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Hawke's Bay Herald, Volume XXI, Issue 5015, 22 February 1878, Page 2

We think, if no worse charge can be brought against the administration of the Government than that brought by our contemporary last night -with reference to the reinstatement of the old boundaries of the Oero district, ao as to re-include the Messrs Williams' property, the public will have little to complain of. In the first place, in doing this, they merely carried

out the recommendation of the Public Works Committee, endorsed by resolution of the House. In the second, it is the fact, in spite of all denials, that if the Mangakuri run had been put into the Tamumu district, it would have escaped rating altogether. The imposition of the rate there was nominal ; it was merely a piece of trickery. It lias never beon collected, and never will be. The Messrs Williams do not want any road to Waipawa. Their highway to Napier is the sea. If the public are prepared to see all the coast runs exempted from those local rates which, as Mr Ormond anticipates, will produce such salutary results in breaking up the large estates and promoting settlement, then it was a proper course to pursue to tako the Mangakuri property out of the Oero district as soon as shilling rates were imposed, but not otherwise. The petition to the House on the subject was signed by Mr Rhodes, as well as by Mr Buchanan. The Road Board were unanimous with reference to the matter. We admire our contemporary's heroic defence of the oppressed runholders. We should recommend it, however, to choose its ground with more discrimination.