TO THE EDITOR.

Bay of Plenty Times, Volume XX, Issue 2850, 4 July 1892, Page 2

TO THE EDITOR.

Sib, — Mr Pratt asserts in his letter of the 29th ult. that I may be firing bullets for some one else, or may have some private purpose of my own to serve. These are<tfafe insinuations of most writers who are afraid to face facts, and are unworthy of comment. I will leave Mr Pratt to his Te Aroha dinners and whisky, while I peruse his epistle, First, he says his object is to keep the matter under consideration solely in view ; but this is just what he does not do, for I am sure you will agree with me that he has not in his reply considered the points I raised iv my former latter, bur, on the contrary, has shuffled off, avoiding the main points, and splits over a few miles of road, asserting that my calculations of The distances are incorrect. I again assert that the distances I gave in my list are correct, notwithstanding anything Mr Pratt may say to the contrary. Secondly, he says that all lands from the Omanawa Bridge to the other side of the bush are held by syndicates or monetary institutions. Am I to understand that Mr Pratt means all the estates on the line of road mentioned are mortgaged to syndicates or monetary institutions ? If so will not his remarks apply with equal force to the Te Aroha ? If, as he says, there are several ' social pests ' along the KaimaiCambridge road, I can with equal accuracy say that there are the same f social pests ' on the Thompson's Track- Cambridge road. If the majority in the Hou 3C cannot be expected to grant a sum of money for the improvement of these properties, it must be a foregone conclusion that we will not get a grant sufficient to form either roads, as the same objection would suggest itself to the majority when tie question came up for discussion. Mr Pratt asserts that one would infer from my former letter that when the bush is negotiated one is in the heart of Waikato. Almost every child in Tauranga knows, that when the Kainiai Range ( the bush) is passed one is in Waikato, but certainly not the centre. May I ask Mr. Pratt if one would be in the centre of the Waikato when he had crossed to the Te Aroha side of the range? Certainly not. Again we are told that when the Kaimai is negotiated, there are 35 miles of wretchedly poor country to travel through before a town of any importance ( Cambridge )is reached. Well, Mr Editor, this is an assertion for a County Chairman to make, which certainly shows bis total want of knowledge of the locality he is writing about. On the contrary, there is here some of the finest grazing land I have seen in the North Island, and it is far and away better than Te Aroha, We are also told that to get communication with the Waikato it is necessary to have the co - operation of the adjoiring county, and that all the residents of Te Aioba are in favour of Thompson's Track, but are perfectly indifferent with regard to the Kaimai Road. Most assuredly the Te Aroba people want this track, and would no doubt not object to the round about way for driving our stock to and from Ohaupo ; it is to their interests to do so. If our County Chairman and Council took the same interest in Tauranga and the Bay of Plenty as the Te Aroha County Council aro doing for theirs, the Kairaai road would have been formed long a»o. In conclusion Mr Pratt offers my own suggestion for my consideration, viz., why does everything undertaken in Tauranga fail ? Because we are continually flitting from one thing to another, and nothing is taken up with earnestness and determination, (not from want of unanimity, as Mr Pratt says). Now, sir, permit me to put a case in point before the good people of Tauranga. The Kaimai-Cambridge road was first madjs 8 feet wide, through the bush by the Government during the Maori war, and subsequently our County Council borrowed a sum of money, under tbe Loans to Local Bodies Act, for the purpose of finishing this important road, having first obtained the sanction of the county ratepayers through the medium of the ballot box. The ratepayers of tbe county are at present paying special rates for this loan, which was expended on improving this road and building expensive bridges, and now oar County Chairman, with his sense of justice in leaving us in the lurch, flitting off to Thompson's Track, and breaking faith with those ratepayers who willingly taxed themselves to have this important road made, making no apology or explanation. I here enter my protest against such conduct,— l am, etc., j Settles. \