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Northland Age, Volume 14, Issue 44, 12 July 1917, Page 5

[To the Editor] Sir, —Your correspondent Ratepayer writing last week in error as to the facts, misrepresents them. Mr Dawson has not gone to camp; will not go till nearer the end of this month. The question in spite of Ratepayers subterfuges is a Victoria one mainly and the settlers fronting on the piece of road (Mangatoitoi) are highest up; those nearest Victoria and farthest from Fairburn. Yet very few of them beside Mr Dawson have made any fuss about it. It ;s well-known he has been making a great song of this small item of road construction in season and out of season. The last four months Cr Panther knew this. To discredit Cr Panther could be the only aim. It looked personal and naturally Cr Panther would get resentful of the same stale viand served up over and over again. No public good could come of keeping up the irritation and who in the end would not snub any gentleman who had no more sense than persist, as the question only concerned a lew chains of metalling—namely whether it should be continuous with other metalling or be put somewhere else nearby where Mr Dawson believed the road needed it more Never has such a storm in a tea-cup been made locally or in the Press over so little. It had no interest for the general public and those in the vicinity looked on most indifferent. It was childish in the extreme and the whole subject does no credit to those who brought it about. Mr J. M.D’s manner his persistence combined with his motive and the trivial nature of the subject must largely if not altogether excuse Cr Panther if he did overstep the bounds of propriety at the finish as is reported and refuse to discuss it with him at the Fairburn meeting.- I am, etc., ONLOOKER.