POST OFFICE FOR SEDDON.

Marlborough Express, Volume XLV, Issue 139, 17 June 1911, Page 3

POST OFFICE FOR SEDDON.

MINISTER'Sv NON-COMMITTAI.

REPLY

A brief but pointed reply was■-inade by > the Acting-Postmiaster-General (the Hon. T. Mackenzie) '6n Wednesday afternoon to a- doputation (consisting of Mr J. Duncan, M.P., and Mr C. Ferguson), which-asked-for.-the erection or a new post office at Seddon. ''This matter,'' he said, '/was before me some months ago, and; I them o»me to a conclusion as to what should be done. I find it, unsafe, in view of the distortions for political purposes that are being made of replies, to say more than tnat it will be considered' when the Estimate*, are dealt with. Take the other day, at Clutha, when deputations waited upon me regarding certain matters. Ono wa>s the construction of a new railway, and the other the erection'of a bridge ;across' tha Pomahaka' River. liegardlng , - the railway, I said that all over the.,country deputations had been waiting upon me with request? for new railways, and to all I hiad.'.giveri thesaaie repjy: that if the severe criticisKis' which had been levelled against • the Government were a reflex ot. the public mind . regaxding borrowing, then personally I was not ml favor of st&rting any new railways. Regarding the- bridge, however, I said that I would be glad to assist and to represent the matter to Cabinet. And this is what Mr Allen distorted my reply into: Mr Allen said speaking ftt Kaitangata «. night or two> afterwards, and referring to my reply to the deputation regarding the railway, that I. effect, said that if the people wished to get the railway they mu:st put /out their Opposition membei. 'yotes for roa& and bridges,' continued Mr Allen, 'was a most in- : sidiousi form to influence an election ' Surely Mr Allen must have thought that tho people in that part of the country were bereft of ordinary intelligence, because he was speaking in the centre of three Opposition districts, including Mr Allen's, and th«y are {ill having railway works pushed on, one in particular with great vigor, ! and of this railway I am a strong advocate. Now, were I to promise you !/he post office, just now, I would probably bo regarded as trying So bribe the people, and if I refuse I would be told that I did so becauvß 1 you"were opposed to us. So the best reply I can make is that the erection of >a. post office at Seddon will be considered when the Estimate's are being prepared."

At- one of the native schools on the East Coast of the North Island the pupils were asked by the teacher to write, as an exercise in composition, a letter addressed to his Excellency the Governor, inviting him to the district. v On© of the lads produced, the following:—June 9th, 1911. His Excellency the Governor, Wejlington. My Lord,—We would be very glad if you would come to our Coronation feast at Wairo'a. If you want to go and have a bath you" could go to Morere on the mail coach. We will

take you to Whakaki if you want to 1(T , j. • ,■•' ~ ~ . shoot ducks. vSo, Lord, there are "In. a court ot justice a witness is lent of thinKß^ make 'you happy. SAVorn to tell, the truth the whole fto^bye, Lord. God bless you for xnitli, and nothing but the truth," ev er and ever says Mr Justice Edwards, "but as "a

j matter of fact tlie witness only tells For children's hacking cough at nr much of the truth as counsel and night-—Woods' Great Peppermint I the Court allow, him %.'?- Cure, Is 6d. 2s 6d. . *