CORRESPONDENCE

Wairoa Bell, Volume V, Issue 178, 30 December 1892, Page 3

CORRESPONDE N CE

[The editor is not responsible for opinions expressed by correspondents.] (To the Editor ) Sir, —I have been looking on with interest at the influence that is at work in various quarters to take all voting power in the Hobson County away from the outlying districts in favour of the more thickly populated centres. ‘ Nemesis ’ tells us that it is' preposterous that the Wairoa tiding with its meagre population should have the right to elect a representative. Thank you. He should go a step further and endeavour to take all voting power, both local and general, away from out districts and let the large centres have it all their own way. There is no doubt there has been an undercurrent at work in this direction and country people have been dubbed humdrums because they have not voted as they were told. Councillor Berridge says that we all use the main roads, but which roads are of the most interest to him, those in his own riding or those in outside ridings ? llow many times has he been along the Kobe Kohe road during the last winter. X venture to say that if he travelled it once he vowed he would not do so again unless compelled. A gentleman who travels largely all over the North lately said that that piece of road between Harding’s gate and Graham’s Fern was the worst bit of road ho knew of in tlio north. For the greater part of the winter the sole traffic has been over private property, at places a mile off the road. The settlers at the head of the river complain that they pay their rates and get nothing in return. During tlic timo that the striking of a rate was pending it was several times reported through the Bell that two largo ratepayers in th 6 Wairoa riding were in favour of a six farthing rate. I made it my business to interview every Wairoa ratepayer west of Mougonui re this rate and every ratepayer (the two large ones included) said distinctly No, we are not. Were there any prospects of getting our rates, after paying a fair share of contingent expenses, expended in our riding we would willingly pay a twopenny rate, but as it is we will be just as well off at the end of the year by paying a one penny rate as though wo paid a twopenny one. This has been said while we still have our member, if he is taken frern us how will we stand? Your Maropiu correspondent asks the question ‘ Is the Aratapu riding as a whole represented well P ’ All we can say is that the road that passes one member’s front door jiasses the other’s back, and while this can be said it is open to suspicion that this road will be better looked after than any other in the riding. I should be sorry were it thought that I was saying anything disparaging against either of the gentlemen that represent the Aratapu riding, but one of our

noted public men lately said in a speech that he worked all for self, and it cannot be denied that self is a strong factor in every man’s bosom, and while this is the case 1 think that it would bo better instead of patting all the ridings into one bailor box to further distribute the boxes so that every corner of the county may feel that they are represented in the Council. No, Mr Editor, fair play is bonny play. People living in sparsely populated districts have to put up with inconveniences and local disadvantages that those living in large centres know nothing- at all about. Take away their right of spending their own money upon their own roads and thereby shut out from them their right of communication with the outer world. Then you might just as well knock them on the head at once and be done with them— l am, etc., H. J. Slade.