CORRESPONDENCE.

Taranaki Daily News, Volume LVII, Issue 220, 24 February 1915, Page 3

CORRESPONDENCE.

TIIK OKATO JIERGEu. j To tlii' Editor, I Sir—Your paper scorns to be having quite a run of correspondents re the above, and I would crave permission to make a brief reply to each of them, but before doing so I would like to touch on the County's refusal to agree to the terms submitted to them by the Okato Koad Board. Can any Okato ratepayer say that the terms were unreasonable, or that they were not put forward to safeguard the interests of the district?i I do not think there is. but the Council thought they had sufficient signatures to merge. They were sure of it. and could ignor? the proposals. lam not surprised at the Council as a whole turning them down, but I am surprised at the stand taken by our two reprcsc.ntat.ivos, for according to your report, one of them tried to block discussion altogether. while the other seconded the proposal that the County would not bind themselves in any way, although, if they could have got them carried it would hae strengthened their hands in more wavs than one. N v ow for "Lively Ratepayer." It is difficult to judge who he is, but, if he is the man I think he is, he occupies about two acres of land in the Tarm-'ki Countv Valued at about €24. Tr ' i-'-s on this would amount to "s - - annum, and this is the first yr." he has paid any, vet. he has the audacity to criticise settlers as "old fogies," etc, w'ho have rated themselves • for loans up to nearly fiSftO to metal throe miles of road and build two bridges for him amongst others to use, and because there is a further mile or so not up to his liking he says it is his business to have it improved, at the other fellow's expense, of course. I should think that before he writes to the press again 'it* ought to make himself better acquainted with what and whom he U writing about, for when lie says this piece of road is the worst kept, rottenest road for miles round Okato; when lie talks of Mr A. H. Rinnic and the late Puniho Road Board it only exposes his utter ignorance of what he is writing about. No wonder he hides behind a noni-de-plume, aid won't come out ''hen invited to do so. The next wiiiu* is "Progress." It is very funny what names these anonymous writers borrow. He is also barking about the same piece of road. He twits Mr W. A. Corbett with having to give free labour to make this road passable. I wonder how much he lias done himself towards it. But does he think there will be no free labour on the bye roads under the County? He cannot read the reports of county meetings if lie thinks so. Just look at the last county meeting, for instance. There you will find requests of deputations from five different roads under county control e:ieh of them complaining about the bad state of their respective roads, and in every instance the council practically demanded that the settlers themselves would have to do a certain amount of work bcf.ire tlioy (the council) would contribute. Fancy a local authority I refusing to spend ratepayers' money until fhey did a o-rtain amount'of free labour. That's progress, I suppose. When councillors were at the Okato ratepayers' meeting, Cr MeAllum was boasting about getting ,£7O worth of work done 011 some road in his riding at a cost to the county of only £3O, one man in particular putting in as much as thirty days free. 'Progress" evidently wants Mr W. \. Corbett, and his neighbours to make a road for six horse waggons, motor cars, etc., for him and his wife to use. without contributing to the cost. He talks about-the county plant. mat good would the scarifier or, roller bo on the road in qustion? He asks if Mr W. A. Corbett did not sign the petition to I merge. I can tell him that he did so, br* when he saw who was at the back of it. and the reason, he, like a wise man, withdrew his signature and there are more ready to follow suit.

_ Next, please. Name in full—Frederick ! John Cowling—the master mind! It is with a certain amount of diffidence that I aspire to criticise th,- writings of so txilted a personage. ITi- knows the minds of i:ll the ratep? y>r-- between New Plymouth and Puniho." Everybody who does not agree with his intelligent ideas is classed as a dummy, narrow-minded old crony, or non-progressive. He knows more about nutting down roads than the best firm of engineers in Taranaki, let alone tin Parihaka Koad Board's overseer. He compares the Puniho road, which has about £l5O per annum over seven miles, with the main south rood, which has about £3OO per mile spent on it per annum to the great advantage of the latter. He calls the Koad Boards dummies, I should advise him to get or one, if they would have him, and hear them all talking at once. Funny thing that though, when he has got the ex-chairman of two Road Boards on his progressive County Council. He says the Okato Road Board is progressive on borrowed money I suppose hj?. can get along without it. He fancies them existing on a farthing rate; it's no honor to (hem, inly a disgrace. Truly he's a great man, but fancy his impeccable self hawking round a petition and getting signatures by what can only mildlv he termed, misrepresentation. Ido hope when next the fiovernment aoproaches him for his enlightened ideas that he will say :"Abolish the Road Boards."

Tn conclusion I wish to say that neither "Lively Ratepayer." "Progress,' nor Frederick John Cowling have improved matters by writing to the press; they have only shown their hand a little preWoiis, I think, and a good manv of Okato's thinking ratepayers are wondering why they have been induced to si<rn a petition b.v persons outside the dist; ict who have their own axe to gri nil i>nd are going to grind it at Okato's expense. Ratepayers are asked to trust the Council, but how can they trust a (ouncil which refuses requests for metal. ■ tc., where it is badly needed, and at the same meeting agrees to squander (he ratepayers' money on a motor ear .' Even a Chinaman would sav '•Wliafl'or?'' A four-seater motor ear for'the inspector te do his daily rounds. Ridiculous' Sign of progress! Tt appears to me that it is one for (lie inspector and two for councillors. I'- id.-ntly (hey want to >;o jov riding round the countv'at fi" ratepayers' expense with (he 'tiiO a .A ear inspector as chauffeur.—T am. etc. •T. WOOnDRTDCi:. SCHOLARSHIP ALLOWANCE.

(To the Editor.) Sir. At the meeting of tin- Eilnca--1011 TioaivJ. held in Januarv, th,. scholarships won at tlie mi t ,-xa'niiii;\troil were allotted, and anion;; them two junior national scholarships. on,, to a' imi.il from til,. West. Km! school. ami on,, to a pupil from til,. Im.dcwood school, lint in tin' latter ess,, an additional allowance of CUD a year. "Wliv ? Tin- pupil in question Jiv.-s within half a mil,, of th,. railway station, which is well and conveniently -served i„ tlie matter of trains l'.v which scholars can «o to and return from the Stratford lli'di School daily.

Accord in p tlll , Education Act. of '•'l t the clause re national scholarships reads: "A pupil obliged to live away from lionip to prosecute his studies mar receive a further allowanc;;." eic.; while another is: "If compelled to travel more than four miles daily each way, there shall lie paid to him actual traV' Mini; expenses, lint to exceed £1(1 a year.'' S'o that ns free-place pupils al-o travel free 011 tile train, the extra all"v.;'iice would appear to lie for those* imjiils living over four miles from a station who qualify for these scholarships.

IVrLaps you or some of your readers can throw sonic lighl on the subject,— I am, etc., PERPLEXED [Holders of national scholarships not residing in the vicinity of the secondary school they attend hate the option of boarding in th e town where the. school is situated, or of travelling thereto 1« train. Tf they elect to board in tin town, tile additional allowance of £-3' is paid to them 011 the head master cor iifving that they are hoarders, and it may be stated that it is often the case that they become boarders on the recommendation of th ( . headmaster, in order that their studies may not be interfered with by so much travelling to and fro. Holders of the Education Boc.rd's scholarships have 110 option but to travel by train, free passes being granted for that purpose.—Ed.]