CORRESPONDENCE.

Tuapeka Times, Volume XXXIX, Issue 5429, 13 April 1907, Page 3

CORRESPONDENCE.

THE HAVELOCK COMMONAGE. [To the Editor.]

Sir, — For some time back two or three of your correspondents have, through the columns of your paper, been condemning the management of the Havelock Commonage, the trustees down to the ranger coming in for a good deal of abuse. In the interests of the Waitahuna re-siilents, for whose benefit the endowment wv set aside, it is of the utmost importance that good management should prevail and that the fullest benefit should be cferiyed therefrom. But this fault-finding is no new thing. There have been all along, nearly ever since this endowment was set aside, one or two discontented persons clamoring to get this valuable heritage of the people broken up and disposed of in some other way. One would advocate that the Government should again take possession and lease the ground for grazing pui poses. No doubt this would suit the wishes of a f<jw adjoining the commonage and who are already in possession of large blocks of land. Another has been advocating the cutting up of the commonage into farms. All who know the rough, poor nature of the land can judge as to its suitability for settlement of that kind. At the present time a number of working men with families (and others) have nice comfortable homes on the endowment, and their livelihood to a considerable extent depends upon their srnaU holdings and the right to run cattle at the small charge of -4s per head per annum. What about those people ? Are they not worthy of consideration ? The management of the commonage might be improved upon ; still, it appears to meet with the approval ot the majority of the residents, and no doubt the trustees, without exception, are doing their very best to administer the trust in a fair and equitable manner and always striving with the funds at their command fco keep down the rabbits and check the spread of noxious weeds. The ranger, who has been carrying out his duties without fear or favor, has also been coming in for a. fair share of abuse, a. little of the larrikin element being introduced in his case. His services, however, meet with the commendation of the trustees and of all those who pay regularly for depasturing their stock, and who now insist that others shall do the same. Now, Sir, would it not be in the best interests of this district if, instead of thi3 bickering and fault-finding, all interested would work amicably together with the view of getting the greatest good out of this endowment, which has been set aside for the benefit of the place and which has already proved a great boon to numbers of working men and small settlers,, no matter what a few discontented ones may write? The Waitahuna people will see to it that the commonage remains intact. Its usefulness, as far as this district is concerned, has not passed away, nor is it likely to for many years to come. —I am, etc.,

Interested.