WHAT CHANGE HAS MR. WILFORD IF WEIGHED ON HIS MERITS?

Dominion, Volume 3, Issue 799, 23 April 1910, Page 6

WHAT CHANGE HAS MR. WILFORD IF WEIGHED ON HIS MERITS?

[To The Editor.] Sir,—lt is quite amusing to read through the lines of Mr. Wilford's speeches how he contradicts himself, regarding wood-blocking, and how he tries to evade the question of ■the serious state in which he has left tho Harbour Board; also, under the cloak of a letter written by.the present chairman, Mr.E. Fletcher, shelters himself from tho responsibility of the dock, and tries to shuffle the blame ■ on to someone else. Now,, sir, before proceeding to show your readers who really is responsible for the dock, I would- like to say that wo all know Mr. Wilford, and know his career in Parliament, so far as the people's interests are concerned, and whit have we had in return for our iponey? Words, words'; empty words. .' Now,' let us see what benefits we have derived through bis services on the ■ Harbour Hoard; then, if we pause' to think, and weigh him on his merits, wo must conclude that all we have had, and are likely to get, from Mr. "Wilford's public services is words—words in plenty. This being our return, I don't think tho citizens will give him a chance at tho coming election; at any rate, if wo do, wo shall sharpen a knifo to cut our own throats with. Now, as to the dock. In the latter part of the year 190G, when the dock was definitely decided upon, tho members of the Harbour Board and tho citizens were practically unanimous that the time had arrived that this city needed a dock, but,.as to its "ito nnd method of eonatrtiitiott, a groat difference of ojjinion

existed with tho board and many of the citizens. Time after time did Mr. K. lletcher fight tho dock question, and his greatest opponent was that gentleman, who denies any responsibility, Mr. T. Wilford. Turn over the minute of the meetings, and iny statement will be found correct. Not only did Mr. Wilford oppose Mr. Fletcher and his supportprs for Si kS was wortll > but with his v talk plnued other members into a majority in support of the dock scheme, complete, as suggested by the engineer, Mr. Ferguson. 1 for one, before the dock site was secled, in an interview with the present leader of the Harbour Board, condemned the whole scheme as being most reckless, and ono of a series of experiments from one end of the water-face to the other. Mr. Crawford is quite right - when ho states tho dock ought never-to have •»en tuilt there, and I m, neither should it liavo been built in the way that it is being built. True Mr. Wilford nanpot be blamed for tho coment not setting, but he certainly is to blnino for spending thousands of pounds of the people's monoy in experimental work. Seeing, then, that this dock has proved a lesson to Wellington, and that a fresli beginning has to be made, I would say to make the bost of a bad job, have done with your experiments, fill in, and build your harbour's lnrgest wharf on this soot. •I 10 / utl £ e Wellinfrtoh will demand ttii* site for tho convenience of receiving and delivery of goods. The present loss is ony a lnito to what the future gains will be, spread over time. From ivhati have stated above, your readers will bo able to judgo who is responsible for tho dock. ' •

This is the class of candidate liefou, us nt present seeking ouv suffrage for Hie Mayoralty This is the man that has just forced on us a bill of nearly fourteen shillings per head per adult (male) in greater Wellington. This is the man Mat has given us. so-far, nothing but. empty words for whirti wo havo ha;l to pay dearly. . Can the.citv afford to entertain him? No. Then lot us all be unanimous, all vote as ono man, and when polling send well home .our ■ full weight in tavour of the candidate in whom we nil fail to fir.d fault, the W that will manage out affairs as carefully as those of his own hoiisehold-a thorough master of tho work, and, I venture to niiH, -t ? lhn( Y to l>\ (rreatest . municipal Kme U -fam, £' ™* 73 Pirie Street. JOHN