MAROPIU.

Wairoa Bell, Volume V, Issue 164, 23 September 1892, Page 2

MAROPIU.

I have been requested to call the attention of Councillors through your columns, to the disgraceful state of the Taita bridge. Willingly I de so, though I am well aware that it will have no effect so far as getting it replaced or repaired. My reason for not expecting anything to be done, is owing to the distance this bridge is situated from Aratapu, where the present Councillors apparently think all the available money should be expended. Some little time ago ‘ Yours truly ’ had occasion to visit a township some distance away from here ; suffice to say it was not in the Hobson County. From this township there were two roads, apparently equal in importance, tho one leading to the east, and one to the west. My steps were first turned along the eastern road and I was led to exclaim, ‘ What splendid roads there are in these parts. Hobson might take a lesson.’ Why, such a thing as mud was not to be found. Alas ! that very night I had occasion to journey along the Western road. Here all was changed. As I plodded along and extricated myself from one quagmire only to fall into a worse, and picked myself out ®f a ditch to fall headlong over an old stump, I was sorely puzzled for a time to account for the difference between these two roads. Suddenly I paused. An inspiration flashed across my mind. The Councillors lived, and previously had lived, along that eastern road. On enquiry I found my surmise to be correct. This was the reason, the only reason, for the disparity. And if some benighted traveller should enquire, why between this place and Dargaville there are quagmires ready to swallow up the unwary, if ho wish to know why there is on the main road a bridge which is not safe for foot passengers to cross (not to mention horses) let me tell him that ’tis because the Councillors live at the other end of the riding and don’t care two straws for this part. Councillors beware ' The day is not far distant when you will b! called upon by the ratepayers of this district to give an account of your stewardship. ‘ Forewarned is forearmed.’ It is urged by some that the Northern end of the Dargaville and Aratapu ridings should be severed and made into a separate riding. I’m afraid that the powers that be will not allow this. If this was done the Dargaville riding would not I fancy be so largely in credit, and as for the Aratapu riding, where would the money come from then lio keep the road between Aratapu and Aoroa in repair, and to make those large drains which seem so necessary in that vicinity ? I pause for a reply. On reading ‘ Hansard ’ I notice that our member informed the House that although at the last eleetion he only got elected by a trifling majority, yet be represented twelve hundred out of the sixteen hundred and fifty electors who cast their votes on that occasion. To arrive at this conclusion he plumped his own votes to those received by two other candidates, whom he termed ‘ Liberals ’ like himself. Heaven help you Mr Houston, if you are pulling in the same boat as those two candidates. Did Mr Houston really believe what he stated to be correct ? I fancy not. No one knows better than that gentleman himself, that he merely fluked in, and that the candidate whom he was pleased to term Conservative, received a large number of Liberal votes, while he himself was largely supported by Conservatives. There surely must be something contaminating in the air or water of the Empire City. In former years I repeatedly heard expressions of tbi3 sort ‘ Well we have got the greatest lot of twaddlers in Parliament as ever we had. We must see at the next election and put in men who will act more and talk less.’ And when the election has £oiße round, a fair percentage of new blood

has been selected. But this has not the desired effect of lessening the twaddle and abuse, and the time Las now come when we should seek to find other means of obtaining our desire of getting members whowill act,not only talk. I beg to suggest that the seat of Government be changed elsewhere ; to see if change of air will effect matters.