CORRESPONDENCE.

Nelson Evening Mail, Volume XV, Issue 219, 15 September 1880, Page 2

CORRESPONDENCE.

To the Editor of the " Evening Mail." I Sir— My shoddy friend Councillor Harley, in returning thanks after the declaration of the poll on Thursday night, levelled certain attacks at me. as unprovoked as they were unmerited, and by so doing scored another of those vagaries, for the indulgence in which he is already pretty notorious. These attacks being so entirely at variance with anything that gentlemanly promptiugs would pro luce, I can afford to dismiss them to be judged by you and your readers. But underlying them is a carefully prepared delusion anent the raising of the tramway, about which I crave space for a few remarks. The prevailing idea in the minds of many seems to be that the said tramway-raising was done for my special benefit. The simple facts are ih>se :— By the bursting of the sewage culvert during the late flood the raising of the tramway became a necessity, and the Council was bound to do it at their own expanse. The fact of the tramway being the property of a Councillor, and that Councillor toyself, had clearly nothing to do with ifc. Anybody else's property in which the Council might deem it necessary to work an ; on would be in exactly the same position, and the owner evidently could not be callel upon to bear any expense. Notwithstanding that, I offered to pay for the labor if the Council would supply me with the ballast. JTriend Harley being present complimented me upon my liberality and warmly supported my proposition, which was ultimately accepted by the Council and acted tipon. ' Now, that's the offspring of the mountain! But my left-handed friend has beyond that frequently hinted at certain benefits which I had derived from my position of a Councillor. Would my friend oblige the public and myself by pointing out anything of the sort worth to me the amount of five shillings? The most charitable explanation would be that Councillor Harley in the excitement contingent upon an election vaguely remembered certain improvements, and in the whirligig of his lively imagination pardonably coupled my name with them. Here are a few :— Halifax-street, filled up, gravelled, and footpath made (Cr Harley's residence); Weka-street East, a back street in the Wood, about one house, all the rest on both sides property of Mr Harley the Councillor, road formed, gravelled, and footpath made; Emanu street, top of Toi-Toi Valley, expensive culvert put in and a well gravelled road leading to the hills thickly inhabited by manuka. That this locality also is occupied by Cr. Harley is, of course, mero accident, and its improvement, like the rest, has been performed in the pure interest of the ratepayers, although some might think that, on the score of urgency, those localities should have been made to wait in the order of things. But, Sir, I find that I have already used more space than I intended, and will therefore only say that I regret 1o have been forced into print by statements at variance with facts. Touching my defeat I must admit that I would have .liked to be elected, but I did not display any activity to bring about that result. While in the Council I tried to do the best according to my understandingj and now retire in igood feeling towards my fellow citizens who decided that I should make room for a new comer. I am, &c, Moses Cbewdson. i Nelson, Sept. 13, 1880.