MR. BAIGENT AND THE WAIMEA COUNTY.

Nelson Evening Mail, Volume XI, Issue 278, 21 December 1876, Page 2

MR. BAIGENT AND THE WAIMEA COUNTY.

To the Editor of the 'Evening Mail.' Sir—As my name has been made use of by the editor of the Colonist in connection with the division of the Waimea County into ' Ridings, I would ask you to allow me to state what part I took in the matter. After the Counties Bill bad passed, I called on the Hon G. M'Lean and asked him as a favor that in dividing the County he would endeavor to retain as nearly as possible the boundaries oi the Road Board districts, as the Boards had their own officers and boundaries to which they had long been accustomed, and I expressed a hope that the County Council would hand over to the existing Boards all the powers they possibly could. Such a division, I added, would have the further advantage of being satisfactory to the public and would save expense in the preparation of electoral rolls, and the electors would know exactly in what districts they were ' entitled to vote. He replied tbat he would be glad to receive any information I could ! give him. After talking with some of the other Nelson members, I copied from the Gazelle a list of the districts as defined by the several Road Boards and forwarded ifc to him. I knew that I was undertaking an unpleasant task, and that jealousy and dissatisfaction wero sure to arise, but I was determined to do all in my power to maintain the Road Board districts so far as possible in their entirety. After thinking the matter »^carefully over I sent in the following recom- { jn v' >Ildation» leaviD Sifc t0 the County Council to

i ' ' ~" ■ — subsidise the Ridings as they thought fit, and lo add two more members if they deemed it advisable: — Motueka Road Board (six districts) - Riwaka, Motueka, and Pangatotara sub-dis-tricts, one Riding. Lower Moutere, Upper Moutere, and Orinoco sub-districts, one Riding. Waimea Road Board (six districts)— Stoke, Waimea East, and Waimea West sub-districts, one Riding. Spring Grove, Wakefield, and Dovedale sub-districts, one Riding. Upper Motueka Road Board (two districts) — Stanley Brook sub-district, one Riding. Upper Motueka sub-district, one Riding. Suburban North Road Board district- one Riding. My reason for recommending two members for Upper Motueka was that there were more miles of road to make and keep up than in any of the other districts, and, remembering the principal cause of the abolition of the Provinces, namely, the neglect of the outlying districts, I was desirous of preventing any such ground of complaint in the County. Shortly after this I met Mr Curtis, who told me that my memorandum had been shown to him by the Government, and that he approved of it. This was all that took place in Wellington. A few days after my return to Nelson I met Messrs Barnicoat, Thompson, Malcolm, - and Tarrant, and told them what I had proposed. No objection was raised except by Mr Tarrant, who said something about two members for Motueka. So much for the want of courtesy of which the editor of the Colonist would make people believe me to be guilty— but who believes him? 1 believe that it waa in consequence of my statement that the Motueka Road Board held a meeting to consider the number of members that district should return, and that the attention of the Waimea Road Board was called to the matter. The two Boards differed as to the number of members to be allotted to each district, but neither proposed any defined boundaries of the Ridings. A short time after, I was in Nelson, and in consequence of a conversation with Mr Richmond I went to Mr Curtis, and discussed the matter with him, reminding him of our conversation in Wellington, when he bad approved of my suggestions. After leaving him 1 met Mr Oliver for the first time for ten years, and after talking the matter over witb him we returned to the Government Buildings, when he showed Mr Curtis my original proposals. Mr Curtis said that they had escaped his memory, but that he would immediately telegraph them to Wellington. This, I think, disposes of the statement made by the editor of the Colonist that there was a confederacy between me and Mr Oliver. I am exceedingly glad that I took the trouble I did, as I feel sure that the public will acknowledge that I did good service in advocating the retention of the Road Board districts. With the naming of the Ridings I had nothing whatever to do.— l am, &c, E. Baigent.