Messrs Rees and Wi Pere.

Gisborne Standard and Cook County Gazette, Volume II, Issue 188, 28 August 1888, Page 3

Messrs Rees and Wi Pere.

HOW “ PUFF ” SATIRIZES THEIR EFFORTS. The well-known writer “ Puff ” has a hearty fling at Rees and Wi Pere, in the following style :— Talking about cheek, what do you think of Rees and Wi Pere petitioning the Imperial Government to assist them in colonizing the East Coast of New Zealand ? I think it’s lovely! It beats Sidney Taiwhanga’s mission to England to obtain a fulfilment of the Treaty of Waitangi! Don’t you wonder how any man can have such infernal impudence ? I should, perhaps, if I didn’t happen to know Rees and Wi Pere! As it is, the faculty of wonder is entirely extinguished in me! Rees would think nothing of walking into Buckingham Palace, inviting himself to dinner with the Queen, as a friend of Sir George Grey, and offering her his services as Secretary of State for the Colonie-? I And Wi Pere wouldn’t be far behind him ? No, Wi Pere’s natural modesty will never cause him any inconvenience ! He’d pass himself off for the boss New Zealand “ chieftain,” with unlimited wia?ia over the whole of the East Coast, as soon as look ! Leaving out all awkward little details about Te Kooti troubles ? Why, certainly! Let byegones be byegones! The Marquis of Lothian has recommended Rees to await the report of the Committee appointed by the Government to enquire into the best means of promoting State colonization ! Splendid! I should say that is very good advice! Don’t you think the New Zealand Government should interfere to put a stop to such humbug ? Not at all! Why should they? If the Imperial Government choose to have any truck with such people, let them! What does it matter to us ? There’s something in that! But it seems a great insult to the colony that men like Rees and Wi Pere, mere landsharks, or agents of landsharks, and rejected candidates for the New Zealand Parliament, should move the Imperial Government to intervene in the colonization of this country, and should be treated as responsible persons ’ Oh. but they are not! They’ve been politely snubbed, that’s all I Lord Lothian’s reply is merely a put off! It’s just the same as he would have given to Tom, Dick, or Harry, or anybody else who got up a bogus petition about colonization ! You think the Imperial Government know their way about ? Rather ! Only greenhorns misunderstand the ; r courteous manner ! Besides, Rees and Wi Pere are just as much entit’ed to consideration as any of these blooming “ leading colonists ” who have the unmitigated audacity to presume to represent New Zealand in London, and who get all sorts of honors and civilities by that imposture ! Yes, you’re right there ’ The absentee fraud is being piled up pretty mountainious, that’s a fact! Still, it’s just a leetle too much of the monkey, Rees nosing as a great gun on colonization in New Zealand ! I don’t see that! It amuses him and does nobody else any harm ! Nothing tickles these howling radicals like getting a letter from a lord ! Rees will show the Marquis of Lothian’s letter about for the rest of his life !