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New Zealand Herald, Volume XXV, Issue 9134, 16 August 1888, Page 4

On the principle of the propriety of " hearing the other side," we freely give insertion to a letter in another column from a Herekino "Village Settler, giving an unfavourable account of the state of matters there. In how far he may express the feelings of others, it is not our province to say. He gives expression to the complaints of those who are discontented, as other correspondents from tha same and other settlements have told us of the better features in their lo,t. Taking a general survey of his complaints, it will be seen that they amount to a statement of promises unfulfilled. One of these alleged promises has received specific denial ; We refer to the statement respecting Mr. Lundon's having- " promised three days' work per week regularly in making roads in the settlement." It will be noticed that, in reply to a question from Mr. Hobbs, before the Public Petitions Committee, as reported in a recent issue, Mr. Lundon denied that he rnade this promise. There were promises, it is true, that labour should be given on Government works in the neighbourhood, though not to this specific amount, and it is greatly to be regretted that the present Government have not seen fit to fullil in this respect the promises held out on the part of their predecessors. Apparently

almost all the hardships endured h T" settlers have arisen from thp' e cause ; and though we sincerelv *' U '" J pathise with the complaints nutf?" our correspondent, it is cuitp I- ■ • y that if the conduct of the settle * had been carried out oa the linoo P* 3 nally intended, all these evi's l f have been obviated. The exoM? d costs of provisions to the settle 1 Herekino must lie a real hardsliin u at it will be recollected that a'coft was entered into, but since I* doned, by which, in consider^,!) ,an " the remoteness of the district steamer was to visit the nJ i a bouring port at stated times' • being understood that th<- settle?- l * at Herekino was to be the a very large settlement extern?"!)^,!, the island, the extent of which and'tf 3 number of settlements would I ensured the permanence of steajn ',. l ' >(i rnunication. To attribute the imV* 1 " tunes of the settlers to the sv-t"*" instead of to the failure of the proin* ol, ' that were made in connection wirj ■? would of course be unreasonable • ■ V ") even our correspondent, in in;ikin't/ i his sad story, attributes their mff Uj tunes mainly to "official blunderij -> ; i We have reason to hope tTn renewed interest which lias been awakened in connection with*tV. system will, lead, in the tir.st plufp ' ; existing settlements being restored *o •' satisfactory condition, by the fulfill^,' of the promises which were ori''i>,',ii made, and that the settlers who |.'.'■.'. bravely struggled through their trouhV will yet have reason to rejoice that tC? stuck by their holdings.