MR BUNNY'S MEETING.

Wairarapa Daily Times, Volume 2, Issue 247, 25 August 1879, Page 2

MR BUNNY'S MEETING.

To ik Editor o/(/«:Wairaiui>a Daily. Sir—Considering the limited space at disposal, the reports in the Wauukata Daily of our political meetings have, on the whole, been very creditable, It would be impossible to give all the speeches in full. I will therefore ask you to be good enough to afford me a little space to reply to a statement made by Mr Bunny at his meeting. Within the ten minutes allowed to speakers other than the candidate, I gave the meeting what might be called a little concentrated essence of Parliament made up chiefly from an extract from Hansard of the able speech of Mr Waterhouse in the Legislative Council, condemning in the strongest terms the administration of the Government under Sir G. Grey. Mr Bunny replied "that he (meaning myself) and Mr Waterhouse belonged to that class that would not let the people have the rights which they were determined to claim." Now, sir, whatever Mr Bunny might think proper to say about myself, he knows quite well that the above statement, as directed ""~~ against Mr Waterhouse, is utterly unjustifiable. The Legislative Council, of which body the Hon. Mr Waterhouse is a member, passed the Land Tax Bill without a division, most of them adducing strong arguments to show that such a measure was a great political blunder in so young and partially-settled a country as New Zealand; but they passed it rather than allow it to be said that, as belonging to the more wealthy class, and as large landowners, they wished to shirk the tax. Moreover, to the Legislative Council it is wholly due that the votes of the white settlors will not be swamped at the coming elections by the double votes which Sir 6. Grey's Ministry (supported by Mr Bunny) tried their very hardest to <dve the Maories. "

, Mr Bunn y pad me a high, though unintentional compliment when he associated my name with a politician holding the enlightened, independent and liberal views held by tho Hon. Mr Waterhouse. lam, &c, ' J. Valentine Smth.

(To Ik Editor of tk Wairarapa DMA) Sir,—l notice in the Evening Potfof the 20th inst., a report of an address given by Mr Mason, of the Eutt, to the electors of the Taita. In reply to a question, Mr Mason said that it was not true that, as Chairman, of the County Council, he had refused to open a block of land in the Forty Mile Bush, but that he had simply interfered to stop the lauds falling into the hands of a small clique in Masterton. Shy as a member of the Small Farm Committee, and one of those who applied,/-* to the Waste Land Board, of which Mr Mason is a member, for a block of land in the Forty Mile Bush, I deny that it was for the benefit of a small clique in Masterton, but for the Benefit of the district generally, and of the country as a whole. Sir, I spent my time and money both, as a member of that Small Farm Committee, not for my own ends, but for the good of the country, and I believe many more of the Committee did likewise and lam sure this district has only to thank Mr Mason for its failure. But for • the action of the Waste Lands Board, we might have had at the present moment, from fifty to a hundred settlers placed on these lands, now only occupied by wild pigs and cattle. lam, &c, , j.y.