AVONDALE AFFAIRS.

New Zealand Herald, Volume LXII, Issue 19163, 31 October 1925, Page 11

AVONDALE AFFAIRS.

Sir, —I have been a councillor for the north ward of the Borough of Avondale since last election, and, like Mr. Richardson, I strongly object to the method adopted by Mr. Pendlebnry and Mr, Tiarks to gain their object, and to discredit the whole council in so doing. The Wynyard Iload controversy is only one phrase of it. The finances of the borough were brought into review at the public meeting, which was addressed by Mr. Pendlobury and Mr. Tiarks, who were without doubt the promoters of that meeting. Now Mr. Pendleburv and Mr. Tiarks have both been members of the finance committee. Therefore, if they found the muddle they speak of, why not have rolled up their sleeves and sat to work to rectify that muddle, instead of calling a meeting ? Then, after they had straightened things up, how much pleasanter it would have been to tell the ratepayers of the fact, instead of telling them of the failure they had been, and not throw mud at themselves and the whole council. Ifc is easy to carry any vote at a crowded meeting with a fluent speaker. Then people go home and wonder why. However, it was a foolish course, if intended to help a young council in its best efforts to serve the p lilie, and certainly not calculated to inspire lasting confidence in its promoters. GSO. fijT.WTn-

MR. COATES' PUBLIC SERVICE. Sir, —While fully recognising the valuable work done by Mr. Coates' many friends in the Kaipara district during the beginning of his political career, and conaiding to them their fair share of the honour of having guided his feet to the first rung of the ladder on which he has climbed so high, I feel that I can, without giving offenGe to any person, mention the name of one man who recognised Mr. Coates' capabilities long before the contest for the Kaipara seat. This man was mainly instrumental ' in securing the return of Mr. Coates to the Otamatea County Council; and even in those somewhat distant days I frequently heard him assert that "Gordon Coates would one day be Prime Minister of New Zealand." His faith in his friend never wavered, and many of Mr. Coates' staunch adherents of to-day were won to his side; and there is no doubt that the return of Mr. Coates as member for Kaipara was largely due to him, who, unfortunately, did not live to sea the realisation of his prophecy. I refer to the late Mr. Jack Burch. George Toomak.