THE CRAZING RUNS QUESTION.

Gisborne Times, Volume XXVI, Issue 2349, 16 November 1908, Page 6

THE CRAZING RUNS QUESTION.

MR G. J. BLACK IN THE' SOUTH ISLAND.

Mr. G. J. Black returned on Sat-ur- j dov morning from a flying trip to the South, where he circulated his opinions on the grazing runs question. He addressed meetings at Little River on j Tuesday and at Akaroa on Wednesday | nights upon the subject, and aroused considerable interest in Canterbury upon it. As a result the Minister of Lands found it- necessary to mato an explanation in Alataura of his connection with the matter. In an editorial j the Christchurch Press says : j We are not surprised' that the Go- ' vernment and the Ministerial Press are beginning to feel uncomfortablo over Mr. G. J. Black’s exposure of what has been taking place in Gisborne in regard to the grazing runs. Mr. Black stated the main facts of the case at a meeting at Little ltiver, reported in another column. It is, of course, utterly untrue, as lias been sugested, that, the Opposition party sent Mr. Black to the Ellesmere electorate. Mr. Black feels that he and his sou -have suffered a gross wrong and injustice at. the hands of the Government. • He has come on his own account to the people who know him best, among whom he lived lor many years, to tell them what has been his experience. As he points out, it is a. matter which affects not himself only, but hundreds of Crown tenants, there being some two million acres let on lease as grazing runs. The hearty vote of sympathy with Mr. Black which was carried at the Little River meeting not only showed the respect in which he was held, but was also evidence that the settlers present considered he had been very unjustly treated by the Government. . . - Every plea urged by Mr. Hall tor a renewal of his lease applied with at lease equal force in the case of Air. Black, jun., but while the former owned 13,000 acres of freehold in addition to his grazing run, Air. Black, jun. owns no land oeyond the leasehold, which has now been taken from him bv the Government. For him, however, there was no interposition on the part of the Native Alinistor, and not even a fortunate error on the part of a clerk to help him. We have no doubt, after reading Air. AlcNab’s explanation, that- he acted in .rood faith in so far tliat he was misled by the error in the schedule. For a Scotchman, however, he seems to us to be extrarodinarily simple and easily influenced when pressure Is bro- ! uo-ht to bear upon him. Air. Carroll, i as member for the district, certainly ought to have been acquainted with all tlie circumstances of tho case, and so far he lias entirely failed to justify his conduct in urging his colleague, to extend to Air. Hall a consideration which had been denied to Air. Black. The matter lias also been discussed in Wellington, and the “Dominion” concludes a recent editorial thus:— : To clear himself from suspicion of having discriminated unfairly ill. the matter of these two leases, Air. AlcNab must show some good reason, first, for overriding the Laud Board and the Undersecretary, and, second, for according to a prominent Government supporter the treatment which was vainly sought by a gentleman who had at least an equal moral claim to such treatment, even if he did lack the virtue of affection for the Government.