CORRESPONDENCE.

Manawatu Standard, Volume IV, Issue 46, 23 January 1884, Page 3

CORRESPONDENCE.

THE WARDS REQUISITION

[TO THE EDITOB OF THE STANDARD;] Sir, — Will you please, insert the following letter m the Manawatu Standard m reply to your leading article of the 21st inst. la your issue of the 21st re Wards division, you state that a deliberate insult has been ottered to the Borough Council. Nowy-Sir, if your paper had £ivp.D -ft fullirepdrt of the proceedings of the Council on December sth, 1883^ the ratepayers- might have known whether- any iuault or riothad been given. The tacts are these. Mv Milve - ton attended the Borough Council meeting and handed, m. the following letter. Palmerston North, December 5,1883. To'the Mayor and Borough Couii- ; cillors. i Gentlemen, ' ! . „, ' We, 'the signed, beg td inform you that we have -a! petition with signatures of one hundred and forty-five ratepayers, who wish the Borough to be divided into Wards, the said petition will be given to the Town Clerk! as soon as a few more signatures are obtained as promised, so that- it can be forwarded through the Borough Council to His Excellency the Governor for his sanction. As it is necessary that a sketch of^the Borough with suggested > Wards should accompany the petition, ■we ask you to be kind enough to-iti-sfrnct your Engineer to draw the said sketch. We believe that the views of] Ihe majority of the ratepayers woiiW be met if the following boundaries were adopted— Main: street, Filzherbert Road, and Rangitikei-Street. Hoping that the'Counciil will give their views ait'the meeting this evening.— We beg to ie-; main yours, &c.j ''•*"■• ' ' »■ S.Abrahams, J. MILTtJRTJN. Now Sir, after the letter was read Mr'Snelsori'vose and .strongly opposed the suggested division) other Councillors doing 1 the" same. Mr Milverton rose and asked to be allowed to speak on the matter, as the Councillor** took a different view of the contents of the letter than was intended. After his] explanation of the suggested division which emanated from him^ it was only a suggestion open for correction. He attended the meeting that evening as be often does (not as a deputation); therefore the letter given m by him -as l'eqites'ted by Mr Abrahams, should! have been acknowledged m due course,! the Council, not having acknowledged the said 1 letter, we took the only other rfhd legal course, by sending the said petition through a justice of the peace. We had a perfect right to send it through Mr Russell or any other getleman who holds the position of J.P. The whole proceedings from first to last were openly carried on by us. AirRus»ell m his capacity as J.P., forwarded the petition at our request after a deal of persuasion, and until then he took no part whatever m the proceedings. Ifttiiire is any personal 'feeling" on* yourpaft against Mr Russell, we tfiink* it shoutd'not have been brought forward m connection wit h this affair. : Any person who takes a public matter in -hand expects to be fairly: criticised as it te not possible to' please atlparrfes, but they should be critfoised! on public grounds and no 4 \pei's6nal amimoKiby . should be brought into it. Our*aciions m: the matter re ward divisions have been carried oii "by usi j for the benefit of th^ ratepayers at! large *n.d*wi th no selfish principles, Ifj the <inuirs of . the Borough^had hay been carried .on as openly as this has: been .and Una* interest of the .ratepayers' stuHie'd, "the ratepayers would have more confidence m some of.the.Coun-j cillors^-than they have now. We fjiili to see that any, unwarrantable liberty; has been^tafcen of the Council, or any! deliberate . insult jpflwred them. You: state |ha^.thelpate]myers are very indig-i 'n'Mfc^tHotira'ction, we are very picasedj to say tftafc^we have not met a single-one-se];; bill on the. contrary each one; that h«\s mentioned the matter hasjj anpjpgye^, , p|sivP' ir , R P^P n >' ty*h verton 'denies,; that ... Ije $ sojiry! for the action W has j_ taken m thej matter, and challenges you to bring! proof;tp o justify your, assertion.; We; can only say that if the whole of yourj loading article" of the 21st instanti is; based on the same-unreliable informa-i tion as .that which rejartftd Jfr Milver-| ton, y(»u will readily, see that you have! been misinformed , throughout— We beg! to remain yours &c, . ■ . i ~ t , ; .', ';; '."."".,, j;. MiLiy-^TpN.V, j ' [Other ,letters on this subject, are j held bverto make room for itlje'^bqye,! as we think , it right to .give Messrs! and Milyerjion the earliest| 'and' fullest opportunity, of explanation. | .We shall pr obabjy hav.ev occasion to! jieal with their cpmmumcatjion, ill to-' morrow's' issue, as there ; . ai^e ; several ; .features m it wbjehyin the Interest, of the ratepayers, must be more exhaustively regypiwd '% I J}P fl^t* o *^ I)ein g one of very consj.c}ei:abje iropp.rtanc.cy and a great interest at the present junc-j turo.-- Ep. M. S-l ; ,' ..-,-■]■ '■■-.■. i