“Touchstone” and Mr M. J. Gannon.

Gisborne Standard and Cook County Gazette, Volume III, Issue 348, 7 September 1889, Page 2

“Touchstone” and Mr M. J. Gannon.

“Touchstone,” a writer who will ba reoig . niaeil as the gentleman who onoe ably edited the Gisborne Standard, and did much to achieve for it the leading position which it now occupies, has bsen on a visit to Wellington, and ia contributing some chatty articleg to the Nanier News on the impressions ot hi. trip. The following extract will b« especially interesting to Gisborne people Leaving my Yankee friend, I drop acroac a very old acquaintance in ths shape ot Mr Gannon, of Gisborne, who stood for the House on two occasions, and distinguished himself by his remarkably able platform oratory. Mr Gannon has, amongst other things, had a * whack ’ at journalism, and doesn’t mind ma pestering him with questions as to Poverty Bay, It appears business up there is at • standstill; no new settlement is going on owing to the idiotic slate ot the native land laws ; the wily native is as keen as ever at the repudiation and litigation game, and you may be pretty certain that the Gisborne lawyers don’t object to the said game. Mr Gannol) gets almost tearfully pathetic over the dis. graceful manner in which the Government neglect the settlement of tha East Coast, which is absolutely crying for population, population which could easily ba supported on its fine lands. Although th* present is bad, I am glad io find my Gisborne friend hopeful for the future. The local paper, more especially tha Standard, in which I taka very natural interest, having been one o( of its parents, ably urge tha claims of the district and the adoption of some commonsense system of native land legislation, one most certain result of which would be a influx of Southern and Australian oapite'icta into the district. • How about oil, Mr GV I asked. Hum—then there was a long pause, another hum, and a most guarded reply. oil is there, there ia no doubt about that, through the lethargy one man, the something else of another, the troubles as to title, the delays in procuring machinery and half a-doaeu other causes, the enterprise has not yet been i success. ’ That it will übimately be a suoc.ss, and a big success, Mr Gannon, like all good Gisbornitcs, feels as certain as a Mahomiritdan feels about his chances of oelss-hl bliss if he falls in a fight against * th. aucureed infidel dogs. 1 and from my own personal knowledge of the Bay I must say that I share the sanguine hopes of th? Poverty flag people. The breakwater and ths ban difficulties therewith is a. sore vubjeot wit* Gisbornites just now, and I forbear from question, thereon.