"OLD COLONIST" IN REPLY.

Hawera & Normanby Star, Volume II, Issue 103, 9 April 1881, Page 4

"OLD COLONIST" IN REPLY.

TO THE EDITOR OP THE STAR. Sir, — In your foot-note to my last letter you state that my object was to set the country against the town. I deny that imputation, and there is nothing in my letter to warrant your coming to that conclusion, and publishing it as my object or motive. In writing that letter, the object I had in view was to advocate the expenditure

of public money on necessaiy works in country districts, as more beneficial than expending it on luxuries in townships. I instanced Hawera ; but Hawera is only one of many colonial towns,- where the same pressure is j brought to induce the Government to expend borrowed money on luxuries at a period when, considering the financial condition of the colony, money could be more wisely and beneficially spent on works necessary to open up country, and induce population *o occupy it. There is a proverb that, if you take care of the shillings, the pounds will take care of themseves. If newspapers would look more after the interests of the country, and advocate the expenditure necessary to make it populous and prosperous, thpy might rest certain that the towns would look after themselves, and increase far more rapidly than by being pampered with costly and unnecessary luxuries. I notice that I have raised the bristles of a few townsmen whose lettei's you publish. Well, this can only be expected from persons who look no further than their own nests, who merely study their own interests and comforts, who have no regard for the welfare of struggling out-settlers, and cannot see, or appreciate, the advantages of expending money to promote settlement. I have carefully read their letters, published in your last issue, and would have replied, if any of them had contained an argument to reply to. But the writers appear to have been laboring under considerable excitement when they penned those letters ; instead of j using argument, they have resorted jto abuse. When, however, they have got over their excitement, calm reflection will convince them that they have lowered themselves by writing in a style that is never looked on as creditable to those who adopt it. — 1 am, &0., Old Colonist. Hawei'a, 17th April.