MR. ORMOND AND MR. SMITH.

Daily Telegraph (Napier), Issue 3202, 3 October 1881, Page 2

MR. ORMOND AND MR. SMITH.

[To the Editor of the Daiit TK.KaaiPK.I Sib,—My humble letter of the 27th has aroused a nest of stingless hornets about ray ears. Tbey have buzzed a good deal, but have done no damage. Their accustomed privilege of legislating for their own special benefit has been invaded, and they have made a noise, but all to no purpose. Their letter dodge of signing their empty productions "Verb Sap," " Waipnknrau," " Bueh Settler," "Woodville," &c, has been tried too often to deceive us again. I recognise iv those letters a wonderful similarity of style to that of Napier and Hastings residents whom we have seen airing their We* B . i Q print before. Having some baehjfiilling to do I have not had time to answer them individually, but will now endeavor to express my opinion upon anything requiring notice. "Bush Settler "evidently was in Napier when my letter appeared, and was thereby enabled to answer it promptly. The Woodville settlers' mental faculties referred to by him. will enable them to see that he is tooreljikely an electioneering tout that &'bonii,jide j bush settler. " Verb Sap'e " productions treat a good deal of Mr Ormond'sinfluence in obtaining a grant from the General GoYernment for the purpose.;of maintaining the Seventy-mile Bueh road. ,Np>, I ask him if it was not extremely fiptten legislation on Mr OrmowTs jjai&tq Uie hii influence (which it>tMWtfdw M

considerable) in assisting the change from the provincial to the County system, and consequently saddling the Waipawa County Council with the maintenance of the Bush road without attempting to make some special provision for such a case. If Mr Orrnond has such an amount of practical ability, he very well knew that it was simply impossible for the Council to maintain that road out of their ordinary revenue, and therefore he is greatly responsible for the disgraceful state of matters which led to an important trunk road being nearly shut for traffic, and th? Bush settlers placed in immediate danger of having to carry their supplies in on their backs. If •' Verb Sap" took the trouble to inform himself on the subject he would know that it was not Mr Ormond's in-, luence that obtained the grant in aid, but the Waipawa County Council's strong representations to the Government of their utter inability to keep the road open without assistance. " Verb Sap" dangles before the electors the influence Mr Ormond is likely to have as a member of the next Ministry. I would remind him that with influence we also want a little honesty of purpose, not that perverted influence that leads our legislators to exclude their large properties from local taxation while adjoinine; small farms are heavily rated to make improvements which increase the value of that of their rich neighbours; to sell large tracts of magnificent open country for five shillings per acre to their friends, and compel small settlers to pay six times that price for impenetrable bush, where their lives will be wasted struggling to make a bare existence ; to fling thousands of pounds into the sea for useless harbor works such aa at Napier, for what purpose ? possibly to oblige a few supporters, Mr Ormond's influence could have prevented these undesirable occurrences, but it did not, consequently there is a strong feeling against again trusting him in Parliament for a term of years, especially as " Verb Sap" says as probable Premier, in which position the height of his " political ambition" would be reached, and he would have no other object in view than to gratify his well known selfishness and oblige his few friends of the longwoolled persuasion. Iα attempting to cast odium upon the Waipawa County Council, and consequently Mr Smith, for neglecting Wainui and the coast district, " Verb Sap " has unwittingly done Mr Ormond's cause a deal of harm. He has drawn attention to the fact that Porongahau and Wainui have been neglected. ><ow everybody (except "Verb Sap") knows from the nature of the country the utter inadequacy of the means at the disposal of the Council to open up that immense block of fine country at the. back of Wainui, "and that, considering their position, they have done all they could. A considerable grant from the General Government would have effected the purpose, but Mr Ormond never exerted his influence to obtain it, resting contented with a good coach road to Walling* ford, " where," to quote from "Verb Sap," his personal interests terminate." am, &c.) Another Wood villi an. October 8,1881.