LETTERS TO THE EDITOR

New Zealand Herald, Volume LIX, Issue 18247, 14 November 1922, Page 5

LETTERS TO THE EDITOR

PABRAKEETS AT HENDERSON. Sir, —There is on 6 Interesting bird fe» which 110 one has drawn attention lately, namely, the pink-breasted parrakeet. • This bird visits the orchards about Henderson year after year in increasing numbers, doing much damage to fruit trees, nob only when the fruit is ripe, but aliso at blossom time, when he pecks and destroys the flowers. I think he is not a native. At any rate, I have never 6een a parrakeet like him in the native bush. The native birds are of green, with red or yellow heads. This ftllow seems larger and has a great deal of creamy pink about his feathers. Is he an Australian? J.H. THE PARNELL CONTEST. Sir—l entirely disagree with the views set out by " Reform " in l Saturday's Herald in reply to a letter from " Perplexed." There is no need for perplexity or hesitation. Mr. Massey, without. nods or winks, has plainly asked us to voto for Mr. J. S. Dicltson as Reform candidate in this electorate. As leader of the party it is reasonable, I suppose, that he knows what he wants. In guiding a team through a difficult pass the driver would like to know something of his cattle. A steady old roadster would be more usa» ful to him than a young colt, who, notwithstanding his mettle and brilliancy, or perhaps for these very reasons, would upset the coach. " Reform's " oontentiorj that the majority is always right i? erroneous. Wisdom is never with tho majority., As our member Mr. Dickson has served us well. If ho is not brilliant we do not want him to be. This is an old constituency, and it seems to me that, we have everything the heart of man can de-sire—first-class roads, good enough railway service, good and sufficient water, and for lesser matters we can worry the City Council, In a young country everyone cannot have everything, and it would be sheer greed to c'lamour for things we do not want and which are urgent and I crying necessities to , less favoured districts, and a brilliant young bird fluttering to t/ry his wings could do far mpre [ useful work in one of these than in upsetting our political arrangements. Eleven years ago Sir John Findlay offered' u» the services ;of the finest brain—in some people's (estimation—in New Zealand, and we sent him home to his friends. Mr. Dickson has got us all we have aaked for, and we do not want to send a budding orator to waste the time of Parliament in order that he may transform a wren into an eagle at our expense. Parnell electors will do well to remember the old adage, " Better the devil you know than Che devil you don't." Pabnelu Sir, —"Reform" certainly provides an answer to "Perplexed," and it seems' a sensible onej, too, but one cannot perhaps read between the . lines of " Perploxed'a' letter. Ergo, from your columns of the 10th inst. it appears that apropos, of- the Waikato seat Mr. Msrvyn Wells, in deference to the wishes of the Prime Minister, is retiring from' the contest. From this it would appear that Mr. Wells has sunk personal aggrandisement; in the interests of what he oonsiders best for New Zealand, a truly public-spirited and disinterested action. While sympathising with " Perplexed's" anxiety for help, which I am afraid shows a v lack of firmness of conviction on his part, I would Suggest that the straightforward statement of Mr. Massey, viz., that Mr. J. S. Dickson i 3 the accepted Reform candidate, settles the question o'l whom to vote for. But to use tags, " Nbua verrons ce que nous verrons, on December. 7, and may it be to Mr. Wren to übo later as his motto another tag, " Veni, vidi, yici." Encotoageb, <w Youth. . THE PARTIES AND THE LAND. Sir, —The difference between the Liberal and. Reflorm . platforms is in thtiir land policy' only. Massey has declared for freehold tenure of land, while lallance, SeddOn, Ward, and their associates, McKensie, Russell," Carroll, and Fowlc's, were prottounccd leaseholders and single-taxers. They introduced the 999 year lease, cOm- ' monly called the "eternal" lease, the Maori landlords' lease, the national endowj ment • lease, the Rotorua lease, and the Te Kuiti, Otorohanga, and Taumafu*mi town leases. The settlement of the King Country lands was begun under th-e> Sed-don-Ward Administration. They made an honest attempt to settle that -district under a leasehold tenure only. Prior to the election, the year ia which Greenslade defeated Lang for the Waikato seat, 20 tons of fencing wire, supplied by the Seddon Government for ■ spoonfed settlers iu lie settlement called To Rau-a-Mba, arrived at Te Awamutu station. The writer secured the ooritract through the Stock Department to cart that 20 tons of wire, at 40s per ton. The Government paid l , and the Government won the election. Other special leasehold settlements of similar nature in various centres in the King Country were al,l expensive failures. A large area of once native lurid in the King Country is" controlled by a Land Board, and offered under lease; a great part of such area is either idle or badly fanned and overrun:by rabbits, and unproductive. The defeat of Ward, Carroll, Fowlds, and Russell, last election, was due-to their pronounced views on land administration. Following AtJanGoif, an<j during the Administrations of Beilance, Seddon, and Ward, a wave of prosperity went over the whols country. Those Liberal legislators proclaimed from the house-tops that this wave Of prosperity was due to their good administration, and wise laws. --. As a matter of ;fapt, the cream separator and tho refrigerator being introduced was solely responsible for tlid financial improvement, Andrew ELat, Kihikihi, November 13, 1922.