To the Editor.

Wairarapa Daily Times, Volume 5, Issue 1555, 8 December 1883, Page 2

To the Editor.

Sm,—ln your Wednesday's issue Mr Hawkins is good onough to write as follows :—" Mr Buchanan is hard to please, he appeals to Hansard, and when I take him before his own chosen judge, and he is condemned, lie complains nf my doing so." Your readers will r.'collect that my appeal to Hansard was >s to whether I had voted (as stated by Ut Hawkins) in direct opposition to my (.u lishod opinions an the land question. I proved from Hansard that except when I was unavoidably absent from Wellington as already explained, my vote was given in strict accordance with my stated opinions What then does Mr Hawkins mean by stating that I complain of being condemned by a judge of my own Beeking ? Similarly with regard to his absurd statement that my vote aavod tho Government on the most importaut division of tho session, and yet tho division list shows that thero were only 49 members in the House out of a total of 95, Will Mr Hawkins be good onough to tell us what the absent one 3 were doing on so momentous an occasion ? Wore they also lost in complacent forgotfulneas—fiddling while Rome was burning 1 A word as to this misquotation which Mr Hawkins says I admit. I oertainly admitted that I did not quote his exact words, hu'. I as. distinctly denied having misrepresented his moaning and invited your readers to judgo for themselves. Mr Hawkins concludes his letter by being extremely sorry that " Mr Buchanan has compelled me to drive him into a corner" and by giving sundry items of unsought advice. There is an old saying which I can recommend to Mr Hawkins' attention, viz.,—to catch his hare first before attempting to cook it, and I would further locommend him to reserve his advice nntil he has proved his own capacity of rendering better sorvioe to the district and the colony than those whom he has so persistently maligned and misrepresented, lam, &c, v W, 0. Buchanan.

CARTERTON SPORTS, (to the editor). Siu,—ln your issue to-day there appears a paragraph which, if not ex* plained, is likely to mislead your numerous readers, Eavly in November a meeting was held to consider the advisability of holding an annual athletic sports gathering at Carterton. At this meeting the annual Boxing Day sports at Masi6rton were either unknown to or forgotten by the committeo appointed to fix the date. Some weeks afterwrrds, having heard that the Amalgamated Friendly Societies of Masterton intended holding sports on Boxing Day, I waited on Mr flathaway and asked him (as Masterton had monopolized New Year's Day and our programme was already advertised) whether it would bo possible to postpone the Friendly Societies sports, promising at tho sarao time that next year we would give way. Mr Hathaw&y promised to try and obtain a postponement, but seemsto have beßn unsuccessful. As to the slur the last two lines casts upon üb, we will leave it for tho public to judge whether we cannot hold successful sports in Carterton without the aid of the Masterton Friendly Societies; and also on comparing the programmes they will find that we can give away more money in prizes than the Masterton "Amalgamated" Friendly Societies. Apologising for having taken up more space than is perhaps'necessary,

I am &c, D. H&wHasuxos, Hon. Soo, Oartento'n Sports Committee.

To the Editor. Sir,—You put a foot note to iny loiter which appeared in the Daily of 30th November. The foot note referred to contained an extract from the Roads and Bridges Construction Act 1882, clause.6o, professing to show that the Woirarapa East County Council had acted within the letter of the law in deciding to make a special rate over part ot'the County, but not to collect it. lam afraid the clause quoted will not avail tho law breaking County Council. If you will again refer to it you will.notice, that the clause only applies to cases where a special rate is made hereunder leviable over Ik. iwhoh of the district of tho local body making the same. The East County has no rate leviable over tho whole distriot, and to create an ordinary revenue for the purpose of evading the law and in direct opposition to tho wishes of the majority of the people interested is—well no more than we could have expected from the Wairarapa East County Council,

I am, k, A Ratepayer,

To the Editor. Sir,—ln your issue of the sth inst, I notice a report of the proceedings of the Borough Council, which contains the report of the' Overseer of public works, In this report ho stated that he had cleared up Queen-street, and cut down the weeds and grass on other streets and fooipaths. Further on your report says that Cr Gapper drew Aattention to the fact that Victoria &njL Albert streets had been forgotten <C / the Overseer when clearing the strcotr • of weeds 4c. Mr Editor, does not it strike you as very curious that tf>g though some of the principal streets in * the Borough are in a chronic state of weeds and docks (which surely is within the knowledge of Councillors) yet not ono of those present made any remark upon the Overseer's report but Cr Gapper, who evidently has no oyes to see anything beyond the limits of the footpaths passing his own door. Dozens of people who walk up and down from tho railway station daily, know to their discomfort that the weeds, grass, and docks so completely smother the footpaths as lo make it a most disagreeable thing to have to walk on them, and persons cannot do so during tho pleasant weather we are now getting, without getting wet almost up to their knees. Yet none of our noble Councillors thought fit to remonstrate. Sir, our new Mayor will soon bo coming into work at his new duties, I would suggest that tho first thing he should do should be to get his half blind team yoked up, and that he should some wet morning drive them round the Borough, so that each one mny have an opportunity to see all the streets through the Borough, and the state they are in, and not be confined .each one to the limits of his own front door. Some of them will then perhaps bo inclined to see that really necessary work is done to the credit of the Borough, and for the comfort of those who visit or reside in it.' ; I am 4c, Ratepayer.