THE SUPERINTENDENT AND THE WASTE LAND BOARD.

Western Star, Issue 142, 27 May 1876, Page 6

THE SUPERINTENDENT AND THE WASTE LAND BOARD.

We are indebted to the Dunedin Star for the following, which transpired at the last meeting of the Waste Land Board, and to which reference was made in our telegrams last week : Mr Sfceode said: Before the Board adjourns I should like to draw the attention of members to a paragraph published in this morning’s Daily Times, in a letter to the Superintendent of this Province to the Premier of the Colony. It is as follows : —I cannot but regal’d the attempt on the part of the Colonial Government to coerce what is supposed to be a non-political body like the Waste Land Board as uncalled for, if not illegal and reprehensible. It is the small cloud in the horizon which foretells what Centralism really moans.” Now, I can only say that this is striking at the root of the independence of this Board. I could have afforded to treat idle rumour with contempt, but cannot read such a statement, coming from the Superintendent, without calling on tho writer to prove his words. I defy anyone to say that I ever received any communication from the Colonial Government on the subject of these block sales, and I consider such a statement entirely uncalled for, either as referring to the Board or to an individual member of it. I speak • now for myself, as an individual member, and I assert that no person has a claim to be guilty of such a deliberate insult to me. Such a statement must be taken some notice of —they are strong words and not a mere rumour, and it is for tho Board to defend itself. I defy anyone to prove that ever tho Colonial Government attempted to coerce me. I care as little for the Colonial as I do for the Provincial Government —one is just tho same to me as the other. I sit here as an independent member of the ’Board to do my duty, and I shall do it in defiance of any Government—whether Colonial or Provincial.

Mr Bastings: As o;-io who voted against the block sales, I can only reiterate what Mr Strode has said, namely, that i have had no communication from cither the Provincial or the General Government on the subject. The Provincial Secretary, Mr Donald Eeid, once mentioned the matter slightly to mo in his office, and I then said that I could not sanction the sale of large blocks of land. I can only regret that this statement has been made.

Mr Strode: It has been made for political reasons—it insinuates that we are things of the Colonial Government. Mr Macandrew must apologise to the Board for what ho has dose. Mr Bastings: An application must be made to Mr Macandrew requesting him to state what grounds he bad for making such a statement. Mr Strode: He must deny the statement in the same public manner as he published it. The Chief Commissioner : As a servant of the Colonial Government 1 must say that they have in no way ever attempted to coerce me either now or before —nor would I bo so coerced. These wordsof theSuperintendentareaimed at me rather than at any other member of the Board. The General Government were as much against the sale of the block of land to Mr Clark as these Vut they said nothing. Mr Butterworth : It is the Board’s duty to get this matter cleared up. It was resolved that the Board deny the allegation in the Superintendent’s letter, and that the Chiefcpommissioner be asked to write to the Supnrotondeut asking what authority he has for making such a statement.