ON SWOPPING HORSES IN MIDSTREAM.

Shannon News, 8 May 1923, Page 3

ON SWOPPING HORSES IN MIDSTREAM.

(To the Editor.) Sir,—As a, ratepayer who has 1 alien more than aj casual interest in Power Board affairs, I should like to urge on my fellow-electors the advisability of securing continuity in policy and stability of representation. The Board, in office has. so far as we can see, : ed on its administration in an exemplary manner. As a result I am assured that no Board in the Dominion will commence actual operations with so small a pronortionnte exuen--’iiure as the Tlorowhenu-n Board. Tills t-ririg* me to the fact that just as the Board is getting into its stride, the f'oiintv men)hers are called upon to fight Inr thei' 1 seats at a County election. .Now, no one can quarrel with the democratic principle of election, nor with the right of any individuals to offer themselves to Iheir fellowcitizens for office: more than that, it even becomes a duty upon any person believing he possesses the intelligence and opportunity to serve the common interest to offer the community the benefit of those services. Another duty devolves upon any person so offering, however, and it is to tel] the electors what is wrong with the existing regime, why he considers he can improve it and" generally to give the electors some means of judging his fitness for the position sought. So far we have heard nothing from the new applicants for our franchises, except sundry petty and unworthy rumours. It is commonly stated, about, the County, for instance (T have heard it in Otaki and Levin) that the challenging ticket is mainly in the interests of the Weraroa sile for the Power Board offices. Having known Messrs Boe and Catley for many years, T cannot bring myself to believe that they are willing to subordinate the whole interests and administration of a scheme involving Ihe expenditure of ai quarter of a million of money to the paltry issue whether the Power Board offices shall he a quarter of a mile to the north or a similar distance to- Ihe souith. Can we not hear from them on the subject? Apart, from that T cannot help expressing my opinion that it would be a grave mistake to reject the sendees, except for due cause, of men who are additionally valuable by reason of the information they have already acquired in the work of the Board. We should, I think, require evidence of serious maladministration before we record our votes against a proven administrator like Mr Monk, a. keen alert business man like Mr Seifert, or one who possesses even Mr Brown’s shrewd commonsense. To my mind this is essentially a case where the general well being should be pqt, above the petty parochrftjsm the moment.—l am, etc., WIROKINO.