CR. SMITH AND THE DISMISSAL OF ENGINEER.

Gisborne Times, Volume XXXV, Issue 3946, 31 May 1913, Page 8

CR. SMITH AND THE DISMISSAL OF ENGINEER.

(To th© Editor.) Sir, —As one who on previous occasions has always held that the dismissal of the Engineer was imperative for the welfare of the town, it now becomes my bonnden duty to stand up for those Councillors who have faced an extremely delicate position and come out of it with more credit than I expected of them. “J.R.J.” says he is most disappointed in Cr. Smith. “J.R.J.” knows very little of the quality of the man he is criticising. 1 also notice in your evening contemporary a long leader denouncing the Councillors who have taken this latest stand. ly my opinion, if people would keep their eyes open it would be better for all concerned. And let me say there will be more surprises before the year is over. It is.asked by the mail m the street why Sir Paterson was not given the chance to send in his resignation. As for Cr. Smith, it is not to be expected that- the common mind will grasp the fact that there may be a large magnanimity in a. man who at the expense of being thought weak-kneed, would seek to soften an execution by mild arguments in preference to the usual blunder bus system of denunciations, i am not going into! the eld thrashedout arguments. The ease as you put it in your leader of yesterday was plain enough, and has been proved, not by a few words, but by the past years of experience. Wherever there is not a certain amount of unanimity in any circle, whether of domestic or of political spheres, there will never be satisfactory results. Internal bickerings are the curse of all modern undertakings, and a man looking at” the larger issues is justified- ill standing for that alone even if there wore nothing else to counterbalance. And who can deny that there is not much to counterbalance? As for an archangel being required to put our city in order, the trouble all along is that our professional officers have been too superior. And yet there is all this fuss about dismissing an engineer. Why, they will be having our gardeners demanding an Appeal Board and our cow-spankors requiring an explanation. “J.R.J.” and all the rest of them will get over it, never fear, and so will we; and so would- many another institution in Gisborne if its members had enough back-bone to stand up and say, “You don’t suit; so do a get I” And it ia not as if we have not had patience. Mr Paterson, I admit, might be a good engineer, but he became the pivot of party feeling and weaned from himself the support of all those who at first were anxious to befriend him. Mr Editor, you were right when you said Mr Paterson can hardly lay the blame on any other shoulders than his own, and it makes me sick to find people trying to make others nurse his imperfections. We simply will not do it.— Yours, etc.. J. M.