Wake Up Clevedon!

Pukekohe & Waiuku Times, Volume 6, Issue 312, 21 September 1917, Page 2

Wake Up Clevedon!

! To the Editor"; Sir—Reading Mr Luke's letter over date September 17th recalls to my mind the words of the spring poet involved by Rip tn Winkle '•The most extraordinary fellow ever I did see." Or he suggests to me the attitude of a drowning man, clutching at anything to save himself and tr ing to keep bis head above water by getting on the backs of Messrs Bell aud Munro. I mentioned no names, but the one boldly thrust out, Mr Luke's. But Mr Luke's remarks are, to quote a poet j ag.iin, ' idle wind which I regard j not"—as sense. Mr Luke's dat> s aud the Farmers' I'uion minu'es are his undoing;. Years before that 1 ad ln-ssed a public meeting <>n the question of Thorp's <juarry and scenic reserve and g it a favourable motion ca-ried T!i" Farmer-' IJni m Committee was neither executive <>r advisory, merely inlluential, all it did was to re atfirm v hat I had already done. As for th- 1 "bungle' -one short hour accotnpli-hed it W nat I fin>i•!»■ r i> just like the Board—sti Men and d-'termined to do foolishly, but slow arid averse to do sensibly. Noa ' Noah ! Mr l.uke, 110 amount of argument can undo history, but we all know Mr Luke loves his •'Barney'' whether he is right or wrong But u hy tlv rothe l'armeis' Union? .lust a side-step like the tacit eon - demnatiou of the Bard, by telling ratepayers to never mind the roads, look at our beautiful scenery ? Which seems to me to be like the Maori epigram about the missionaries '•While pointing the Maoris' eyes to Heaven, the Mi«si. naries took the

land beHeath their feet." If Mr Luke had stuck to his roads and not tried to draw off the ratepayers' attention to the scenery I might not have "battled in." Personally Ido not care two straws who gets the credit of acquiring Thorps hill, so long as it is acquired. I would thus just whisper to Mr Luke, why not claim all "the honour" for the Maungapipi reserve, you had nothing to do with it, but that does not matter. Tell the people you helped to build the Hauraki Gulf?" Mr Luke says I was too "wild" in my idea about the Board's financial ability. But, thinking the matter over, it seems to me I was too 'mild." Just please explain this Mr Luke. When I left the Board over ten years ago, with a little over £3OO rates per annum, the roads were fairly well formed and metalled. Then a revaluation came and the County Council and the rates went up to about £2OOO per annum, and what do people say about the roads now ? I can see metal I put down has not even been kept up. The results seem to me to be in an inverse ratio to the amount of money spent, which in plain English is usually called "waste." I am certain if I had been oh the Board with all its present money all the roads would be well metalled. Mr Luke betrays the Board's method over the reserve boundary fence—that is the Lord Bigh Board —lt must be "approached" to do its obvious duty as a neighbour. How many Mowtows—seven times bend the forehead to the ground—Then have this thrown at one like a dog : •'We will collect the rates from you and supply the money, provided you supply the brains." Being spring time I will wind up by supplying a poetic motto for the Board : "So much to do, so little done."— I am, etc., SAM. A. BROWN Clevedon, Sept. 17tb, 1917.