WHITE ISLAND AND THE GOVERNMENT.

Dominion, Volume 1, Issue 126, 20 February 1908, Page 9

WHITE ISLAND AND THE GOVERNMENT.

Sir, —Apropos of White Island: When the editor of your agricultural-department rang up yesterday aiid .courteously inquired if I would have any -objections to your publishing tho price at. which this'property had booii offered to this 'Government, I replied that, not wishing for any freo advertisement, I would prefer that the matter, did not appear. He then informed me thai, the Opotiki people had written about it;-which came as a surprise, although, from a letter received from them a lew clays back, .1 was aware of their-' feeling. As, in your wisdom; you have'published and drawn attention to their letter, ; there is one matter which the public have, u eight to know something of,, viz., how tho liTst price named was .051)00. At that time a gentleman was. negotiating .tritli me lor un option over tile, property at. tlib. lijjuve, but before, closing with, him 1 gave the Government the lirst refusal.: .'Now that option is' iup and, the property is back in my hands, so that.when Mr. Donne, a few weeka' back,spoke, to me about it, again I - w::s able-to .'meet him as to price, tho'.terms beini; £3500, .to be taken out in t per cent, debentures. : As' to tho possibility of the-islnud. passing iuto forebu. hands, as you rightly' point out

it could nover lie alienated from the colony, and, although 1 sharp, with the Opotiki peoplo the opinion that tho island should belong to tho Government, who could ill leasing out tho right of working the sulphur and gypsum deposits provide for thesn being worked under tho supervision of tho Tourist Department, so as to insure tho protection of the interesting thermal features, yet f could scarcely hn expected to allow such sentiment to inUrfere with a sale, or to make nationality a sine qua lion in the event of ii purchaser presenting himself.—l am, etc., ANDREW GRAY. February 38.