THE WAIHAO ELECTION.

Waimate Daily Advertiser, Volume IV, Issue 293, 9 December 1902, Page 3

THE WAIHAO ELECTION.

TO niR CDITOIi. SiK,--I n-jtiewl in your issue of tha 'iyth November what ill- Douglaj caUs an explanation for resigning hia seat ou the County Council and alsoodVra hia service again, an he nay a ho lias boon asked by a number of ratepayers. Well, to my mind, if Mr Douglas thinks that the ratepayers of the Waihao are going to

accent this be makes a groat mis; akr. I . hallenge Mr D. ug'as to pioduee a it'qttiaition signed by as many ratepayers as voted for him at the past electro.., and v-'t he resigned without their consent.' He says that a fe ling of c nsiderab e dissatisfaction exi-ted after the elcctiun, and he did not want to retain his seat if he had not the confidence of the ratepayers. Does Mr Douglas think that such a shallow excuse as that will exoneia'e his extraordinary action in pin ting the ratepayers to the expense of a beeond election ; if so, he makes a mistake. He had the confidence of the ratepayers at the pist election, or he would not ba returned, and except he wants to bs returned with u. three hftha majority, like No-License, I c-innot see why he reigned. He says Mr Ross refused to question his election and would have resigned in his favour had he (Mr not been returne 1. Hi admits that the votes would not_ probably staid t a recount in his favour. Here Mr Douglas throws a slur on the Returning Officer and aLo on Mr Puss. They

would rather put the ratepayers to tne expense of aiuther election than count the votes that tin ratepayers los"; time and trouble gii g to record. It is not the Iks- time that there has been an in j r-ti e done to the VVaiban ratepayers ac 'he hand of its councillo.s. I feel sorry for the lack of k owledge Mr 1) aiglas displays in referring to the piyinenb of councillors as Section 105 of Lh-; Counties Act provides th t the G'jumil from time to time en v »tj sums as it sha 1 deeniiullicient to defray .ctual travelling expense) of o ruacillors c ruing from a dbtauce exo-odiujj three miles, and Section 106 ef the Conn ies Acreads that the Council may from time to time vote actual travelling expenses for the chairman w.ien trave I ng mi the business of the county, but the> expense shiilnot. in any one year exceed £IOO. Surely th.v. ought to be expl cit for MDouglas, and ho should have known the Act, being so long chairman of the council. I beg to call the attention of the ratepayers tfijt Mr Douglas has given us no guarantee of retaining his position as councillor if he is again returned, and that we may have to face auothei election in the near futtve. In conclusion, 1 would like to point out to the ratepytrthat Mr Douglas tries to justify his aetioti in trying to divide the Riding and putting imaginary grievances before tho ratepayers of the Upper Waihao. All ratepayers can see the injustice of his assertions when they consider that none of the Lower Waihao ratepayers offered themselves as a candidate at the last election.—l am, etc ,

A Ratei-aykr. Waihao