ORIGINAL CORRESPONDENCE.

Oamaru Mail, Volume III, Issue 752, 7 September 1878, Page 2

ORIGINAL CORRESPONDENCE.

THE MAYOR AND THE PROPOSED RAILWAY STATION. TO THE EDITOR OF TUB EVEXIIfO MAIL. Sm,—There is a local in the N.O. Times this morning stating- that in consequence of the Mayor dissent ing from the views of those in favor of the Railway Station-being placed as proposed by Mr. Oouyers, a requisition is in Course of signature calling- on his Worship to resign. It is quite true that a requisition is being signed for the purpose of asking tho-Mayor to resign, but it is absolutely untrue that it is because he dissents from the requisitionists as to the site of the proposed Railway Station. Every man has a right to his own opinion on the subject—l claim that right—why not grant the same right to the Mayor as an individual.

The ratepayers, Mr. Editor, are dissatisfied with the Mayor for the manner in which he wishes to tyrannise over them, and for his conduct at the Harbor Board meeting, when he stated he did not care for the resolution passed at the public meeting on Tuesday evening. That meeting was called by himßelf on a requisition signed almost exclusively by the residents of the Harbor Board block, Tyne-stroet and Teeg-etreet, and when the meeting took place, for some reason or other, the requisitionists kept aloof, mid took no part whatever—not one of them appeared to take any interest in it—either they felt shame at the party spirit displayed by themselves when they found no one from anv other part of the town backing them, or they were merely making a catspaw of the Mayor. Then, again, the ratepayers are naturally indignar.t at the Mayor toadying to these parties by volunteering to give £3OOO of the ratepayers' money by way of a bribe, to have the station placed where those new friends of his want it. He should bear in mind that tho3e verjpeople he is now so anxious to please, when he was candidate for his office of Mayor, worked their level best against him, and that it was the bulk of the ratepayers who would not be led by the upper ten or the

Harbour Board wJw pat him In. J&mtat, the time m*j come wiieifc* wifi ttgttt hmiag turned MS-coat. . oW6»ru.S*»t. *. „ tcllhe KDitos of srsaasa tun. SIR, —" Citileii" a few days since brought up the question of the Lagoon, Bud the savants of Oamaru wanting to fill it up. Allow me, Mr._ Editor, to ask a few questions. - ■ -'" : . Ist. In whose trust is the Lagoon, and for what purposes ? I believe it was invested In the trust of the Harbor Board for docks and. harbor purposes, which site originally'it, was their "serious intention to have commenced operations fr'ojri for a-harbor for shipping purposes. •ind. Can the Harbor Board sacrifice that trust conveyed to .them for any other purpose? Certainly ! not. " T'.en what right has the Mayor (albeit a member of ihe Board) aod Municipal Councillors t-> presume to offer, moneys belonging to ratepayers to either bridge it or fill it up. whatever. It is prosuriiptiou, founded on a m-Siipprehension of the original fact of the case, and therefore in ignorance of that invested right. 3rd. Then whose right is it to see that the Lagoon is not a cesspool and miasma to the detriment of the town ? The Harbor Board in all verity. They, and they alone, are responsible if any such evils exist, and see and have the evils removed; for they can, by opening- a channel and sluicing out the sediments of filth collected. 4th Does not the first blocks of concrete lying at its mouth speak volumes? Use us ! For they were originally made to commence a wall to run into the sea to keep back the shingle,-but were left were they were made by the Harbor Board to commence operations at the Breakwater. sth. Theu how comes it that Corporation and its meddling Mayor want to do so many things with ratepayer?' moneys ? A bridge, forsooth, to connect number-street and Tyne-street, to suit the savants and magnates, as "Citizen" says, in their systematic schemes of speculation and interest. Truly, Mr.'Editor, the inhabitants of .Oamaru cannot permit such a Tammany Ring to fnrin ahd show such a front as they are beginning to assume ? f»'o, Sir, a hundred times no: The question demands investigation by a legal test—Whether members of either Board can thus far forget thoir pledged truth to sacrifice them for selfish interests.—l am, Sc, W.vtCHKAX. Oamaru, September 4,1878. •_ TO TIIE EDITOR OP THE EVEXIXG MATH. Sir, —From your report of what transpired at the Harbor Board and Municipal Conference yesterday, it is evident the Mayor in his mightiness, flushed with recent victory, ignores the competency of the citizens to decide where it would be most suitable for them to have the railway passenger station. The Mayor had once before to eat humble pie because he deemed the opinions of a vast majority of his constituents unworthy of notice, and went in to represent his individual opinion only. lam strongly of opinion that he is again on the eve of receiving another lesson that will show him tnat egotism, even in majestic Mayors, must have a limit. I venture to assert that no sane man, not blinded by selfish motives, will deny that north of the Gasworks is by far the most suitable and safe site for a passenger station. The immense amount of heavy traffic and tramway haulage on the Haabor Board property and Tyne-street will prevent human ingenuity from making that locality a safe site for passenger traffic, ltchen-street being the main feeding thoroughfare, would be a mostdangerous approach. The idea of placing the passenger station on a strip of reclaimed ground in f: ont of the present station, and the passengers to cross the railway lines in the centre of the shunting ground could only originate from some one whose opinion is not worth having. I would like to ask the opponents of the nort'i site if they can mention one passenger station in England or Scotland placed near the banks and wholesale houses, because the banks, &e., happened to be built first.—lam, &c, No Axb TO Grkd, Oamaru, September 5, 1878. TO TIIE EDITOR, OF fllE EVENING MAIL. Sir, —Who is " Toodles?" I wonder if Mr. O'Meagher and "Toodles" are one and the same individuals? What a funny man O'Meagher is to "mount a platform in Oamaru, armed wi-m a formidable shillelagh, and so carefully plated by the side of his hat, I suppose in anticipation of a "free fight, which is the delight of every Irishman. How refreshing to see Mr. O'Meagher's virtuous indignation because the people would not let him hear the proverbial pin fall. He said he did not care where they placed the passenger station. Then why did he waste the people's time, and prevent some other gentleman from speaking who did care for the welfare of Oamaru ? I could not see any point in Mr. O'Meagher's twaddle. That gentleman spoko. twice, and what did it all amoun to? Simply, bosh. I noticed that Mr. Finch made a speech, but unfortunately he was at the wrong end of the room, and was speaking at the same time that the gentleman on the platform was speaking. The Mayor told us that he had called the meeting by the request of several gentlemen of the town. Does it not appear strange that none of those gentlemen came forward to advocate their pet scheme? Why call a public meeting for the consideration of an important matter and then abandon it altogether? Of whom were they afraid ? Was it Mr. O'Meagher with his shillelagh ? "or was it Battersby, that wanted to get away from somewhere, but nobody knew whether I it was the Railway Station or some other statior i -I- am an interested party. 1 want the passenger I station at the north end of the town. I am very , anxious for it. Do you ask why ? Because it will '. improve every person's property ; because it is best for the travelling public ; beeause there is no other place so suitable ; because Mr. Conyers is a gentleman whose opinion is worth having, who is not biased by any party or property interest. He has no section at either end of the town, has selected the site recommended to Government from an engineer's point of view, as well as in the interest of economy. How ridiculous he would appear in the eyes of the Government and all the engineers in the Colony were he to tell them that he had made a mistake as to the locality ; that he had arrived at that conclusion hy the persuasive eloquence of Messrs. Finch, Steward, and others, who had persuaded hiiu that the south would be the best after all said and done.—l am, &e., Rocoh asd Tumble. ♦ TO THE EDITOR OF TIIE EVENING MAIL. Sir, —I wish through the columns of your valuable paper to draw the attention of the railway authorities to the great want of accommodation at the Waiareka railway sidings. It is quite a common thing to see from ten to fifteen persons standing on the platform for ton minutes after the train is due, with not as much as a form to sit on. This is too bad where a line is paying so well as the above. I would suggest for Teaneraki and Weston, where the number of passengers is large, that a few forms should be placed there and closed"in at the back, with a few sheets of iron overhead. The cost would be small, and the comfort would be gre.tt, more particularly to those that have to come a few miles, as well as to women and children, who have to stand under rain and sun. By inserting the above yon will have the thanks of your correspondent, who is expressing' the feeling of this community.—l am, &c, Passexqer.