SKIPPERS POST-OFFICE.

Lake Wakatip Mail, Issue 2169, 13 August 1897, Page 5

SKIPPERS POST-OFFICE.

(TO THE EDITOB L. W. U.) Deab Sib,—Yours of 6th instant to hand with my much ateemed ojd /rjend, I, P,

Monk's letter in it, and I am very thankful that he baa revealed himself, as I was feeling rather scared this fortnight past. . . It would have been better if he had never written on this subject, as then everything would have been left to tbe Licensing Committee, without any revelations, real or imaginary. But Tom's big heart wa« so boiling over with gratitude for the services reudered to him, in taking up his mail with bis bread every week, that he could not contain himself. Tom is one offthe best-liked and most popular men in tbe place. His heart, itself, » aa big as a post-office, and in this affair it is out of all proportion to his head, or he would have bestowrd a little of his good nature on that poor widow, whose daughter has run our telephone for some time at a miserable pittance (ever since Bullendale was cut off from this station,) and to whom the small remuneration for the post-office would be a great help. Then someone conceives the idea of the petition to keep the post-office where it is, and I hear that Tom, with bis big heart, in a coaxing manner, takes charge of it, and who can resist him ? All classes yield to Tom's influence, or are going to yield. One man that wrote a very strong letter some J tars ago to get the post-office removed, is, I ear, also to sign it. Several of the school committee (Ajax among them) that were going to have the post-office removed to the school some time ago, to augment the salary of the teacher, are also, I hear, to sign it, if tbey have not done so. So, under the circumstances I can tell you, sir, I don't feel safe myself. . . . Tom rather has me on the amount of people favorable to keeping tbe poet-office where it is, and I own up to it. I was informed that there were only some four at the dredge. There might not have been at first, but Tom scooped up all the rest on the river. Well more power to him. I find that in the part that the removal would benefit, there are about 27 householders. There are, taking the adults, 50 besides a lot of young ones growing up, but I would not answer for half these not signing the petition, if Tom makes a swoop down on them. Why I dont feel safe myself without some barbed wire blend, Sir—the new brand of whisky, you know. Now let us leave our hearts out of it for a bit, and use our heads. In viewing the mail delivery business np the river, I am told that for years, the baker from Johnston's house did not take the mails up the river with him, but that they wen taken by the storekeeper, This may, or may not be so. However, I would like to know what is to stop him from calling for them when he passes, (he would have to pass the new post-office, if established) as it is only about 150 yards out of his way. If he would not do that, it would look like doing a boycott to his customers, and that too, for no fanlt of theirs. Doe's my old friend Tom, or any of the good people up the river, mean to say they have pot more sense of justice than that ? If so, it speaks very little for the young man, and for Johnston's establishment generally. I have a very different opinion of them, as a whole, to that. No. the notion that the mails will not be carried as usual, if the post-office is shifted, is as leaky an arrangement as can be conceived. Petitions,—and gold-fields petitions in particular—are easily got up, and readily signed, and sometimes without looking at them. Therefore my friend Tom will not have much trouble. Personally it will affect me little, and I don't blame any of the parties that I am opposed to for the action they have taken, and all 1 ask is that the same generous feeling may be extended to myself, and my side. The Licensing Committee will have to take the onus of their actions in the matter. There was, in my opinion, never a clearer case before them, and it will be watched with interest If they decide to let things be as they are, then better get the law altered, and not have tbe people wrangling with one another this way. Yours, Beach-Combsr. Shotover, 9th August.

[Portions of • 'Beach-Comber's " letter have been erased, and we were greatly tempted to delete more of it. If he would more carefully study the art of "boiling down," it would save us trouble, and economise our very limited space.—Ed. L.W.M.]

(TO THK EDITOB L.W.M.) Deab Sib,—l apologise for using so much of your Open Column space, but you will see that I can scarcely help it. I am attacked, first by my old friend. Tom Monk, and then by the mighty Ajax. Well I am sorry for it, and my only excuse is, it was done in the dark; I did not know who " Old Resident" was. But, Sir, who is Ajax ? Is he the old fellow resuscitated, like the man in Bellamy's " Looking Backwards ?" If so, he can give Bellamy's man a start as to the dormant state. Homer makes out that he was great at the rock or stone-throwing business—a lump of a atone or rock the size, say, of a full grown post-office, would not stick him. I forgot, but I think Homer says he could change about to either hand, if so the present Ajax—be he ancient or modern—has a strong resemblance, so far as a change about goes. It will be no great tax on the memory of the people here to go back a few years when the removal of the Post office to the school was strongly mooted, and, if I mistake not, Ajax was much in evidence in favour of such removal. Of course he has a right to change his mind, and be may be justified in doing so; but, to say the least of it, people are bound to notice. Some one says a people deserve what tbey get; if so, and if the Post office remains as at present, let us for ever afterwards remain silent on the matter. I intend to, so those that want to have a " buck" at Beach Comber, with your permission, had better do so now. Yours etc., Beach-Combeb. I Shotover, 9th August.

(TO THK EDITOR L.W.M.) Sib.—ln answer to Mr Monk's letter, of August 6th, would you kindly allow me space in your valuable columns to make a few remarks. He says they (the residents) raised a petition to the Licensing Committee about removing the Post office. So far so good for the blind people. But I hope Mr Monk will support his petition before the Licensing Committee at its next meeting. I will meet him there and discuss the merits of his petition before them. He goes on illustrating at great length on the qualities, abilities and respectabilities of some one. But we will leave that part to the school children to discou. He also goes on at length about the benefit received from Mrs Johnston and her family by taking the mail up and down. Surely my friend, Mr Monk, must think very little of them as he assumes that if they lost the little item of £ll per year, they would not carry his mail while delivering his bread. But again, both T. Hardy and myself go to the Sandhills once a week, and did either of us ever refuse to oblige him or any one else in the district by carrying their mail? If that is Mr Monk's opinion of Mrs Johnston her supposed opponents have a better opinion of herself and family, as I do not think losing the post-office would make any difference to her packer carrying the mail to her Sandhills customers.

As Mr Monk takes on himself the honor of writing Old Resident's letter of July 16, he must also take upon himself the responsibility of the disturbance about the postoffice, which action he will now see is wrong on principle and injurious to those he wished to serve at the expense of the public. If the post office authorities were not misled by interested parties, I am confident they would never have interfered in the matter, because they (the said authorities) have been willing to shift the post-office for the last ten years, to the school house or some private boose. The private house declined to accept it, and the school committee could not rely on keeping a competent teacher to undertake the charge, aa the salary from the school was so small that competent teachers declined to bind themselves to stay for any length of time, in fact, the school was closed altogether on three occasions and the telephone had to be transferred from the school to Mr R. Stevenson's private residence at Skippers Point. Immediately a cry arose that Skippers Point was not the central place for the telephone, so it had to be taken back to the school again. Since then the school has been closed once again, and then the telephone came into Miss Stephenson's hands—the duties attending which |be hi* fulfilled

faithfully. But it is rather hard for Miss Stephenson to loose her tune over the telephone for such small enumeration as comes from it. Therefore, when the Licensing Committer refuae.l to let the post-office remain at the hotel and directed that it should be put *lung with the telephone, they did the tight thins »' the right place. Everyone up here should be proud of such action on priuciple, as everyone in our district could if they were not blind, see that, as our place is getting so small, it is their duty to combine onr school, post-office and telephone together. This could have been done years ago if our school committee had been a little more energetic. But now the time has arrived when I hope it will be carried out. I will ask anyone which is the central place of our district, Skippers Point or Burkes Terrace ? What is Skippers Point ? Only the hotel and'one private residence. What is Burkes Terrace ? The school, telephone, and terminus of the new dray road, andgseven residences, including a runholder, blacksmith's shop, store, and the residence of the manager of the Londonderry Company. It is easier of access to Stony and Pleasant Creeks and to the Sandhills. What about the people from Stony and Pleasant creeks? Why do they keep private mail bags when the mail coach does not pass that way ? Orders are given to the mailman to leave the private bags at Bordeaux store at Burkes Terrace. And Why ?, Ask me, Mr Monk, and I will explain it to you. lam sorry my friend, Mr Monk, has let his mind stray so far in the wrong direction. But I was told many times in my life a man is a man once and a child twice. J. BoPRDEAU. Burkes Terrace, 11th August, 1897.

[Advt.] BLUFF HARBOUR BOARD REPRESENTATION. (TO THE EDITOB L W M) Sib,—l enclose copies of a correspondence which has passed between the Hon J. G. Ward and myself, which speaks for itself. My letter to Mr Ward was returned endorsed :—" Mr Stanford—l thought I was writing to a gentleman, but find I was writing to a cad. Don't forget to publish this with the rest—J. G. Ward, 6th August, 1897." Yours etc., Walter J. Stanford. The Glenrock Consolidated, Ltd., Maeetown, AugUßt 9th, 1896. [Copy]

Pttnedin, 29th Jnly 1896. Dear Sib,—lt is needless for me to tell you that, for the last 16 months or ao, I have been surrounded by extraordinary difficulties which culminated recently in my being forced into the Bankruptcy Court. There is little doubt that, in the opinion of my friends, bat for the determined efforts on the part of my political opponents,'this would not have occurred. In fact, th 9 whole of my business trouble! have been aggravated in every possible direction. My affairs have been placed in the hands of bitter political opponents to deal with, and they have stopped at nothing, not even short of turning everything inside out in every possible direction, and putting the worst possible complexion on everything. I have made mistakes I candidly admit, but that I have wilfully or intentionally deceived or wronged anybody, I as resolutely deny. Conscious as they are that I have not done so, at the present junction, my friends are standing around me nobly, and if it is the pleasure of your County Council to re-elect me to the Bluff Harbour Board, I shall esteem the honor. Needless to say I should value the position not only for its sake, but for the purpose of showing the world that there are those who yet have confidence in me, and who in the hour of trial have not deserted me. Believe me to be yours very sincerely, J. G. Ward. W. J. Stanford, Esq., Macetown. Macetown, August 2nd, 1897.

Dear Sir,—l have to acknowledge receipt of your letter marked " Private," addressed to me as County Councillor for the Matukituki Biding of this County—a publio position. In reply I have to inform you that, though I am distinctly not one of your political opponents, I shall certainly use any influence I possess to oppose your reelection to the Bluff Harbour Board, or indeed to any position of trust in this colony. Judging from the tone of your letter you apparently think that the general public of New Zealand are too indolent and indifferent to read and form opinions on the facts brought out recently while you and your subordinates were under examination in a •Supreme Court of this Colony; as, otherwise, I cannot possibly see, how you, in the face of tbe disclosures could have (to use a vulgar expression) the cheek to write such a letter as that I have received over your signature. You are mistaken; the general public have read most carefully and thoughtfully the newspaper reports of the Colonial Bank and the J. 6. Ward Farmers Association in liquidation ; and, in a nutshell, the opinion they have formed is that when the J. 6. Ward Farmers Association was floated, its sole purpose was to take over the debts owing by yourself to the Colonial Bank—in other words, the general publio was to pay the Hon J. 6. Ward's debts while the Hon J. G. Ward posed as a wealthy man and a Minister of the Crown.

Further, the opinion formed is that, not content with getting your debts paid by the publio, you immediately struck out into a career of reckless and extravagant speculation. Steadily losing throughout, by crooked balance-sheets and other methods of deception, you used your position to draw and draw on the said general public, and kept steadily widening your speculating ventures, never once attempting, as any honest man would have done, to try and retrench and retrieve.

Your one thought is of yourself. You have beggared many struggling, but honest men—even your own mother has apparently not been spared. Of them and their position you have no thought—to save yourself and your career is your one idea. It is certainly not a noble one.

The closing lines of your extraordinary letter adduce the strongest reason why 1 should not support your re-election to the Bluff Harbour Board. In your own words yon say " I should value the position not only for its own sake, but for the purpose of showing the world that there are those who yet have confidence in me." It is most desirable that, for the commercial integrity of New Zealand, the world should be shown that there are not those who yet have confidence in you. I need hardly say that a letter written to influence my vote in my public capacity cannot in any sense be considered private. I have handed this correspondence to the local press for publication. lam etc., Walter J. Stanford. The Hon J. 6. Ward, Grand Hotel, Dunedin.