CORRESPONDENCE.

NZ Truth, Issue 143, 14 March 1908, Page 6

CORRESPONDENCE.

PALMERSTON NORTH MUDDLERS.

TO THE EDITOR

Sir, —lt is an old saying that one generally has to so away from home to see things. But the ratepayers of the borough- of Palmerston North have been exceedingly fortunate for the last few months m that they have, been treated to some of the miost idiotic and, I might say, shameful - and disgusting exhibitions of municipal legislation by "would be" councillors that would really .turn one sick. That ttfe poor ratepayers of this town are sick, sore, weary, disgusted and many demented, goes without saying. To think that after electing these muddlers last April to work m the interests of the ratepayers and help our worthy Mayor, Mr Essex, to manage the affairs of the Borough to ihe best advantage, and then . find Uiem talcing the stand against the Mayor that they have all along, I venture to say it is without parallel m the Dpmiriion. Mr Essex has done, up-to-date, . all we expected him to do, and because he has been straightforward— spent absolutely the whole of his time on Borough matters—<.paid special attention to all details m connection with our local municipal wprks, and was not too la ; zy to do it either, and because, 'of all this these "Would-be" councillors are absolutely reeking with abominable jealousy at the able manner m which our Mayor is conducting the "municipal ship.". The Fergussonstreet sewer episode, the tremendous, bungling of our crack engineer m the past, the great "rumpus" 1 caused by Gr. Haydon's motion for ' a No. 2 Public Works Comtaittee, and last, but not least,, when the 'men were stuck for their money, through v no fault of our Mayor, are all matters of history. . ißut .it > is* impossible to forget these, things, .and- it malces one ask himself the question.:,.. What is tho ; reason of ' all this ? Is- it the fault of the Mayor ? and is it -impossible for him to do' anything right? The an'sw-er is this; These 1 'muddling councillors" never intended to give bur. Mayor an atom of support from the very day he was elected, because the mqm they wanted was badly'.'defeated^ and they had no time for Mr Essex.. To the second • ci.uestion.the: answer is, Mr Essex has always endeavored to mleet his councillors m: a fair and straightforward manner, and I challenge anybody that is a 'ratepayer of this borough to 'quote, ohe thing that our Mayor has clone that lie would have cause to hold his head down and feel ashamed •0f.... T0 the contrary, I say here and now that all the past trouble has not been caused by Mr Essex, but by these "ranters"' in' the Council, who arc the working tools of a clique that was told last ; April .'that they ;-, were not wanted by a large majority of the ratepayers. One hundred and twenty odd ratepayers who comprised that majority have jYot changed their op/inions .one,, bit, and rightly so, because .our Mayor- has given such satisfaction to the . ratepayers of this Borough by the admirable way he has worked for them n gainst tremendous odds and unnecessary, wilful ancJ stubborn opposition that has been altogether uncalled for. That he has come out of it all with flying colors tli_erc-can-.be no doubt. :'B.ut another great cloud has just burst on the municipal horizon, and as I journeyed home on Saturday last I, .by a bit of good luck, got hold of that "beautiful" paper called the "Manawatu Times." It was good luck, Mr Editor/because m it., was the "great" report of the special meeting of the Council to consider the resignation of an ordinary^ Council employee named Smith. Now, this rag "being run by some blatant "old woman" of an editor, after the clique I have already referred to have used him to suit their purpose, would lead one to suppose that Palmierston North, was going to ''bust up," or that the "Adamantine Mayor," as he calls liim, was .a terrible bad m;an who ought to he „■■ hanged, ( or something else. Well, this old woman of. an editor just wants to be given to understand that if he can't edit a paper by himself he should N not allow any clique to run it for him. And, further, neither but . Miayor or his numberless^ supporters can take him seriously, or take his paper at all,which is rotten. But referring . to the squabble on Friday night over this man. Smith, t v was astounded to see that they were . all "dumb dogs." Well it was up. to them to do so after the damiage they have been doing, and the ratepayers have known all "along what they are. I would not like to print some of the expressions I have heard about some of them. There is nd; doubt this man Smith (I will here give his. full name, Mr W. W. Smith, F.R.H.S., rrom-the "Ashburton Bomain," mind you ! ! was used as a lever to try arid corner the Mayor again. But as things turned out the Mayor won m a canter, and got them m a corner instead. This m,an Smith is an ordinary "common garden" employee of the, Council at £160 per year and house allowance—which is pretty good' for a "laboring" man. But this W. W. Smith, F.R.H.S., seems to be an important kind of an individual with no end of cheek and after being here only a few months he sends m his resignation because ■■ our Mayor; m: looking after the ratepayers' interest, sees fit, as it were, to criticise a bit. Now, apparently, he doesn't want to go at .all, and gets these municipal muddlers to gee for him on Friday night to save his billet. What kind of councillors do you call theso when they will allow an employee to "get at" them, as it were, for his own purpose? Such is so, whether they deny it <y?' not. Wihy, to hear them "raving l ' ' about him you would think he was a "grate inahn entoirely," and that if he lost his 'job the "municipal chariot" wtiuld stop altogether. That this "grate m;ahn" didn't know his place, and didn't keep it is quite evident. ' Just imagine an ordinary

"common gardener" writing to the Council m the strain that he did, and because his letter was "not received" sends m his. resignation. Did you ever hear of such effi'.ohtry and cheek. And now this pack of "municipal muddlers" want to keep him. I say let him go, and let this Mr W. W. Smith, F.R.H.S., to understand that he can be done without, and further, that this Borough has no intention of crawling. to him, or anybody else. There is this to be said, W. W. Smith, F.R.H.S., might run the majority/ of "councillors," but he can't be allowed to run the Borough. If the Borough encouraged him to stop, W. W. Smith, F.R.H.S., from the "Ashburton Domain, etc." would not want to do any work at all Great Scott ! what are we coming to, ? And when you come to read the discussion m the Council, my word didn't Mr Clausen buck up? Didn't he talk some ? Whoever heard Mr Clausen talk so much before ? There is no doubt he (like the rest of them.) had been to rehearsel prior to the meeting. And the rest of Mr W. iW. Smith's, F.R.H..5.,* \ 'backer's up" m the Council ; what a sorry spectacle they must have looked, having to get up one after another and aclm.it they were ail a pack of "dumb dogs." Really, Mr Editor, was it not truly funny, and a great victory for our Mayor, That the Dominion is laughing at us goes without saying, and all through these "outrageous municipal muddlers." I am sorry, Mr Editor, to have taken so much of your space, but you will certainly admit, after reading the foregoing, that it was time somebody spoke up, and tried if possible to stop this "municipal farce." Thanking you again,— l am, &c.„ I ONE HUNDRED AiND TWENTY 1 ODD MAJORITY.