A CHANGE NEEDED.

Hastings Standard, Issue 78, 27 July 1896, Page 2

A CHANGE NEEDED.

[To the Editor.] Sir,—lf I say I read with speechless amazement a frenzied letter making your recent articles on the removal of the .headquarters of the Hawke's Bay Jockey Club from Napier to this town a barren excuse to make a bitter, venomous, and totally undeserved onslaught upon the hotelkeepers of Hastings, I would not be underrating my feelings. Before I proceed further, I may say I am not a publican, and have no interest in hotels, but I know the gentlemen connected with the trade in the town, and in the interests of the commonest justice I cannot be quiet and see infamous charges levelled at them and distributed broad-cast through the district. The Hastings hotels are, so statistics will prove, amongst the best managed and most respectably conducted houses in New Zealand, and the proprietors are one turf all loyal

hearted, generous, honest men who would scorn to act the part attributed to them by " Straight Out," and who to my knowledge often lose ' money rather than supply liquor to drunken men. Under ordinary circumstances an hysterical production like that written by " Straight Out " would be beneath the notice of sensible men, but unfortunately the cruel insinuations have drifted into the hands of many people who are not well acquainted with Hastings and the people, and silence the subject may be misconstiraed; there fore I take this opportvrttliy of saying thai; "Straight Oat*' is in my opinion a dangerous idiot, with all the will, but fortunately not the strength, to injure good and true citizens. From beginning to end his letter is one tissue of falsehoods. The public do take a warm interest in seeing the Jockey Club headquarters in Hastings, as is patent to any one who moves amongst them. The jockeys and trainers are continually chafing and complaining at the great inconvenience they are placed under, and the question one way or another, as far as I can see, does not affect the hotelkeepers financially or otherwise. I sincerely trust, sir, that in spite of this person's rabid attack upon your "effervescent leaders and the frothy letters " and his kindly solicitude for your guidance in your " early career " you will continue to fight the cause of the right, and I | would, in the best spirit, point out to ! your explosive correspondent that such ; letters instead of serving the cause he tries to uphold only weakens it, and brings both it and its supporters into bad repute.—l am, &c, Fair Play.