TIME GLOVES WERE OFF

Chronicle (Levin), 14 April 1949, Page 4

TIME GLOVES WERE OFF

County Chairp^ Rebukes W#anae %tepayers "It is time somqpne too^ the glqves olf and ' 'did some^plai'n speaking. A iot of' things have bqgn .said. Wlfich bave not been justified, and 'tiie council is not going to' be dictated to." These remarks were made' by: the chairman qf: the Horowhenua" Count^ -Council, Mr. A. M. OolqUliouni wli-en speaking to two- iet.ers i%ceived at yesterday 's' " dotihcil meeting * from the president of the Waikanae Beaeii Progressive and Ratepayer's Associatioh',' Mr. F- Martyn Renner. * A letter from tiie' Commissioner of Crown LahHs, ' advis'ed that he iiad received the counciPs request for the' Department of Lands 'and Survey to ! take' action to have por--liqn of the Waimeha Towns-hip Re-ci-eation Reserve", formerly part of the Field estate,^set aside for the erection of public buildings. Tne pian of the Field estate subdivision had been lodged about ihe middle of December, 1948, and *the area which was now recreation reserve was vested in the Crown, and before the reservation over any portion cpuld be changed the consent of both Houses or Parliament had to be obtained. He conciuded by stating that ' he had iriformed the latep'ayers' " assqciatiqn' qf the pqsitien. ' "it seems as if we were a litt'e late m this matter, but I think the cquncii cquid endeavour tq get hver the hurdle 'iri sqme w;ay," cqmmented Mr. Colquhqun. Council's Responsibility. In his letter, Mr: Renner said that althqugh the Commissiqner qf Crqwn Lands was prepared tq help the assqciatiqn to obtain the necessary consent of both Houses of Parliament, in view of his association's desire tq proceed with its qi'iginal design tq cqnstruct a community centre qn a portion qf the reserve, it seemed incqmpvehensible tp him that tiie cquncii shcu d have placed the association in such a positiqn. The scheme had been outlined tc the visiting cqmmit.ee qf cqunciLqrs. it had been tiie subj.ect pf correspcndence fqr sqme cqnsiderable periqd and qn every pqssible qccasiqn the association had stressed the necessity for the sarliest possible reply in favour of the request. What his executive had oeen afraid would happen, had happened, he commented, and the responsibility restefl fairly and squarely on the shoulders of the council. "Without going se far as to say that my association is entitled to an * explanation, which the county council in its present frame of mind would probably deny, I shall be glad to have some explanation of the matter," he conciuded. Wliat was wrong with Waikanae tha't the people should get into such-a' sta'te, asked Cr. J. D. Aitchisqn. • In a further letter, Mr. Renner •deplered the ceuncirs attitude in de'elining his association's invitatiqn to pay its annual visit to Waikanae Beach. "Both by its fcelated reply and the manner in which it intima.ed its refusal, your council strayed beyond the bounds of courteay. Your council and my executive are at variance with each other on a number of matters. That is true. buc it is equally true that we were prepared to extend to yo.u and your councillors the same warm w-elcome and hospitality as in former years. Feeling Of Frustration. "Judging from past experiences, you were not enatled nor .justified in thinking otherwise," went on the letter. "Your refusal, both in the way it was conveyed and the manner in which it was framed lost to your council the opportunity of dispelling the fear that your council was aloof from and indifferent to the welfare of this part of the county. Your council will have itse^ to hlame if the present feeling qf frustration and irri'tation .deteTiorates into one of open hostility." ' A denial that the council had been in the habit of meeting the Waikanae ratepayers annually was made'by Mr. Colquhoun. He was sorry to see the association taking up the attitude it had. The matters' raised by Mr. Renner had been placed before the last meeting of the council by the association, and a reply h'ad .been sent. Apparently Mr. Renner had written the letters before receiving that rep;y. All that could be dene was to receivp the letters, added Mr. Colquhoun, and this course was adopted by the council. ' ■ ^