BOERS FOR NEW ZEALAND.

Auckland Star, Volume XXXIII, Issue 8, 10 January 1902, Page 2

BOERS FOR NEW ZEALAND.

(To the Editor.)

Sir, —Your correspondent Mr Wm. S. Aickin, opens his reply to,my letter with the ancient vulgar taunt so often hurled at lawyers by the thoughtless and the ignorant, when cornered in argument. He also states that I occupied a considerable portion of a column in writing nVthing (verbiage excepted), .and 'assumethat the raison d'etre of my opposition to the Boers is their ultraCalvinism. Any intelligent person, Sir, who cares to peruse my letter in your issue of Tuesday will readily see that my opposition was on very extensive general grounds. The Scotch he refers to are no doubt a loyal race, and most friendly to iheir conquerors, whose rod their ancestors kissed more than a century ago. The Boers are a conquered race, but they have not yet kissed the rod. 1 quite agree with Mr Aickin as to his experience of bigotry, and he plainly hints that my religion, if I have any, is the reverse of Protestant. My prefix "O' " is sufficient proof jf the fact to the "typical North of Ireland Presbyterian," who in this has fallen in badly. The fact is, Sir, that Mr Aickin found the main points in my letter unanswerable, and therefore deemed it convenient to throw off a scrap of his "Coogate" French, and to loftily denounce my letter as nothing but verbiage. I beg to refer Aickin to my letter of Tuesday, . with the aid of a bath and a i.y by way of novelty, he 3nay

...uerstand the meaning of plain English. Your correspondent, however, seems to have "an axe to grind," for he let "the cat out of the

bag" when he suggested that some of the energetic land agents about Auckland would soon find land on which to settle his Boer friends. So. rM Aickin, "until thou canst rail the seal from off my bond thou oft'endest but thy lungs to speak so loud."—l am, etc., J. O'MEAGHEI-.

(To the Editor.)

Sir,—Re Boers for New Zealand: Your correspondents W. S. Aickin and others, are all wasting their precious time and wisdom. The Boers don't want small areas of bush land and hard graft. They hate a fenc., and are used to thousands of acres of open land, where Kaffirs can herd their stock by day, and kraal them at night. Kaffirs likewise do all hard graft, even cutting up the "baas's" tobacco. This gentleman is smoking all day, when not hunting game. The Boers would be lost along-side our hardworking settlers, whose sons should work the land their father..' labour has made valuable, as Mr O'Meagher so pertinently wTites. The dirty ways of the Boers are not the result of abject poverty and overcrowding, as in the Old Country; but good old custom. Of course, I refer to the upcountry Boer, who is the real McKay, and .orresponds with our upcountry settlers, but whose boots he is not worthy to black.—l am, etc., A. P. VICARY.