WAIHOPAI ELECTION.

Southland Times, Issue 710, 16 August 1867, Page 2

WAIHOPAI ELECTION.

(TO THE EDITOR OV THE SOUTHIiAKD TIME^. Sib, — Mr. Clerke, in answer to a question put to him at the meeting in the Theatre, on Tuesday night, Btated, flippantly enough, " that he was certainly prepared to accept office again; that he felt the duties to be light and easy, and the quarters comfortable and nice." I daresay he does, — it can't be very hard work to do nothing especially when you have two able men to assist you. Messrs. Clerke and Co. took office avowedly to do nothing, and I must admit they have i done it most effectually. The affairs of I the Province remain in precisely the same j state they were left in by the late j Executive, and, no doubt, will be allowed j so to remain so long as the do nothiwj Executive are in office. Had Mr. Clerke reflected for a moment his answer might have been less jauntily given. The people will not allow affairs to remain at a standstill, and when public works of such magnitude as those proposed _ oam© fco-K& put into opomtioa the position of Provincial Secretary will not be quite so much of a sinecure as it is now. I think the trial we have had of Mr. T. M. C. has been quite sufficient to show that he is not within sight of being the "right man in the right place," and my fellow electors will perpetrate a gross blunder if they return him to the Council in view of the probability of his being reinstated in the office he has found "so nice." Further, Sir, I think Mr Clerke guilty of a little of the " shenanegan" he is so fond of imputing to others at the meeting in question. At ! considerable trouble to myself I attended it, and heard Mr C, when he came forward to speak, say — as I expected he would — that he had called us together to give an account of his stewardship, &c, &c, but that before entering on that subject, he had a " craw tae pick " with Mr Blaeklock about something said by him (B.) at his recent meeting. Mr C. then " went in " to Mr B, and when finished with, him, broke short off saying — " I will now be happy to reply to any questions, &c." What had become of the promised " account of his stewardship?" Certainly he gave none; and when asked further on in the evening to state what he and colleagues had done, — which was just in other words asking Mr Clerke to give us the account he had promised, — an aceoinodating chairman ruled that the question was too vague, not pointed enough ; it seemed to me to be too pointed for Mr Clerke to answer, and so he burked it. — By the way can you, Sir, tell me — Mr Clerke said you knew more about Government matters than he did, so of course you can — whether Mr Clerke draws his salary. It has just struck me that a man really possessing the amount of patriotism and honesty for which Mr C's gets credit among his supporters, would scorn to pocket money he never earned, and I think, Sir, on Mr C's own showing, the honor attached to the office is a sufficient considerationjjfor all he does.^— Yours, &c. An Electob of Waihopai. Eaat Eoad, 14-th August, 1867