MR. BAILEY IN REPLY.

Feilding Star, Volume X, Issue 46, 25 September 1888, Page 3

MR. BAILEY IN REPLY.

TO THE KBITOtt OF THE STAH. Sat,— la reply to Mr MacarthurV letfter^of the 20th icst.-, 1 would like to make a few remarks. v : . He. starts by complaining that he has i»een annoyed tjy continual stabbing in ihe This; I think, is purely imaginary *n his part, and does not require further/comment. He then truly says I ohargehim with -opposing the construction Feuding- Bonnythorpe and "TaoouiToads-; and, as a pi'oof of that oppositwa. I point so the present state of those r-oads. Mr Macartiur acknowledges to running -the Manchester' Jioad. Board until Mr Bull's .election. What did this part of the ward gain bj hfs long reign P We certainly received £'300 from the Manawatu County Council, and Mr MacArthur formed one of a deputation to wait on the members of the Manawatu Eoad Board, from whom they received £100. 1 recollect this perfectly well: it was on the eve of an -election, and; as Mr Macarthur says, he worked very hard. This, I think, is the whole of the money spent on this most important road for twelve years. 'With respect to the road on the south «ide of the Hallway lute; I do not think Any eettier here cares which ode the road is made; only, on the grounds of common sense, if the ratepayers can get a straight road for half the money a crooked one will post, they, certainly prefer it. Again, by making the road on the south ade,,ti^e 'railway line protects both road and bridges from the heavy floods which <nsit this part. If Mr Macarthur had not lurked the inquiry that was ordered to ©c made; we should very soon have had our loads completed. As to hi* charge of interested parties, it is simply nonsense, for the scheme he submits in nis letter gave those settlers he alludes to, the road in front of their property. Take the Taonui as another proof of Mr Macarthur's opposition. He says it was left out of the schedule of works through -want of tune. -Strange that tune was found to include so many roads in the unsettled parts »f the ward, and, I suppose the Engineer would receive his instructions from the Chairman. But, ■why, if the Taonui road received an injustice (which Mr Macarthur acknowledges) did he reject the offer made by a few of the settlers to make the road, and •wait two years for the money? This offer was rejected the first meeting held after Mr Wm, Bailey's retirement, when it had previously been accepted, and tenders called for the work. Mr Macarthur is proud, he says, of the roads made through, the Corporation Block. So would I be if every road in the ward was made, commencing, with the parts settled first. The Corporation took up their land as a speculation, and, as I should imagine ithas paid well, they should certainly be contented to wait their turn. I would also remind Mr Macarthur that when he points to 'so much work being done in his lime of Chairmanship, and so little since, he must bear, in mind the very large sums of money he ran through, leaving an ompty exchequer, for his successor to deal wiflu— l am, &CM .:;••• Walter Bailby. Taonui, September 25, 1888.