MR DONALD REID IN REPLY TO THE MINISTER FOR LANDS.

Otago Daily Times, Issue 9335, 28 January 1892, Page 3

MR DONALD REID IN REPLY TO THE MINISTER FOR LANDS.

I.TO THE EDITOR.

Sm,—The few remarks I ventured to make at the now celebrated Clutha banquet have brought forth a storm of Ministerial indignation, and, judging from the acrimonious tone of the speeches ■n ? maAe^, y fcA e Minlst?r for Lands, I think it will beadihitted I was right when I described the new Liberalsas 'being impatient of fair criticism " denying freedom of opinion to others " and . showing resentment against those who dare to think and act independently." While they loudly mouth Liberalism there is none of it displayed in the speeches delivered at Lawrence and Balcluthn no recognition of any right of freedom of opinion to others.

It is quite apparent that Baal's high priests and satellites have been moved, and our worthy towns-man-Mr A. Lee Smith has, with the proverbial zeal of a new convert, been gyrating and disporting himself at Lawrence, and astonishing the simpleminded settlers there with protestations of devotion to the farmers' interests and unswerrin<* attachment to the great Liberal cause and to increased taxation.

I notice he also made some passing reference, to myself, but as I have not so far been able to see any point m them, I forbear making any further reference to them.

I wish at present, more particularly, to refer to some remarks reported to have been made by the lion. Mr M kenzio which were of a personal character; b_ut before proceeding to refer to these let .us • note^ with becoming gratitude that although the Hon.. Mr M'Kenzie does think that it would be far better if the Government refused to part with another acre of land he recognised that there were a large number of people who, from sentiment, thought they should be allowed to have a bit of freehold. As Ion" as they made good use of it there was no objection to them having it." Mark you, how liberal! how considerate!! how condescending!!! They should be allowed to have a bit of freehold as long as they made good use of it. Prodigious Now "in the names of all the gods at once what meat doth this our Crcsar feed upon that he is grown so great?" j"A larf e ] 1"ml'er of people-weak people no doubt-who from sentiment thought they should have a bit of freehold" have to be considered and in order to gratify them he wiU postpone for a time the far better method—viz., "that of the Government refusing to part with another acre of land. This is exceedingly inconsistent, to say the least of it; because, if it would be far better if the Government refused to part with .another acre of land, it surely would become the Minister s duty to at once adopt that course. But the Minister is on the horns of a dilemma '' The papers haye1' been accusing him of wishing to do away with freehold altogether," but he indignantly denies this, although " he thinks it woufd be far better if the Government refused to part with another acre ' I confess I cannot make much meaning of this ; but no doubt it is part of a Liberal programme, and can be explained only by Liberals. ••■'■' ' Mr M'Kenzie says when he entered public life 22 years ago xt was to assist me to fight the very men he is now fighting. Now, I cannot understand what he has to light about or who he is fighting It is. a mistake for a Minister to make himself believe that it is his business to fight against any class of the community. 1 am not concerned to go back to what happened 22 years ago, as it has little or no bearing on the questions we have now to deal wich. lam quite content to leave my career to be judged by others, and refuse altogether to^cuss it or compare it with that of the Hon

I cannot understand the reason for raisin <* this cry about trying to turn the key to unlock the lands. If the Government wish to take land for settlement of any kind, they have it in their power, at any time after reasonable notice, to take it. No one can prevent them, and therefore this nourish about trying to open the land and holding up the present occupants to obloquy is exceedingly unbecoming. Now, Sir, in respect to the charge of dismissing men who had grown grey in the service of the colony just; on the eve of being entitled to their pension I ask you to consider the disingenuousness of the Hon. Mr Jl'Kenzie's reply. " Were the Government," he asked, " bound to find work for a number of people whose services were not required simply to enable them to remain Ion" enough m the service to earn a pension ?" Could anythiugbemorediaingenuous? The case to which I chiefly referred was that of a Mr Stevens, whose case had.beeft.fully discussed in the House of Representatives, and the Minister's conduct in respect to it freely condemned. This man had served the colony for 30 years, all but four months, when he would have been entitled to the pension which the Minister admits lie would then have earned, and when it is borne in mind that th^mducement was held out that if he remained .in- the Government service for 30 years he would be entitled to a pension* surely the attempt to deprive him.of his pension by dismissing him witfiin a few weeks of the expiry °frJi ie Htet rm-, m whiS\ he would have become entitled to it cannot be characterised as other than base, contemptible, and dishonest The man who could stand before an audience ?£Vi ttew pt K° dW snch induct shows a mental obliquity which proves that he is quite unht to be trusted where just administration and the honour and good faith of the community^ carrying out the public engagements are involved My expression of opinion that the Government the high pneste of Baal, have to carry out the orders of they masters, the unions," is evidently very distasteful to the Hon. Mr M'Kenzie He has no nght to assume, however, or to say, that I meant the working classes. lam loth to believe and do not believe that the working classes generally are to be found at the street corners Having always been a worker, and knowing the hardships and the good qualities of an honest working man,_l have as genuine a respect for him as the Hon. Mr M'Kenzie can have, and have always assisted to the best of my ability in any well-deyisedmeans for truly and permanently improving his position. The reference to bank corners and money-lenders is so v a!? ue that I cannot understand it. I presume the Hon. Mr M Kenzie shuns, and always has shunned, such people I daresay however, that when he open" his 100 runs in Central Otago they may be required to enable his tenants to profitably occupy the lands and to hnd rents for the Government- but however hard either the working men or' the money lenders may be, I think it will be gene rally conceded that neither of them could be harder than the man who would try to enforce a Le^r tyfo^ay fs M *" "^ °f ™™***» liWol1! 1011-!^!^^'^ llilS MM m«ch Of the liberal Land Bill which he introduced into Parliament, but he has not so far explained whvhe withdrew from the perpetual leaseholder the Ight ?n W^thi, jl? ,the^i an who had the was to have this right. The perpetual leaseholder who had not the means to buy for cash but who took up and gradually won his"farm from the wilderiSess .was by his liberal bill to be dem-ived of the.right of purchase whicli he now enjoys Is it part of a Liberal programme that the poor 3%« V} }°y^P 111 alU\? n lme is t0 be deprived of the right of pinking his home a freehold when he is in a position to do so ? - Sir, there are other matters in tho address winch I might refer to, and, as the Minister says which could easily be answered, kit con' sicleratioii for your space, as well as pressure of other duties, prevents me from doing so As the high priests and satellites have been active we may soon expect to "see the chief ruler Baal and his henchmen to tho front, when no doubt we will have further explanations of Liberalism and of the peculiar methods by which the great Liberal niJera giye effect thereto,-! am, *c,, ./anuarygf, Domw Hem,