ORIGINAL CORRESPONDENCE

Patea Mail, Volume V, Issue 494, 25 February 1880, Page 2

ORIGINAL CORRESPONDENCE

[We are at all times ready to give expression to every shade of opinion, but in no case do we hold ourselves responsible for the sentiments of our correspondents.] C To the Editor of the Patea Mail.) Sir, —I am glad that my letter, which appeared in the issue of ybur paper of the 14lh instant, has stirred up the latent energy of some of the ratepayers in the Wairoa Highway District, the result being Mr Kenah’s criticism and Ratepayers comments. Mr Kenah has, in my opinion, made but a very lame defence of the late Board’s actions. He lias not tried to disprove or contradict any of the charges I brought against them; perhaps that would have been too much condecension on his part, considering the very high position he holds. Perhaps Mr Kenah, in return for his fighting the Board’s battles, expects to got that piece of road leading up to his house improved. If I am not mistaken, there has beep three different contracts carried out in forming this piece of road, and the Board has resolved to spend some more money on it. Some of that very small section of dissatisfied ratepayers which Mr Kenah alludes to, would feci obliged if he would publish in his next letter the amount expended and to be spent on said road, as they are anxious to know the privileges a J.P. is entitled to over ordinary mortals. In spite of Mr Kenah’s assertion, that the ratepayers endorsed the action of the late Board at the late election, I still maintain that the ratepayers, as a rule, know very little about their actions, being syslematicaly kept in the dark by the Board. Mr Kenah certainly has no reason to complain of the action of the late Board, he being one of the fortunate individuals who uses the Kohi Road, on which all the money has been expended. ] Mr Kenah, I fancy, is not. one of the! ■'•f ranger 3 who arc to be excluded from

the Board’s meetings. I believe I know who this absentee after the Irish fashion is that Mr Kenah alludes to in his letter. What a line drawn simile. This absentee lives more than half his time on his Okotukn property, and has been expending close on L 1,000 per annum on it for the last few years. Has resident Mr Kenah been expending as much on his; I can assure Mr Kenah that he never obtained the position he holds in the local bodies of which he his a member, and has been for a number of years, by canvassing for votes on his own behalf. If the late Board spend their time, which menus money, in laying off and superintending work, I suppose they undertook these duties with their eyes open, and became public benefactors under no compulsion. Whether this large amount of work done by them was well done or not, I shall perhaps have a few remarks to make on a future occasion.—l am, &c., WILSON MILNE, Waverley, 24th February, 1880.