PATEA COUNTY COUNCIL AND MR GANE.

Patea Mail, Volume V, Issue 493, 21 February 1880, Page 2

PATEA COUNTY COUNCIL AND MR GANE.

The following letter appeared in the Taranaki Herald ot’ Tuesday last; Sir, — During the last, two weeks several letters have appeared in your columns with reference to the abovementioned body and its chairman. I should not have taken notice ot them had the last one not been signed by the person who I felt certain had written the previous ones under different. no7n de plumes. I would now ask you to devote a portion of your space to this letter, and afterwards Mr F. J. Gam; may write what he likes to yon. but I shall not take any further notice of him, for 1 have neither the time nor inclination to continue a newspaper correspondence with such a person as Francis Job Gane. If be had eonlined bis writings to the local press, I should not have replied to him, for he. is too well known here for people to trouble their heads about what lie says or does. Certainly at the present lime, lie has caused a little sensation by his swearing what he did in the it.M. Court here last Friday’, whim he was charged with a broach of sub-section 4, section 02, of the Counties Act, iii being concerned in a ro.nl contract that was b“ing done for the' Council, He got off because be swore that he was not receiving pay for his services, and that the dray and horses were the property of Mr Honey field (his brother in law). The contractors stated that they had arranged with Mr lloneylield, and were paying him .fit per d.»y for the team driven by Mr Gane. Last year, when 1 was valuing for the land tax, this person wanted to make out a return showing part, of his partnership land as belonging to himself, and the other part to his brother, lor the purpose oi each claiming £OUU e.xemtioii, but, was only deterred on my pointing out to him that he would he prosecuted if he did so. Jf this individual thinks he poss< stes the confidence of the Utoia Hiding electors, whom he is supposed to represent (but wno really had no voice in h;s election, because he only got imo lie- Conned by the other candidate nominated, Mr F. M. Honey field, retiring in his favor), let him resign his seat, and 1 w.ii do so likewise ; we can then go belore the ratepayers and let them dcci le if they wish ns or some other persons to represent, them. 1 have now been before the public for the last nine years as a member of different local bodies, and I defy Mr Gane. or any other person to prove that I have done anything tiiat I need feel a-hamed of in connection with lliuso bodies.

11l one oi‘ llm letters I refer to a warning was given to Major Atkinson that no may look out for his seat at the next election if he gets me appointed a J.P. At the present time I am not ambitions of the honor (if honor it be) of attaching those two letters to my name, therefore your correspondent may make Ids mind easy on that point.

In another letter he wishes to know if you have such talent in your Council ns we have in ours. 1 sincerely trust they may never have such an infliction thrust upon them as a Mr F. J. Cane. With reference to the proposal to vote me a salary of £IOO for my term of office, the Councillor who proposed it considered the chairman should travel often through the county, but some members did not consider it necessary. I requested that the resolution might be withdrawn, at the same time staling * tiiat it was not my intention to retain any amount which might he voted to my own use, and that such intention was known to some members. The amount voted in previous years to the chairman, viz, £SO, was then passed. In the letter which appeared in your issue of tlio J3lii instant, signed F. J. Gane, ho makes some rent.tries about my supplying gravel to tlie Conmii at 2d per yard. 1 tnav state that tbe Council passed a resolution some time since that they would pay 2d pci yard for any gravel that they might take for road woik from private property. In letting contracts lately they have made a condition that contractors shall provide graved at their own cost, and they have had to pay, in some instances, Gd per yard, which is, of conrsc, calculated in their tenders. Among other contracts one was let to supply 1100 yards of gravel between the Pa tea Whennakura Rivers, and mine being, I believe, the nearest available pit, intending tenderers came to me, and wished to know what I proposed to charge, them per yard. In every case I told them that the amount of 2d per yard would have to be paid to the Council, and I should expect that body to pay me that sum. I did not consider 1 should be Justified in faking money from any oilier person. The Council had been at considerable expense in

opening «p the pit previously in order to repair the road, and a lot of stripping Jiad been done, which made it easy to get a lot of gravel out at less expense than it would have-cost otherwise, therefore in tendering, contractors had only to calculate 2d per yard instead of 6d, and the County Funds have been saved 4d per yard on the quantity taken out, which 1 could have pul in my own pocket. Had the question of taking gravel out of my pit, or some other one, come before the Council, I should have taken care not to have voted in the matter. With reference to Mr Cane’s remarks about the Foreman of Works, I may say that ] hoard complaints about the quality of the gravel being put on the road, and I requested the Foreman to go with me to inspect it. Ho had previously spoken to the contractors it, and I had told him I wished lira to be very particular about making them use the best gravel (because 1 was to a certain extent interested), that it might not bo said that by using the worst gravel the road would soon went repairing again, and I should be a gainer by some more gravel having to be got from me. The Foreman lias no reason te fear how my vote would go while he does his duty. W. DALE. Carlyle, February 10, 1880.