CORRESPONDENCE.

Manawatu Herald, Volume XLI, Issue 1994, 24 June 1919, Page 3

CORRESPONDENCE.

(To the Editor.) Sir. —It was very pleasing indeed to read Mr Win. Ross’s letter in Saturday’s issue of your paper. These home truths no doubt will not he relished by Cr. Coley, who claims in very aggressive language, in and out of season, that he alone has kept the interests of Foxton on the right lines. Really, Sir, it is astounding when one recalls Cr. Coley’s attitude and opposition to everything and anything appertaining to progress. Any councillor or citizen who opposed municipal gas works in the first place must feel at heart that they were guilty of doing the residents of Foxton a gross injustice. This, by the way, is not the only selfish mistake they have committed. Cr. Coley opposed cleanliness in the shape of water and drainage, and as Mr Ross very pointedly remarks, he probably more than any other councillor has the satisfaction of feeling that by his personal eloquence has placed the gas works in (he position they are in to-day, and is responsible for our obsolete system of sanitation. — Yours, etc., RATEPAYER. (To the Editor.) Sir. —I wish to endorse the remarks of “Parent” in regard to children being given tickets to sell. In my opinion, he did not go far enough. My objections to children being given tickets is the fact that those who give them are practically vetoeing the parents’ right to say whether or not they shall take them, depriving the parents the right to judge whether the case is deserving or not. And who is to judge better than the parents? While I do not blame the children for taking them, as I recognise they do so out of goodness of heart, I do oppose them being used by some who have not the courage to do it themselves. Further, what right has anybody to take tickets to the school at all? AVherc do they get permission, if any, and where does that permission come from? Is the Committee consulted, or does one person constitute the Committee. We send our children to school to be educated, but the education they get when selling tickets, especially after half-a-dozen youngsters have been previously, is not the sort that parents agree with in a good many cases, and already I happen lo know of some bad language to certain children. In the present case I understand the tickets were handed out by the headmaster to the teachers, for them to be given out to those who would take them. That’s all very well; how many children would refuse, as (hey have lo put up with the result of (heir refusal from other children. I would suggest that it those who issued the “bluff” manifesto at the recent school elections were to embody ticket selling ns a plank in their platform we would Just about know who was running the school, besides what an opportunity to show their grasp of matters educational, as they see them apart front selling the tickets themselves, and doing something practical. —Yours, etc., E. G. MARTIN. Cr. COCKY KELLIES TO Mr. BOSS (To ilie Editor.) Sir. —In reply to Mr W. Ross’ letter which appeared in Saturday's issue, 1 give an emphatic denial to Mr Ross’ statement that I knew that consumers outside the borough were getting gas, I did not know of this until a request was made by a ratepayer recently to have gas installed in his house in Pureell Street. 1 explained to him that the gas manager's estimate for the work was too expensive. HeUien gave (he informat ion that people outside the borough were getting gas and paying no rale. I must also correct Mr Ross when he says I opposed the gas works loan proposals. I did nothing of the sort. 1 voted in favour of it. Re the buying of the gas works from the company, I was one of the Councillors, (ogelhcr with Ci’s. Speirs, Gibbs, and the Town Clerk, appointed by the Council lo purchase same. When we arrived in Wellington we naturally thought we were going to get some balancesheet or statement from the Company. We met Messrs Norwood (managing director) and Allen (secretary), and asked to inspect books and balance-sheet, hut they declined, and said the price of the gas works was £9,000, and wo could take it or leave it. When I subsequently reported to the Council, T stated that the price asked by the company was excessive, and when the loan proposals for the purchase of the gas works were submitted to a poll I voted against the proposal on those grounds. I was of opinion then, and am now, and for reasons I am not going to explain, that had the purchase proposal been held over for two or three years, the Council would have got the works'at a greatly reduced price, as -they were not then a paying proposition. Every one who wants to connect with the gas mains has to pay for connections over 15 feet from their private boundary fence. I still think that consumers getting gas outside the borough should he put on the same footing as ratepayers in the borough. —I am, etc.,

GEO. C. COLEY.