CORRESPONDENCE.

Wairarapa Daily Times, Volume XVI, Issue 5716, 20 August 1897, Page 3

CORRESPONDENCE.

TWO DAYS FROM GIIEYTOWN. r « [TO Til r, EDITOR.J Sin.—l am a business man, and correspond with business men in Greytown. A letter written from Mastcrton within business hours does not reach Greytown till after business hours, consequently it cannot be replied to until the following day, and the reply does not reach Masterlon till nfler business hours on lliat day, so that, it letter to Greytown is not answered for two days. An extra mail made up by the 10.110 a.m. train from Mastcrton would avoid this delay. Why should not the postal authorities make up a Greytown mail by this train ?--I nil), it'., Aunt's. THE SHEEP ACT. Mb james McGregor has ANOTHER WORD. [ TO Tin: KDITOI;.]

Silt, —in your issue of the Kith there appears a most prodigious letter signed " Fair l'lay," in answer lo my letter of the slh. Willi your permission I would like lo say a few words in reply. The whole letter strikes my' verdant' mind as having been written by ut lawyer, with an Inspector holding theink-sland, the way thai, clauses and sections are so "libly quoted. And then lie says the way I have been deluded by the use of the word 'ma}'.' "Fair l'lay" says 'may' is not 'may,' it is'shall.' lYobody but a lawyer could do that. AVhen a verdant sheep-farmer reads 'may' he thinks it means ' may.' The Inspector mtii/ do this or that at his discretion; hut now ' may' is ' shall.' It is just a pily the Government did not corrccl lliat when they were printing the Act, A'ow, Sir, I. proceed lo answer Ihe question: " What do 1 mean by Ihe Wairarapa ?" 1 mean this: If all the Hock:: of the Wairarapa from Cross' Creek lo ihe Manawalu (and that lakes in Wainuioru and lias! Coast) were inspected as the sheep in the sale yards, we would be ptd throiigli in the one swim, liy-llie-way, 1 do iml know if ihe Inspector ever goes out lo the Wiiiuiii-oni district to inspect sheep; if he does he may liiul me sheep with m louse on it. What will he do with it? Guess: There is one oilier matter lliat "Fair Play" refers to, with which I quite agree, and that is that the art of " hood-winking" is not lost yet: "Fair Play's" whole' letter is' a splendid illustration of that fad. The next mailer lliat "Fair l'lay" deals wilh is my .statement that iiineieen out of every twenty of the settlers would dip their sheep for llicir own goad if there was no Act. I know far more than twenty settlers in this district, hut 1 only know one who never ilipped his sheep. And lliey were as lousy as a cockatoo! Jlut llmt man was never lined; this is just where the farce of the whole tiling comes in. It was for him, and the like of him, that the Act was framed, but, as the Act. is now administered by the Inspector.', if lie does not bring his sheep lo Ihe sale he is allowed lo go free, and the law-abid-ing are punished. No wonder that ihe settlers of this district are disgusted and are moving to have this state of things altered. Coed-bye, Mr "Fair Play"; yon know which side your bread is buttered. iS'o doubt you liiul it pays better to stand up for the Department and prove lliat 'may' is 'shall' than sheep-farming. Now. Sir, there are some of your correspondents who say, "That sheep dipped on.'e will be clean if they are dipped well with good dip. 1 ' In answer to that, I will give you Ihe benefit of a conversation I had a few days ago wilh cue of the most intelligent, and clean and successful sheepfaiTiiers in this district ; 1 don't mean our President; he lias spoken for liiusi'lf on this ijiiesiioi). This si'tller said: -"I liaye tried for years, lirst one dip aiul tlii-ji another without tf'-llinj; I lie result I wanteil, (ml lust year 1 uwl a dip witli great success This year I used the same dip, ami afU'r tin? sheep were dry I put llieni through unotlior dip lo at! the lustre 1 railed on ihe woo'. Vet, alter all, my sheep are now I infected. I haye some sheep I would like to lake to Ihe sale, Ini; I dare not or 1 would lie lined." That Sir, is the experience of scores of Ihe best and the cleanest sheepfarniers in this district this year. The time fonlipping is past; our ewes are lambing, and we cannot help ourselves, .lust here " Pastor'' Miller (I did not give him that name) comes 011 the scene, and before his august presence the " verdant" sheepfarmer lias lo bow ihe knee and uncover til's head lo receive his Messing. Fined so-and-so with costs, and lie devoutly thankful ye hardened sinners lliat it is no more! That, Kir, is I lie help we get from the Department in return for our sheep-rate, which pays these men their wages. When will this parody and burlesque on justice and fair play end. —I am, etc., J.UIKS MCGukcuii.