ROUGH ON THE MAJOR.

Evening Star, Issue 7333, 4 October 1887, Page 2

ROUGH ON THE MAJOR.

Major Jaokson, who is contesting the Waipa seat in the interests of the Opposition, has let his tongue run away with his discretion, as we find him reported as saying :—" Ido not care for Sir Julf us Vagel as a Minister, I care less for Robert Stout, and least of all for Mr Ballance, whom I know to have prostituted!his office for political purposes,. . . '.., I shall never forget Mr Ballance's first visit to the King' Country Natives in this and other distriots. He promised anything and everything—so much so, that one of the shrewdest Natives in the country said to another in my hearing, 'Ask ,him for' Government House, and he will say yes.' It is said his principal object in making that tour was to gecure the Native vote, and in thig he suoceeded." Would it be believed tb&t the honorable and gallant' Major Jackson, to whom the above words, are attributed, actually followed Mr Ballanoe about like a lap-dog when the Native Minister made the visit referred to, going the length of intruding his presenoe on the Minister in his Bedroom, so anxious was Major Jackson to get Mr Ballance's private ear and to pour therein a deluge of requests for his own private advantage. Major Jackson was at that time agent for a I land company,- and was incessant in his entreaties! to the Native Minister to purchase from him a block of land he had bought from the Natives and wished to foist on the Government. He had an agent named Fraser.that he pestered Mr Ballance to take on as a member of the Native Department staff, and had no end of axes to grind; but he oould not persuade Mr Ballance to give any one of them a turn on the Government grindstone, heuoo the gallant Major's ire. But Mr Ballanoe did worse than all this: He absolutely refused to flatter Major Jackson's vanity by appointing him, instead of Colonel Noake,* Commander in the North Island Volunteer Cavalry, and this, too, against the protests of the corps he wished Mr Ballance to. place under his rule. The cup of Major Jackson's indignation was thus full, but what made it overflow was the passing. of . the Native Land Administration Act, which stopped private irafficb jog in Native land, a pursuit in fyhich the Opposition candidate for tyaipa contrived to pick up some yery palpable prumhs.—'Wanganur * Herald.' j