speaker, rather casts a reflection on himself. The main point in Mr Garland's address, which was entirely unnoticed in the report, was that Henry George had proposed a remedy for the universally-acknowledged bad state of affairs as at present; and that it was incumbent on those who object to Henry George's remedy to supply a better. The remarks on the discussion at its of the meeting were very ambiguous; but 1 may say, that with the one exception on the part of the person who wished to enliven the proceedings with a little joking, the discussion was unanimously in favour of the Anti-Poverty Society. In conclusion 1 would remark that in all reforms we must expect occasional cold shower baths from newspaper reporters, but, if guidod by Truth, guch applications will tend only to make us more vigorous. According to Goethe, though we may promise to be sincora, no honest mm can promise to be impartial, and 1 suppose your reporter is not an exception to the general rule.— Yourii truly, AsTl-VOTEa?! , . Cambridge, I'Jitb,