Mr Donaldson and the Land Board, TO THE EDITOR.

Otago Witness, Issue 2197, 9 April 1896, Page 22

Mr Donaldson and the Land Board, TO THE EDITOR.

•Bin, —your article t>f the 30th .in&t. anenß, the granting .to me of a- homestead site calls for f an answer. The ground on which you stater the application Tvae made — " that I wiihed ts prevent swaggers, &c , camping near the' house "L '—was never mentioned in my application. lily, , object in asking for a homestead site was & desire to obtain, if possible, .some slight projection for my improvements, and -the Land: Aothad this clearly in view when subjection b of section 177 was framed. I desired to prevent a miner sinking a shaft .in front* of my dwelling or stable door without my,permi«ioD, but coder subsection d I question if I bava even that power. Although I am connected with the working of the reefa in'' the vicinity, the application was in 'no 'way made with a desire to protect my 'mining operations under cover of a homestead site. 1 wonder, as a tenant of the Crown, if 1 have any. privileges bayond paying rent and taxes, and if everj'thing ris to be surrendered to the miner who for the sum of 10b per year has the right o£ sinking holes on my ground wherever 'ho choose?, without protecting them in tho least, and thereby causing the death of hundreds of stock all over the goldfleldn. .This storm in & teapot would never have beon heard of had i 6 not been for a stranger in this district who lately figured at the Warden's Court here in art application for ground, where his action wta characterised as one Of attempted' jumping ; and his application being refused, ho finds, as the instigator of the petitionagaioat .the granting of the site, a convenient mentis of venting his spleen. As regards >the .acfciou of the Waihemo County Council in tho matter, I had given them credit for possessing sufficient ability to consult the acb under which my application was made to the L.\nd Board, from which they would have seen that .it was perfectly legitimate, but jevidentlyl have be«n >.too generous. That the council have anything to do with the actions of tho Land Board in their dealings' with Crown '.tenants I have yet to learn, bub perhaps thej? were moved in the matter by one! of the councillors who, ,as the county election is near, would like to gain votes by posing as the friend of .the miner. ■ - The ground in dispute was worked ou6 years ago, and there has been no work done on it by Europeans for years, and as yon say the granting of the site .does .not prevent mining operations being carried on, I am at a loss to know .what the Howl is all about. — Lam, Arc., Qeokge Donaldson. Golden Faint, Macraes, -March 31. The Member for Mataura. TO THE EDITOB. Sir,— Well may Mr M'Nab cry out, "Save ma from my friends," and yet it is clearfrom " Y§ur Own "'that Mr M'Nab and'he'have vary carefully, thought out the reply appearing in your preceding issue, otherwise how comes "Your Own Waikawn Correspondent" to know that Mr M'Nab was not present at the caucus meeting held afterwards ? But to the facts. Your Wiiikawa crrespondenU says : "Mr M'Nab did not support the election of Colonel Fraser'to the office of Scrgeant-at-Anns .... and Mr M'Nab, being aware of ,tha illegality of the step, refused to vote foi tha appointment." Now, an ordinary reader, -after perusing these high-falutin* sentences, animating fiom the virtuous mind of " Your Own," is compelled toaay " Auti-6ush"must bescoring ; but, Me Editor, would you believe it, the statement made by " Your Own " .of Waikawa is absolutely incor» recr, as he must have "known when he »ay» "ha has juat refreshed his memory from Hacsard.'' According to Hansard, 'three divisions wera taken in Parliament in connection with Colonel Eraser's appointment, and Mr M'Ndb supported! the .Government in two out -of three .that was,, the Government defence of the appointment* and on the other division Mr M'Nab did not vota at all. And yet this geiitlemaD who hails from Waikawa .has the Effrontery to write that " Me M'Nab, kuowing the illegality of tbe step, refused? to vote for the appointment." Will he tell us that Mr M'Nab, knowing sill that, had the courage) toivote against that illegal act of Mr Seddon's ? Ha cannot do so, because we can confound him by Hansard. Yet by his style of writing he want! the people'to so believe. —J am, Ac, Arm-Gusa.