WAIMEA COUNTY AFFAIRS

Nelson Evening Mail, Volume LXI, 19 June 1926, Page 8

WAIMEA COUNTY AFFAIRS

(To The Editor.) Sir, —H. G. Berryman’s letter in The Mail in reply to the letter of mine is hardly worth replying to were it not for the fact that as usual he supplies misleading figures re Government subsidy paid to Dannevirke and 'Waimea Counties. Well H. G. Berryman knows that if Dannevirke got £4,156 subsidy it was for mere than one year, as the amount of subsidy which any local body car. get ir. onejyear’fc rate levy is limited to £2,500, same as Waipara, the only correct figure in this letter. He is sidestepping the whole tissue, and trying j to mislead the less informed ratepayer, j Supposing for instance that the County; (Waimea) did declare alg, roads district! roads, that policy would prevent the; Waimea County Council from levying a road rate on road districts for the sim-! pie reason that they would have no power to levy a rate for upkeep of roads which would not exist under ,the jurisdiction of the County Council. Talk about reform, why H. G. Berryman has. never learned the first rudiments of some of the reforms he proposes, and only must bring him into ridicule. As for the advice of investigating facts and i4alising the difference between rational argument and personal abuse, is to say vhe/ least highly amusing. Who abused th<f County Clerk, Engineer, and charges his fellow Councillors with being purile administrators; surely H. G. Berryman your memory fails you. Let me go further back away to 1914 when you made your early attempts to get a seat on the Council; do you remember the ‘ Cock of the walk, etc.” you to the then chairman. Ehj Well some - of us do. In conclusion once more, if you desire to gain prestige in this county trv and supply i!k real figures and facts.; "if you do, then you will find; anything you say will then receive a fair hearing from those who are as well supplied with information as you- pride yourself to be. Gallery stunts are not

by any means impressive. Thanking vou Mr Editor, for space.—l am etc., S. E. O’HARA.