MARSDEN ELECTORATE.

Wairoa Bell, Volume V, Issue 208, 28 July 1893, Page 3

MARSDEN ELECTORATE.

TO THE EDITOR. Sir, —If you will be good enough to find room in your paper for the following extract from a letter received by me from the Registrar of Electors for Marsden you will not only oblige him but the Arapohue Electors as well : “ Whangarei, July 12th, 1893. I shall be “ glad if you will make it known that ‘ Arapohue being now in the Marsden “ Electorate I have transferred all the “ Electors who were on the Bay Roll to “ Marsden (sd). C. Storey, Registrar of “Electors, Marsden.” Yours obediently, F. C. Leo get. Arapohue, 24th July, 1893. (To the Editor). Sir, —Allow inn to correct a statement made by your Opanake correspondent published in your issue of the 21st inst. In speaking of a bridge for the liaihu Creek at Opanake he states ‘ the County Engineer estimates the cost of bridge at £3OO. My estimate (which was only a rough one seeing no plans have yet been prepared) for the bridge was £4OO. I thought it better to have the correction made to save any misunderstanding in the future.—Yours etc., Horace Ha mmosd. County Engineer. TO THE EDITOR. Sir, —It is high time that something was done in the way of repressing the larrikin element that is rife in Aratapu. At the Band of Hope the other night when the Good Templars kindly came forward to help, the reception they got from the roughs at the back was simply disgraceful. I would suggest that the names of the leaders of the disturbance be published and if this does not cure the evil, then prosecute one or two of them aud so make an examj'le of them. We cannot expect ladies to attend our meetings nor allow their childen to witness such bad conduct. Trusting that a word to the wise will be sufficient.— Yours etc., For the Good oe the Community. (To the Editor). Sir, —For the information of the ratepayers I will inform “Nuts by Libel’ in answer to his query re Dog Tax that the Dog Tax year commences on the Ist January and ends on the 31st December in each year while the financial year commences on the Ist April and ends on the 31st March -The Dog Tax for 1892 (which is the one referred to by ‘ Nuts by Libel') was levied and £2B los was collected previous to Ist April 1892 sp that this amount appeared in the balance sheet for year ending 31st March 1892, at the same time the sum of £5 Is was paid for sale of collars @f 1892 and appeared in such balance sheet, so that if ‘ Nuts by Libel ’ adds £5 7 s to his od and deducts it from £2B 15s he will find that instead of a loss of 5d there was a gain of £22 7s 7d. The Dog tax is os except sheep and cattle dogs which are 2s 6d and the cost 9Jd for collar and Is for collection so that it is impossible to have a loss as it is all contract work.—Yours etc., Horace Hammond. County Engineer.

(To the Editor). Sir, —A short time ago I noticed that settlers living on the outskirts of Wairoa Riding made application to the Hobson County Council for some much needed repairs on their roads. The Council’s reply was that as there had teen already more money spent on these roads than rates collected; the work could not be done. The Council seemed to forget that these poor settlers who are struggling for an existence, had a Biding balance to their credit, and therefore if their roads required it had as good a claim for help as any other part of the county But sir, the Council here laid down a precedent which, if strictly adhered to, will I think be ef benefit to the whole, and on the strength of this principle I would respectfully ask that the Council cause 1 o be drawn up a report showing total amount of money expended during the last ten years upon that piece of road from say the Kaihu bridge on the one hand to Tatarariki on the other, together with a return of all rates collected during the same length of time from ratepayers living in the immediate neighbourhood of this road, and if the (balance should ccme out against the ratepayers we may reasonably suppose acting on the above precedent, that all expenditure on this road will for the time being cease, to the advantage of other roads fully as deserving, in other words, ‘ What is sauce for the goose is sauce for the gander*’—Yours etc., H. J, Slade.