TE RORE PETITION ANENT THE BRIDGE.

Waikato Times, Volume XVI, Issue 1345, 12 February 1881, Page 3

TE RORE PETITION ANENT THE BRIDGE.

TO THE EDITOR. Sir, — The above petition— half pitiful, half pathetic — contains some curious statements, not quite correct, as I shall endeavour to show. It purports to be from the residents of Te Rore and its vicinity, and is said to bear some GO or 70 signatures. As regards the number of signatures, I will only point out that the whole district of Te Rore and its vicinity—even stretching that term so as to include some on the west bank of the Wai pa, and up to the Mangapiko River on the east, which is in the township of Alexandra— does not contain half that number of settlers, if every man was counted, so that, unless they got their wives and children to sign as well as themselves, more than half the signatures tnnat have been obtained from persons other than those from whom the petition purported to come. To say the least of it, this way of getting up a petition is not honest. It is stated that ' ' £1 200 was paid into the pviblic account by the settlers of this district for the sole purpose of building a bridge at Te Rore, and that it would be a breach of faith on the part of the Minister to erect it at any place lower down, and a great injustice to the majority of the settlers." The simple truth is, the £1200, or rather £1150, was paid by the Pirongia District Board, and the inhabitants of Te Rore and its vicinity never paid a fraction, though nearly two years ago some of them promised to subscribe from £50 to £100. Moreover, the money was paid for the express purpose, of assisting in the erection of a bridge at or near Te Rore, the site to be decided by the Government Engineers, and no limitation having been fixed by the resolution requesting the Board to pay over the money, so that the breach of faith is simply a fiction. Not more than four or five of the Pirongia ratepayers can be brought under the denomination of residents at Te Rore or its vicinity. Nearly two years ago a similar petition, and emanating from the same quarter, was forwarded to the District Board, and a coercing letter enclosed with it read as follows : — Te Rore, March 7th, 1879. J. H. Thompson, Es<j., Chairman Pirongia District Board. Sir,— l begf to draw your attention, and that of the Pirongia District Board, to the enclosed petition re To Rore Bridge. I have also a subi scription list on the way for the purpose of aiding in the erection of the bridge. — I am, &c, i . „ . W. H. James. Amount collected now, £50. I don't expect to have any trouble in bringing it up to £100. %. H. J. No doubt, in the innocence of their hearts, they imagined they had paid the £100, and in course of time, reflecting on their generosity, it had magnified into £1200 ; but I can assure the promoters of the petition (for I will not insult the majority of ,the signers by assuming that they' knew anything about the real facts)' ' that not one penny of either the £50 or the £100 haa ever been paid towards the ] erection of the bridge. I think, 1 have ' said enough to show what value should be attached to, the petition from the residents of Te Rbre and its vicinity. As for 1 the people of Alexandra, I do not, suppose, that the 'of tfiem have the? slightest' desire to-jnterfere with ttie ereci-, tiou' of the bridge, Ttkty bave. th«(t gjj&' '

bridge, and no doubt have sufficient good sense to see that interference with Te Rore would be wholly unwarranted and unjustifiable. — I am, &c, Edward G. McMinn.