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Gisborne Times, Volume IX, Issue 844, 19 March 1903, Page 2

THAT ELYIiNGr VISIT

(To the Editor Gisborne Times

Sir,—f was very pleased to read your article dealing with the road oificers who have been paying us a visit. It indeed looks as if someone has been playing a joke at our expense, when a man in Mr Hursthouse’s position comes here and alter decrying (lie Motu asset as against the opinion of experts, tries to convince settlers that bad roads are good ones, and that in any case, they must remain bad because the State has no money to make them good. Why was Mr ITursthousc so ready in belittling the Motu timber unless it was meant to try and dampen the enthusiasm of the people who want that asset put to profit-

able account ? The expert opinion was only given after careful enquiry and had to go through all the slow oilieial processes ; Mr Hursthouse rushes through and his remarks get into the press at the earliest opportunity. Why was he so ready to pose as a railway expert, and give circulation to opinions at variance with those experts who spent months in preparing data where lie did nut devote more than minutes ? You suggest the suspicion of a joke ; with

other settlers it seems to me to he a preconceived plan to put a stop tq our clamoring lor at least a share of our rights.. When Mr Hursthousc arrived, probably the water cart was required to keep the dust down in Gladstone road, yet even that—our best specimen of a road—will need to lia've the mud scraped off at an early date.—l am, etc., SETTLER.