THE WAIPAWA CANDIDATES.

Daily Telegraph (Napier), Issue 3201, 1 October 1881, Page 2

THE WAIPAWA CANDIDATES.

fTo the Editor op the Daily Teiegeapii.] Sir,—As the general election approaches ■we are likely to hear a great deal more nonsense concerning Mr Ormond's selfishness and Mr Smith's disinterested desire to serve his fellow creatures. Iα the very silly effusion signed " Waipawa" there is again the absurd statement made that, through Mr Orraond's influence, a large portion of the £5000 grant to the . Waipawa County was spent in making a road to Wallingford. If my recollection serves me £1000 out of the grant was directed to be spent at the Porangahau end of the county, and of this sum one half was foolishly expended in the improvement of a track from Porangahau to Wainui, and the other half between Wallingford and Porangahau. Neither section of road was of the slightest benefit to Mr Ormond's property. And if anything were wanted to show how much needed was the expenditure of money to open up a road ia those districts, it is to be found in the fact that the mail coach cannot proceed in bad weather further than "Wallingford. From Porangahau to Wainui there is no road at all; there is only a horse track, and a very bad and dangerous oue too. I( is notorious that through the disgraceful administration of the County Council, for which Mr Smith is necessarily partially responsible, the coast districts of the county have been shamefully neglected. There is an immense block of most valuable country lying at the back of Wainni, which is quite inaccessible owing to the narrow-minded and shallow policy adopted by a selfish body of men who, as councillors, can see no further than where their own personal interests terminate. " Waipawa" is quite correct ■ % in saying that there was a road through | the Seventy-mile Bush before the grant of £5000 was secured; bat his memory must be very defective if he has forgotten that the grant was obtained to mate the road passable after the floods. The County Council had abandoned the road to its fate. W hat then did Mr Smith do, either in or out of the Council, to restore communication with the Woodville end of the county ? 1 repeat that, at that time, when every part of the colony was clamoring at the doors of the Treasury, if it had not been for Mr Ormond's influence, Waipawa would not have got a sixpence, and, so far as Mr i Smith and his fellow councillors were concerned, the small-farm settlers might have whistled for assistance. But why, Sir, I would take up your valuable apace in bandying words with a man whose powers of observation are so weak as to be unable to appreciate the actions of one who has so largely assisted in making the

history of New Zealand, and would relegate such an one to private life for the sake of another of neither mark nor especial esteem.—l am, &c> Verb Sap. Waipukurau, September 30, 1881.