CORRESPONDENCE

Wairoa Bell, Volume V, Issue 222, 3 November 1893, Page 10

CORRESPONDENCE

[The editor is not responsible for opinions expressed by correspondents.] (To the Editor ,) Sir, —Will you kindly allow mo space in your paper to contradict the false statements which from time to time are being made against me in Mr Dargaville’s paper. I deny them most emphatically; and beg to state that I have no business connection whatever with the firm of Messrs Mitc-hclson Bros.; and all the other charges are equally false.—Yours etc Jas. Trounson. October 30/93. (To the Editor.) Sir, —Your account of the meeting of ratepayers at Te Kopuru in your issue of the 27th Oct, can hardly be called correct. In the first place there was no quiet attempt about the matter atalj and the certain section alluded to were the whole of the ratepayers of the Kopuru riding. It was only on Tuesday evening it was determined that the meeting should be held, and on Wednesday morning a notice was posted at Te Kopnru to that effect; the exact place of meeting could not be announced as it was doubtful if the Hall ceuld be obtained. Due notice was seat to the Redhill settlers and I was requested to inform the people of Tatarariki of the matter, and also asked te attend and (in the absence of any Press representative) take notes of the proceedings for publication Your report says the question of the Amalgamation of the Ridings was not put to the meeting. Allow me to say it was and decided against. Further on you allude to a general lament made by Mrs Andrews The only thing that Mrs Andrews made any lament about whs that she considered it very hard after paying £2O a year in rates to be compelled to drive their cattle a long distance to pasture, up to their bellies in mud—or to allow them to remain at home and starve. When some oi the people at To Kopuru are as successful in managing their own. affairs as Mr and Mrs Andrews have proved them selves, it will then be time enough to offer advice as to how they should conduct their business. With regard to the promise said to have been givea by Councillor Bassett as to the Council assisting- the work of the Drainage Board, I can only say .that promise or not, the people of Tatarariki were given ' rderstand that the rates collected in ti . t .g s area would be allowed as a subsidy. -■,/. * Iras no intention of slating the Councillors—uue meeting was- called simply to consider tua! levs affecting the interests of the settlers of the 1 I ding and although not opened or closed wren pra/er I have yet to learn where the 1 liveliness ’ comes in. — Yours etc J Perry. Tatarariki, Oct, Ist, 1893. [Ed. — In reference to ‘ quiet attempt ’ and ‘ certain section ’ our report was quite correct as to the rumours afloat; prominent ratepayers have, since the] meeting, stated their belief that the ‘ certain section ’ were only restrained from moving asthey intended by the unexpected attendance of another section. As to the correctness or otherwise of the rumours we do not. nor did we speak. The only written notice calling the meeting, we are informed, was on a piece of paper four or five inohes square, posted, not on the usual notice board but on the corner of the butcher’s shop. One gentleman, chancing to see the notice, made enquiries as to the pnrpose of the meeting, but found that many ratepayers were ignorant that a meeting had been called. As to the putting of the question of amalgamation to the meeting our reporter holds that it was not properly put, inasmuch as only a vote of those in favour of the amendment against amalgamation was taken. On this the Chairman first declared that seven voted ; Mr Bassett disputed the counting and at his request a second show of hands was called for and the number was then declared to be ten. Confusion ensued, aijd if our reporter (who was taking his first turn) is wrong the Chairman is perhaps much to blamo.J