TO THE EDITOR.

Patea Mail, 24 February 1881, Page 3

TO THE EDITOR.

[Correspondents arc 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 Patea.] HARBOR MANAGEMENT. Silt, —In your report of the Harbor Board proceedings, Mr Sherwood said ; “ I regret very much that the public have not taken sufficient interest to come forward to keep the Board together as it has been.” Then he goes on to say, “If this is meant as a protest,” &c. Is Mr Sherwood afraid that his noble self and the late Board arc the only people in the Patea County that can manage the Harbor works ? Did the public ever take much interest in putting the Board together ? Has it not generally been a walk- over ? Does Mr Sherwood want to be the Harbor Board himself, all the members to be dummies ? If so, no wonder he is afraid of fresh blood. Now about the cost, he says “ What has been done has been done without one penny of cost to the public.” That is heavy, but what he means by not costing the public anything I am at a loss to know. Mr Sherwood, don’t be afraid of us ! Your speech will not alarm me. I pity you to have to state that you were afraid of new blood ; and as I interpreted your speech, that if you ednnot have all the Board with you, you will resign. I suppose you are at liberty to, if you wish.—l am, &c. A Member P. 11. Board. Note.— ln admitting personal criticisms, the line must be drawn somewhere. We have excluded from this letter a charge that the Chairman has made “ a trip or two to Wellington on his own hook,” and that the Harbor Board paid him certain sums for those trips. Critics and accusers need not be generous, but they should try to be just.— Ed. ROAD BOARDS v. COUNTY COUNCILS. Sir, —Mr Dale says, in your County Council report, that he intended to oppose Road Boards, as they did not work satisfactorily. Good. Is not Mr Dale receiving about thirty pounds per annum as clerk to a )Road Board, meetings to be held once in two months ? Does he object to Road Boards because he has attained the Chairmanship of the C.C. ? Did he not go into the County Council for his own ends ? Does he consider himself morally or legally entitled to draw travelling allowance, although he hands it to the Hospital ? Does not the Counties Act say the Council may vote sums sufficient to defray the travelling expenses of members coming from a distance ? Now surely Mr Dale is not a traveller from a distance. So much for Mr Dale and Road Boards.—•l am, &c., Road Board Advocate. SECRET OPPOSITION. Sir, —I sincerely hope the people of Patea will not allow the Committee appointed by the Town Board last meeting to rest in quietness in regard to their duty of preparing the Municipality petition, &c. I hear there is likely to be a strong opposition secretly carried on for the balking of this effort, an opposition which keeps power in the hands of the County Council, and is directly inimical to the welfare of the people of this town. The statement of the advantages to be gained may be made in a few lines of writing,—the direct control of the roads and streets, an income increased from £4OO a year to about £1,500 a year, power to borrow money if required for improvements, an endowment of 2,000 acres of land, &c. : Against this there is nothing but the opposition of a few persons who wish more exclusive control of the ratepayers’ property than a corporation is likely to afford to them. It should be the wish of every ratepayer in this town that no private person should be able to interfere either through Ministerial or any other influence with the welfare of this community. The piece of railway line in progress will almost undoubtedly become a portion of the main trunk line ; the wharf will give increased facilities for export and import ; and if this town was made a municipality, attention would be greatly drawn to our growing importance. Shall we let Hawera have its mayor and

corporation, whilst Patea, the County town, is an unknown village? It is true that the chairman of the County Council stated that he would like to sec the question shelved for six mouths, until there were more houses within the present town boundaries, but then the County Council is not everything, although it is a “ sweet boon.” Let tin's petition for a Municipality he got up quickly, and do not let the ratepayers have the wool pulled over their eyes gently and effectively, but work with men like those who now bold office in that Town Board which lias the interests of the town of Patea at heart, and who will find it bard pulling by themselves unless backed up by men who, if they help the Board, will help themselves, and their own pockets.—Yours, &c. Tribune. Patea, Feb. 23rd. ! 1 | i