CORRESPONDENCE.

Te Aroha News, Volume XXVII, Issue 4424, 15 June 1909, Page 3

CORRESPONDENCE.

(We are net responsible for the opinions expressed by our correspondents.)

(To the Editor) Sill, —In your issue of Juue Bth, Mr Montgomery was kind enough to notice my letter on the Cottage Hospital. I most deeply regret that he found it necessary to bring the late Mr Seddon’s name into the controversy. I am sure if he had known the late Mr Seddon for any length of time (I personally was acquainted with him) he would most certainly have never written what he did write. lam safe in saying, sir, the late Mr Seddon was a man who never turned his back on a case of necessity. To my personal knowledge, there are thousands of men scattered all over the globe who teceived counsel and assistance from both the late Mr Seddon and his esteemed lady, and I would remind Mr Montgomery, after a life spent in Public Service and all sorts of vile epitaphs hurled at him-bribery, corruption, every name his opponents could think of—all ihe charge they could possibly lay against him was £7O, and that was not against him, but against his son. Just fancy if you can a man that controlled millions of money and all that could be brought again-sf him in the shape of bribery and corruption was £7O, which when it came to be inquired into contained not a particle of truth. Now, sir, for a few words in reference to the late Mr Seddon’s treatment of Te Aroha, “ lest we forget, lest we forget ” I must first remind Mr Montgomery that previous to the late Mr Ballarce coming into power Te Aroha received no consideration worth mentioning from the Conservative party, but one of the first actions of the late Mr Seddon as Minister of Mines was to have £I,OOO placed on the Estimates for a Bath House for Te Aroha, and when the late Mr Cadman was elected lie strongly supported the late Mr Seddon, with the result that we got what is mw termed the Cadman Bath House, besides the several reserves known as Township Reserve, Cemetery Reserve, nud several other reserves. We have had the rents of Morgan town, which for many years, kept Te Aroha going, and, now, sir, a word for what Sir Joseph Ward has done. He gave us a reserve in the centre of the iown, a railway station, and stated that it was against the rules of the Governin' nt to grant a Railway Station arid Post Office in the same year, and, sir, I would ask what was our thanks. Turn him out, kick him out. and such expressions were very fieely used at the lasfc election. In reference to my blowing hot and cold I have never once, sir, at any time objected to the Government spending money in Te Aroha. On the contrary, through the medium of the Te Aroha News, I told Sir Joseph very plainly that the Government were not spending enough money here- Just fancy, sir, any town in New Zealand objecting to the Government spending money in it. To my way of thinking it is so absurd that it will not stand arguing. If I am to take the Captain seriously, he objects to the Government spending money here. The people of Te Aroha may have changed their minds about a Sanatorium, but I am certain the people at one time were very much in favour of it because they krew that a Sanatorium would most undoubtedly assist the town. I should thank Mr Montgomery for the free advt. but it is a very doubtful one, as it would appear as if I wanted to injure the Boarding House keepers, but I think I made it qnite clear to them that the Rotorua Sanatorium was not an injury to the Boarding House keepers there. By my injuring the Boarding House keepers I should most certainly be injuring my own business. There is no manner of doubt that iwe want a Hospital of some sort, but the idea of getting the trustees of the Hamilton Hospital to agree to band over the revenue to Te Aroha to start another Hospital is certainly, to say the least, quixotic. -I am, etc.,

John Williams