MRS. OAKES'CASE.

Grey River Argus, Volume III, Issue 180, 9 March 1867, Page 3

MRS. OAKES'CASE.

(To the Editor of the Grey River -Argun,) Sir— l notice in your issue of this morning a letter from Mr Bain,in answer to certain charges brought against him by Mr Wliall. His defence is simply "total denial." . Now, this is one of the best or one of the worst answers to any charge. It is one of the best when the charge is improbable in itself, when the person making the charge is unworthy of credit, and when '-it is unsupported by extraneous evidence. In all other cases it is one of the worst 5 in fact, it simjily amounts to an accused person's formal plea of Not Guilty. „ Now, there are certain little circumstances connected with this land question to which Mr Bain will hardly be able to give a total denial ; or, if he do so, they can be substantiated by any amount of independent testimony :—- --Ist. That the public was iufdrined that the ground between the fence of the police paddock and Inspector James', residence was a " Government Reserve," and that many (the writer among the number) were prevented from -making themselves a home there on that account. 2nd. That a poor widow was un-r doubtedly ejected from this same ground, and compelled to move her house at ar heavy expense. , : ; r:V? 3rd. That latterly the same ground has been cut tip in allotments, and buildings have been erected thereon. (N.B.— All such objectionable occupiers as poor 'widows having been duly eliminated.) 4th. That there is now, or has beeri; within these few days, a house on one of . these allotments, bearing the following notice — " For sale or to let, apply to Mr. Bain!" Now all these" are indisputable facts. They may be nothing but what is right and proper; but if Government officials have clean hands, why, do they place themselves in such equivocal positions? I know nothing of the routine usual in such matters; but this 1 know, that to my uninstructed vision the whole thing appears like a thorough job; I have heard harder terms applied to it. As to its being -illegal or con .rary to the regulations of the civil service, Mr Whall never asserted that it was either, and I have no doubt (in New Zealand) it is neither one thing or the other, for the policy of the law here appears to be to throw every obstacle in the way of the. poor man making himself a home, and to afford every facility to the monopolist to acquire as much land as he can grasp ; and as to the rules of the service, the less said about them the better, for it is evident that, provided civil, servants are sufficiently umivil.^to the public, they can do as they like. But it does seem rather hard that I, for instance, who was desirous twelve months ago of occupying a:id improving a bit of this ground, and was prevented doing so, should need now, if I wanted to lxve on it; to .pay Mr.Bainsay Ll per week rent. Sir, I have no illwill to Mr Bain, have not the honor of knowing him even, but I do think quiet little arrangements like this should be ventilated. If Mr Bain is guiltless in^tlie matter ; lie can doubtless- clear hinißelf from undeserved but general suspicion ; if not, it is only right that it should not be hushed up. In conclusion, I may say that I hate' parading my name- in the columns of a paper ; but at the same titne,.if any one concerned wishes to know who is thus addressing you, you have my consent, to let them know the name of one who signs himself — Yours, &c, ". GRAccitus. Greymouth, March 7, 1S07;