TO THE EDITOR.

Patea Mail, Volume VI, Issue 533, 15 June 1880, Page 2

TO THE EDITOR.

[Correspondents are invited to discuss matters of , public interest, with fairness and brevity ; • this journal being an impartial medium of discussion and advocacy for all affairs relating to the County of Tatea,] SEVERE ECONOMY. Sir, —We have now reached a point in the process of Political Economy at which it is possible and permissable to attempt an approximate calculation of the effects arising therefrom. Admitted, for instance, tli.it"retrenchmerits are necessary, in the salaries of Civil Servants, would it not bo desirable to cause a reduction of say 50 percent, on salaries ovef£loo per annum? Let not reduction be enforced upon officials who are placed in responsible positions, at a minimum salary of £IOO, for which a length of service is required before attaining this position iii flie Civil Service. As in the ease of the assistant in the Carlyle office, : extra work is performed thi'ough the collection of land tax, property tax, &c., without..any further remuneration. I submit that at the reduced rate of £9O, which will hardly maintain an adult in the common necessaries of;life, where a respectable appearance is incumbent upon him, this reduction is too harsh, and should certainly not be carried .into effect. It has been brought under my notice that this assistant has twice been reduced since the reins of Government were assumed by the Hall Ministry, for no cause whatever A scheme for the amalgamation of the Post and Telegraph offices is another important matter, and is the cause of the present reductions: vyhere salaries are received from both offices, though in this case it is different, as the assistant is a nonreceiver of a postal salary. The boon, however, of postal work is assumed a sufficient reason for taxing' his. telegraph salary ten per cent. With a minimum duty of eight hours per day in any large office, this reduction would not have taken place ; but circumstances alter cases, and and instead an average of 12 hours per day is the minimum performed in Patea, and a bonus of £9O per annum is the amount voted/ If this bp not political economy with a vengeance, what is ? In conclusion 1 can only say “ God help all these Government functionaries who come under Major Atkinson’s new Civil Service regulation. — Yours,

Reliable Facts. Carlyle 14th June. DAMAGING THE CRIOKET GROUND. Sir, —Our attention having been called to the contradictory statements which have appeared in letters recently' addressed to you by Mr Tapliu on one side, and Mr H. Contts on the other, relative to the damage done by the Football Club to the cricket pitch (turfed last season), we have personally examined the ground, and can testify that a certain amount of damage has been already done, and that more is likely to ensue should another game be :played tliere, as the ground is very soft after tlie winter rains. Just off the pitch, where a scrimmage had evidently taken place/ the ground was much cut up, and large holes made. It is evident that if, during the course of a match, a scrimmage took place on the pitch, it would fare no better. . : Mr Taplin can doubtless answer the statement made, as to the public having materially' (?) assisted in lay’ing the turf, arid other allegations in Mr Coutts’s letter. —We are, &c., R. C. Tennent, . De Gi Fbaser, Wm. Dixon., v Carlyle,'l4 th. Sir, —It. is . not .without regret. ,that I notice a series, of statements re the Cricket Ground, in ymur issue of Thursday', signed by a very young member of the Cricket Club, who is now allowed, apparently without supervision, to write a public letter ;on bphalf of the Carlyle Football Club. ■ First, as to'palpable exaggerations in my description of the injuries done to the cricket, pitch, I believe there’will be corroborative testimony forthcoming froth gentlemen ; whose, .names ought to carry conviction. If Mr H. Gouttsis authorised, as he say's, to speak on behalf .of the Football Club; how is it he forgets that I hold an official letterTrotn that Club assuring me that they would take every care riot to damage the pitch. Even the letter from the “ captain” admits that the ground bears 11 slight evidence” of 'the last match which caused damage ; and as he is writing in mitigation,die may be allowed to state the most lenient view that is possible, which is not the strictly accurate view of an impartial observer. As to his opinion as a cricketter, and that of those other “ experienced persons” who have had as much experience as diimself, T am obliged to say'that “ a little rolling, grassing, &c.,” will not put .the, ground in proper condition for play', as he so confidently states, but that all the holes and ruts made during the football scrimmages will have to be carefully filled in with new turf, and time must then be allowed for the new parts to become firm enough to bear play’ing over without displacement. As to the expense originally incurred for the pitch, I must farther correct him by stating* once again that the Club contributed £3O, and That the only assistance from any source was : same fifteen shillings by a Ratea.:, As to the diminutive space of the ground, if they played_jthe other way across, i. have to tell him that an accurate measurement of the ground .shows there wopld be rdbiri arid pleiity to spare. ! - : ? j

I have again to ask why a football club is not independent enough to clear and prepareits own length for football playing, as"the Cricket Club has had to do ? If, as ho says, the Football Club have quite recognised our right in cquity.to that ground, how is it that he has npw.’to apologise (with or without instruction from the Club) for having damaged the pitch “slightly,” or I should say seriously ? Acuriousfeatureof the “captain’s” letter is that which suggests that it is not “ ungeutlemanly” on their part to damage this pitch, but that it is ungcntlemanly on my part in trying to prevent injury to the pitch by persons who have no right, equitable or otherwise, for other than cricket playing. If I had spoken of them as larrikins, it would have been inaccurate, because we are sure that the Football Club would not knowingly permit larrikins to play a!mong them. If Mr Coutts is properly informed in saying that the Club will shortly migrate to other ground, all cricketters in Patea will be, pleased to bear that justice is about to be. done at last. The Cricket Club maj thou safely commence to repair the damage already done, without fearing that this farther expense will be thrown awa)'. —I am, &c., S. Taplin. Carlyle, 12th. ■ ,

PATEA V. TARANAKI. Sir, —I observe that a strong feeling is being displayed by members of the House towards the Taranaki members, and towards Taranaki generally. This is not to be wondered at; and it is highly desirable that a searching investigation should be made into the acts of some of the local bodies in Taranaki county —and into the actions of the local representatives in the House, in connection with those bodies. The settlers of the Patea comity would no doubt like to have the following queries answered:— Is it a fact that special grants have been made to the Taranaki County Council to enable it to make a road parallel to, and alongside of the railway now opened to Stratford ; whilst the Patea County Council is refused the means to make the main road so as to connect with the railway ? Is it a fact Hint the Taranaki Council got a special grant to relieve it from a muddle caused whilst the present chairman of the Native Affairs Committee was chairman of that Council ? Is it a fact also that the Council is again m a mess?

Is it a fact that the Taranaki Harbor Board have spent twenty-five or thirty thousand pounds, contrary to the express provisions of the Act ? Is it a fact that an attempt is now being made to force on the Harbor work, as amended by Sir J. Cbodc; at an additional cost of £85,000. before parliament can interfere ? Is it a fact that tiro Taranaki Harbor Board is not legally constituted, and was not so constituted when it pledged its securities to the bank ?

I submit, sir, that these arc pertinent questions, and that in them the interests of the Patca settlers are largely involved. The taking of the 25 per cent, of the land revonno and the imposition of the Harbor rate within this county are monstrously unjust to this county, and will militate seriously against what we most require—the bona fide settlement of the land. But where the settlers of Patca suffer principally is in this way. When “ Taranaki ” is spoken of in the House, wo in this county suffer because wc are supposed to be*“Taranaki at least I believe twothirds of the Members of the House are of that opinion, and it is hardly likely that “ the three Taranaki Members ” will enlighten the House. The reason is obvious. Facts should be stated. Our County is remote front Taranaki geographically, commercially, and politically. Our in tcrests are as divergent as possible. Patca County interests lie in the direction of settling the land, and devoting the proceeds to the making of roads and generally promoting settlement, Taranaki iutercst is in seizing the land revenue, taxing the land, and throwing the proceeds into the sea ; begging money from the Government to make roads alongside the railway, and for developing its so-called resources, these being iron-sand, petroleum, and politicians. The total amount paid for the latter product would be of great assistance to the present Colonial Treasurer to help in supplying the deficit which he, as a member of the “ continuous Ministry,” lias contributed so largely in producing. Clause 67, Harbors Act, 1878, says : “No contract the amount whereof exceeds fifty pounds shall, except in cases of emergency, be made except after public tender, of which public notice shall be given.” Public notice is defined in this way —“Publicly notified” aud “ published” mean notified or published in some newspaper circulating at or near the port or place in inspect of which or in relation to which such expression is used.” Now f wish to ask this .questson : Have the Taranaki Harbor' Board spent something like fifty . thousand pounds without complying with the above regulations ; as the Patea County is largely liable for this expenditure, and is'to be robbed. It should bo plundered legally. Nemesis.

' WANGANUI STEEPLECHASE MEETING. . The acceptances for the undermentioned events are— GRAND NATIONAL STEEPLECHASE. Mr Douglas’s Baron , . Mr Keith’s Ada ■ Mr Keith’s Venture Mr Keith’s Hard Times Mr Mclvor’s Grey Momus Mr Murtagh’s The General Mr Cameron’s Papapaka Mr Scott’s Abolition. Mr Butler’s Agent Mr Gibson’s Otawa Mr J. Higgie’s King Don JVIr Abbott’s Sunbeam Mr McAllister’s Eclipse Mr J. W. Jackson’s Old Ireland Mr Dair’s Matau ' GRAND STAND STEEPLECHASE. Mr Mclvor’s Grey Momus Mr Douglas’s Barbu Mr Fraser’s Ttangitira Mr Dillon’s Mickey Free Mr Keith’s Hard Times ’ Mr Keith’s Venture . ii Mr Higgie’s King Don * Mr Desmond’s Kangaroo Mr Jackson’s Old Ireland Mr Dair’s Matau MAIDEN STEEPLECHASE. Mr P. Smith’s Hamlet Mr A. Gower’s Sunray - - Mr, Murtagh’s The General Mr Cameron's Papapaka, -: , Mr Fraser’s. Rangalira • Mr Abbott’s Sunbeam- - Nr Scott’s.Abolition.; ; Mr Fletcher’s Black Prince ■ Mr Desmond’s Kangaroo j Mr Pair’s Silver Cloud Mr McAllister’s Eclipse --; .■ .