CORRESPONDENCE.

Mount Ida Chronicle, Volume VI, Issue 344, 8 October 1875, Page 3

CORRESPONDENCE.

VVk do not hold ourselves in any w»y lxvpon sible for the opinions mid sentiments ea pressed by correspondents. All communications must be accompanied by the correct name and address of the writer, not necessarily for publication, but ud a guarantee of good faith. (To the Editor of tie Mount lim CmjoxiCLE.s Sir,—-A letter appears in your issue of the Ist instant signed " Constitution," in which the writer.says it would be more fit for Mr. j. P. Armstrong to come up here and expound his views to his constituents on the great political topic of the day, than.be lecturing and delighting the people of Lawrence. Had '" Const itu" tion " attended Mr. Armstrong's meeting here, when he addressed his constituent after his election, he would have heard him expound his political creed. But " Con titution " is, I fancy, one of a class unfortunately too numerous in the country— men who take no interest iu the politics of the day, but who are always ready to growl and abuse our r«pvesenla-. tives uncalled for. For ',* Constitution's " information allow me to state, what I thought every intelligent man iu the district knew, that Mr. Armstrong's political creed is that of a Provineialist—a creed which every man having the welfare of the country at heart must in a very short time be a firm believer in. I believe, sir; that the Ministry, in forcing the Abolition Bill through the present Parliament, have laid tho train to a magazine which, when it explodes, will send such a blaze through-this Island which not even Sir "JuliiuTVogel can extinguish until it has-smelted the links'that bind us to the North Island.—l am, &c, Elector. Hyde, October 4th, 1875.

(To the Editor of' th-e Mount Ida Chronicle.) Sib, —I wish to draw your attention and the attention of the residents of Naseby, both business men and miners, to the apathy displayed by them when their material interests • and advantages are concerned. If things at all go a little beyond the common groove they cannot set) it, or, if seeing it, fail to take advantage of it. Look at the dilatoriuess displayed in the construction of the Head Kace and Sludge Channel. I venture to affirm that in.no other district in tho Province of Otago would they be allowed to drag their slow length along, the same as they have been in this. Another thing that I would wish to draw your attention to is, the state of the roads in the vicinity of JSTaseby, which have been invariably neglected for the last two years. Always iu the beginning of 'summer, when the roadmen are getting the road into a passable state of repair, they are carried off by the self-styled road inspector to some other quarter, and thus whai should be done in the summer is neglected, and it cannot be done in the winter. It appears this year is to be no exception to the rule. It seems, from what I have heard, that the two roadmen have orders to proceed to the Houndburn, and from the fact of £3OU being voted by the last Provincial Council for the maintenance of the road from Xyeburn crossing to Eden Creek via Naseby, I do not see why it should be so. The suai voted is more than, sufficient to pay their wages all the year round ; and, by keeping them where they should be, our roads would be in a passable state when the Abolilion Bill comes into force. Tnen there is the road to Clark's, for which a sum of £IOO has been voted* I think it is high time the minei-s of Clark's began io stir themselves, and insist upon having that sum expended ou the" improvement of the road to that locality before the summer passes away, and also to see that it is spent in a judicious manner, and not frittered away through the incompetency of Government officials, who have not the slightest interest in the welfare of the Mount Ida district. This also reminds me of the neglect with which this district lias been treated (and all through our own indifference) by having strangers from a distance for our road inspectors and bridge inspectors, who know no more about road-making or bridge building —but less, I believe—than I do about the mountains of the moon. And all this while we have plenty of men among ourselves able to superintend these things. There was £l5O for the maintenance of roads in the immediate vicinity of Naseby allowed to lapse last year through the apathy of the residents, and it will be the same this year if they do not bestir themselves.—l am, &c, Scedtatoji.