"IN COMMITTEE'"

Bay of Plenty Beacon, Volume 4, Issue 305, 14 May 1941, Page 4

"IN COMMITTEE'"

Sir, —The leading article in Opctiki News recently and previous articles in the Whakatane Beacon, strenuously objecting to local bodies asking reporters not to inform ratepayers about business, done on their behalf, is timely and will help voters at the coming County elections tc make some correction. Ratepayers would like no doubt to know how these star-chamber me-1 thodi: are earned out and I can give one instance "which took place last July. Out of 80 ratepayers in the iMikuhou Riding, two of us; heard that the Hon. Minister of Public Works was to visit Waknana, but when we made enquiry we were told that the place and object of the meeting was unknown. On crossing the river on this occasion, B was in time to see the County Chairman, who was supported by another councillor, escorting the Minister and Mr A. F. Moncur M.P. to the placc of meeting. At this meeting the County Chairman brought before the Minister a request to close as a Main HighWay, a mile of fhe routei which avoided the river by passing through the Nukuliou Riding and substitute a loop a mile longer which passed over the river twice through part of Waimana Riding. The Minister promised to give the suggestion his consideration, after it,had been before the County Council. Nothing can be ascertainQd as to how the i council voted on the question, but soon afterwards: all service car drivers, who had previously well serviced both routes, got instructions not to use the present Main Highway, even if they had passengers and newspapers to deliver on the route. Local newspapers which formally were delivered on both roads on the same day as issued are not now delivered until some days late, the Friday's issue getting back to the Main Highway on Monday or later. The question of building a longei loop to cross the river twice ha* been dealt with by engineers from Rotorua and Auckland many years back, and it was considered unsafe to build a high embarkment of 27 chains between the upper bridge and the! township; as! it would force the flood waters through the township where Costly buildings have been built, including a £3000 posi office, during recent years. When the County Council try. through its chairman or otherwise, to convert our all-weather highway into a road where traffic will be suspended in flood time it is acting against the interest, not only of those using Nukuhou roads, but also those who have to use the road from Taneatua railway station to Opotiki. During the last big flood, telephone poles were uprooted on the loop advocated by the County Chairman, and a field telephone had to be used on a pole on the present Ma'in Highway, until the waters subsided and telegraph wires were dug out of the silt and driftwood, in the river. There is a rumour locally; put out by the opposition,, to the effect that the requisition to Mr Savage contained signatures which were not fairly obtained and I wisb to correct this; by saying that in every case we insisted that ratepayers should carefully read the requisition before signing it and this they did. Mir Savage will not only be able to let in more light in council's workings which are of interest to ratepayers, but his work on the Hospital! Board, Home Guard and Red Cross training will be of value in co-ordinating County work military work. 'iM - -- I—,,1—~ Yours etc., ROBT. BLACK.

[ (The above lias been submitted to Mr Burnett for comment in view of the allegations by our correspondent. Mr Burnett stated yesterday that he thanked Mr Black for bringing the matters forward and also having the pluck to sign his name, "lit is refreshing, these days," he said, "to find someone willing to write over their own' bona fides." Were it not for this feature he would not have deemed it worth his while replying to the criticism. Regarding the alleged habit of going into committee, Mr Burnett stated that thei leading article appearing in the BBACON eight months ago in this connection was questioned by- him at the time and he was assured that it referred to the Hospital Board and in no wise applied

to the County Council'. (This is correct. Ed.) Mr Burnett points out that Mr Savage* was a member of the Board at the time but he would never have referred to this fact had it not been introduced by Mr Black. Regarding the visit by the Minister of Public Works, Mr Burnett said that he had nc previous knowledge of Mr Senxple's visit, until informed of it by the Riding member Cr Wardlaw, who had arranged itthrough the good offices of the hor for the district Mr Moncur. He would ask Gr Wardlaw to bear rthis out. As county chairman he had been asked to introduce a putation of settlers and to say a few words in regard to the diversion of the Maint Highway through the township. This application was subsequently turned down by the Main Highways Board. As for the service oars altering route] he had no "knowledge of this but understood that since Government ownership, the service had been varied. The question of the loop road was an old one and any arrangements made with _ engineers in this connection were made his period of tenure as Discussing the lat-r ter part of the letter, Mr Burnett said that it referred entirely to the forthcoming election and he would therefore prefer to leave it without comment. Ed,) For the benefit of our readers Cr R. F. Wardlaw has contacted us ir* connection .with the foregoing and substantiated the foregoing "foot- , note to the full. Ed.