Wallingford March 22nd 1867 My dear McLean, According to my count Monday week is the earliest day in which my re-election can take place. Whether I can manage to get away before it is over is more than I can say but will write by the mail certain. I am very, very busy just in the middle of my sheep work which I cant put off. If I can I will get to Port on Sunday night to one week but I cant be certain I can do so yet. I have been thinking over what we were talking of on the race course in relation to the land question. The more I think of it the more I become assured it is a ticklish matter to open and shd. be treated with very great caution. Remember it has been as yet an unfailing source of political capital to captious people and altho' it matters little what such people say or think, yet the same, breeds and keeps alive a nasty inimical and jealous feeling between the principal classes of our population I fear much that any proposal which wd. assure the Runholder a pre-emptive right wd. re-open the whole discussion - the at present settled land Question. In regard to fresh districts to be acquired and of the mode of disposal of which we also talked I had not thought enough when were together to arrive at any fixes conclusion as to what in my opinion would be the best course to pursue in speaking publicly thereon. What I now think is, that the most politic course wd. be to assure the Province that the Govt. will in the event of their acquiring land available for agricultural settlement endeavour to provide for its disposal being conducted in such manner as shall appear most likely to secure its occupation by bona fide agricultural settlers'' or at least words to the above effect. I think this wd. be saying enough without pledging ourselves to any definite scheme. I have written you all this that you might hear from me what I think in these matters before the Council opens in the almost certain case of my not being at Napier. If my election takes place on Monday some one shd. be here to bring the writ to Napier. Yours always, J. D. Ormond.