MR EDGELER'S COMPLAINTS.

Temuka Leader, Issue 1857, 23 February 1889, Page 2

MR EDGELER'S COMPLAINTS.

' / TO THE EDITOR. % Sik,—Will you kindly give space in your valuable paper to say a few words on the unprecedented way in which the business of the Arowhenua town district is being carried on by the board. Eirst, they admit petitions by proxy, the proxyship by one of the board, and the petition from only one man, and that man has never paid one penny rates for the land joining the road, as they call it; bufc it is not legally a road. It is only a half a chain, which is forbidden by law, and the chairman knows ifc—yet he consented and ordered the clerk to prepare specifications for the cost of a bridge. The clerk did so, and laid it before the board — £4so for a permanent bridge, and £l2 for one to carry a ton. Now this is absurd on the face of it: it will not buy the timber. It cost the board £6O to repair the other bridge with not half the water. If this bridge is built it will involve an expenditure ©f more than two years' rates —bankrupt with bobs on one side, without rates, and the Chinamen on the other, and not a legal road between them, and, as a plum or sweetner, the people can get some old bridge timber to put across the creek, if they do it to please the clerk. Now this plum will not do: it is a greengage. The ratepayers require a different plum. Some time back one man asked for a plank to put across the creek, or open the roads. The chairman decided promptly to have the roads opened, the clerk to take a man, or two if required, with him ; and he did so, and the roads were opened. I was pleased, and thought him an honest, straightforward, and energetic man. Alas! Where were his straightforwardness or energies when that dray-bridge was asked for? Q-one wool-gathering? Did he say, " Now is the time to open Murray street " ? No ! Did he say, " Take two men a,nd open Murray street; there is a bridge there" ? No! but he gave orders to call tenders for the bridge, and Mr Hayhurst said that it must be a good one, or it would be of no use. Now no one pays rates neai this place but Mr Hayhurst, and if this bridge is built it must be taken as his application, if taken at all. If I as a member of the board were to receive one day's pay I would have to resign. I leave it to the public to decide it a member of any board can get bridges or roads made for his own benefit with the ratepayers' money. There is a very good bridge over the creek in Murray street, and that bridge is as much the property of the ratepayers as any of the other four. It was. there when the town was declared a town district, and no one can remove it, only to replace it by a better one, not even the ratepayers. Is the board doing its duty to the ratepayers and the public in not opening Murray street ? Certainly not, There.is another proxy petition. Three persons have a nuisance created by themselves, and have applied to the board. If those people would pay in proportion to the extra work it would be removed without the board. It is said that the chairman is to consult the Temuka board on the subject. Surely he is not in his dotage. I believe there are few in Temuka who wish to join Arowhenua or in Arowhenua who wish to join Temuka, only the "PUasa, sir, I voted for your party." It is my opinion, and that of many others of the ratepayers, that if the present board cannot manage the affairs of Arowhenua without consulting Temuka they had better resign, for it will be a long time before the people of Arowhenua will willingly join Temuka in any way or form. They may as well play ducks and drakes with the money in elections as on useless roads and bridges.—l remain, a true friend to the ratepayers, Gr. EuftELElt, B.G'.C.A. Arowhenua, Feb. 10, 1889. J