MR GREEN AT RAVENSBOURNE.

Evening Star, Issue 7286, 10 August 1887, Page 3

MR GREEN AT RAVENSBOURNE.

TO THB EDITOR.

Sir,— Your reporters missed a treat in not being at Mr Green’s meeting at Ravensbourne last night. If they would have got nothing worth reporting, they would at least have got a night’s amusement, and in these dull times that is always something. Ur Green gave us a long address, during which he served in up two horns and a-quarterof pure verbiage and padding very glibly, and after it was done it brought to my mind a very good story ol an M.P. who, having stood up to speak, three times exclaimed “I conceive,” whereupon another member rose and, addressing the speaker, said “ The hon member (or s i-and-so has conceived three times and brought forth nothing. ’ Well, after Mr Green’s lengthy diatribe, all he brought forth was a promise that if he got in ha would secure a daily postal delivery for the district (a thing we have already) and a reduction of 2s per ton on the railage ot coals - a thing which both Ur Barron, for Caversham, and Mr Mills, for Ravensbourne, have been attempting for some time No doubt ho railid against the making of the “ditch" between PoitChalmeisand Dunedin—made specially, as ho said, to pay dividends to the shareholders of the Union Steam Ship Company. Now. considering that tho U S.S. Company carry goods to and from Dunedin at the very same rates as to and from Pott Chalmers, I should veiy much like to know by what min of arithmetic ho roak.s out this meet extraordinary ra'culation. No doubt he, being a memb rof tbo Education Boa>d, will bo much better up io such intricate calculations than I profess to be. Another caicu'ation I should like him to work out for tho electors is: How, by a man “ buying a buggy, a dogcart, or a dray,” he pa; s more property tax than him who does not buy thorn, as I have always understood money i t the bank had to pay this tax as well as such commodities No doubt ho showed how he might save 1,32,000 on tho mail service, and had another d'gatthe U.S.S. Company; but ho was quite opposed to ret rench those useless and expensive excrescences out of existence which have afforded him so many pickings, and were once Stout out most likely both will do so again, namely tho Waste Land and Education Boards No wonder he is so bitter at Sir Robert Stout.

Then at the end, to finish up, we had a piece of smari jugglery One of his supporters asked a question about a local matter which took him quite unawares, and bo had some difficulty in first understanding the matter and then in answering it, when suddenly ho pulled all the papers connected with it out of his topcoat pocket I suppose ever tince the burning of tho books at Ravensbourne he carries all tho County Council papers in his pockets, in case the same should happen at Waikouaiti. In conclusion, I hope Mr Green will come back to Ravensbourne and enlighten us as to his policy, it he has any-except getting in’; as the general remark to-day is—what a lot he said, and how little he told us.— l am, etc., Glencjbse. Ravensbourne, August 9.