The Gisborne Times PUBLISHED EVERY MOENING. GISBOENE, SEPTEMBER 18, 1903. LUNACY AND WAIHIRERE.

Gisborne Times, Volume X, Issue 999, 18 September 1903, Page 2

The Gisborne Times PUBLISHED EVERY MOENING. GISBOENE, SEPTEMBER 18, 1903. LUNACY AND WAIHIRERE.

It has often been said that some of those who pretend to be strongly in favor of Mr Mestayer’s water and drainage scheme are in reality its secret opponents. However that may he,' there can he little doubt

that from the hoorislmess displayed in a certain qiqarter some of its professing supporters 'are friends! whose friendship would he worse than tlio bitterest enmity. Surely there has never been 'any worse outrage in our community than the branding of meu seeking to do the 'best in the general interest as being akin to a poor unfortunate man who has been spending his life in filth, and who rightly or wrongly has been committed to the lunatic asylum. It is sad to hear of this poor fellow coming to such a pass. But is it not even more saddening that advantage should he taken of his pitiable plight to use him as a pretext for reviling and sneering at intelligent and earnest men and women who are seeking the .welfare of the town, but mean to try and obtain fcbfi desired end without being ca* joled into any ‘course which they deem unreasonable. We do not believe there are half a dozen ‘persons in the town who do not desire the inauguration of a system of water aua drainage. But there are many who, whilst strongly in favor of such a scheme, are uot ‘prepared to accept anything into which they have not closely enquired. Any sen sible man in h s own business would take' the greatest care when incurring a large expenditure that might either make or crippie the business, and it is well that a like interest should be taken in public affairs. There are sufficient examples in our district to prove how necessary it is to take such care. Tile older resi dents can well remember how people were by a certain journal harried into a huge harbor blunder _ that would have driven the whole district

bankrupt were it not for its recuperative powers and the fact that the ( area hearing the burden rapidly extended uy i ue work ul the indomitable settler*. It was tho same journal that sneered when the railway project was mooted and stated that it would not pay axle-grease, the then Chairman of the County Council giving a sharp reprimand to this blocking of the district’s interests. VVi'u ,-orne of these facts fresh in the memory, could there be a worse sample of impudence than for the same journal to at. tack citizens who have the courage to gite expulsion to their '. civs on -dr Mestayer’s scheme, and to jeeringiy compare them to a poor weali-tninded man who has been living in filth. Certainly, if the intention were to secretly block water and drainage the object might be attained by these despicable tactics, for we are quite 3ure that gentlemen whp before might have been lukewarm becauso they were not convinced will now bo fully determined to work against a scheme that has to be advocated in such a shameful manner. We take it that the people who have their homes in this district are equally eager for its welfare as Mr Mestayer, and if on due consideration of all the facts there are many who feel they cannot support the scheme, their opinions are entitled to respect; they should be commended for having the courage of their opinions, and not be jeered at and insulted, and ’reviled as lunatics of an unclean type. Surely the scheme can stand on its own merits ; if it requires to be backed up with Billingsgate language people may well bo excused ior viowing it with suspicion. The strongest opponent of the scheme has not damaged it so much as the writer who lias thought fit to compare conscientious opponents of it to dirty lunatics. Wo would strongly advise every ratepayer to give the scheme his or her closest attention, and having arrived at a fair judgment for or against, to cast their votes accordingly. The self-respecting members of the community will give them full credit for doing that which they behove to be right.