Correspondence.

Feilding Star, Volume XVII, Issue 63, 11 September 1895, Page 2

Correspondence.

MR GOODBEHERE IN REPLY TO THE MAYOR. TO THE EDITOR OF THE STAB. Sir,— Everyone who has read tcith attention my letter published in yesterday's Star, and the Mayor's so-called reply to it published this evening, cannot but acknowledge that the latter is no reply at all to my complaint. My reason for submitting to you for publication my letter to the Mayor (a reply to which I waited for nearly five weeks) was because I perceived there were signs that it was not intended to submit my offer in a formal manner before Uie Council as a body (wbich there is no doubt it was the Mayor's duty to do), and the Mayor now confirms my impression by stating his intention to " lay my offer " not before the Council bnt before a sub-committee, to which the question of the removal of the belltower has been referred, and which subcommittee, I notice, consists of three members of tbe Council, two of whom, viz., Cr Bailey and the Mayor, have expressed their objection to the removal of tbe tower. The Mayor misquotes my letter when accusing me of complaining that at the last Council meeting he (the Mayor) voted against the removal of the bell-tower, whereas 1 did nothing of the kind. I merely said that "In your report of Thursday's meeting of the Council the Mayor expressed his nonapproval of the bell-tower being removed." Your report (after quoting from Cr Bailey that be " did not approve of the removal of the bell-tower ") is verbatim, as follows, viz., " The Mayor was also opposed to removing it." This certainly surprised me after the conversation I had held with him, in which he made no objection whatever to my strong desire that the bell-tower should be removed, and with which desire he now says he quite concurred. In copying my letter to the Mayor I omitted to state that I added a postscript to it — of which I did not keep a copy— to the effect that I did not approve of the roundabout (and what I considered underhand) way of obtaining a subsidy through the medium of the Palmerston Charitable Aid Board. In conclusion, I think it |is, quite time that a list of the subscribers' should be published, that they should be informed of what has been done with their subscriptions, and what prospect- there is of the Manchester Square improvements being carried out. I am, etc,, Sami,. Goodbeheue. Feilding, 10th September, 1895. P.S. — My observations respecting the Mayor of course apply to him in his official capacity, and are not in any way to be considered as personal. — S.Q.