"AN APPEAL FOR JUSTICE."

Otago Daily Times, Issue 10423, 27 July 1895, Page 8

"AN APPEAL FOR JUSTICE."

TO THE EDITOK. Sib, —Under the above heading a Mr Clark writes to your paper, and as lie makes use of my name in coaueetion with the said appeal I crave spaca in your columns to reply to and correct some of the misstatements made bj him Iv lh-2 first place he refers to a formsr letter of his iq which ha challenged the truthfulness of a miDuts in the road board books, agreeing to an ofier made-by him that on consideration of tha board sending a surfaceman on his road for a further three weeks he undertook.not to ask for any further assistance on the said road within flvoyears. At the next meeting. Sir Ciark objected to this minute being confirmed for tho above reason—viz., that it was incorrect. After discussion, in which most of the' metabers> toak part, it was resolved unanimously that the minutes were correct. .'....

Mr Clark further states that after buying the land-he found there was no road to it,"as from some oversight on the part of the surveyor the road round block IV was left disconnected from the district road by about 4-£ chains. He then goes on to tell of hjs effoits to get the road opened, and would lead us to believe that all these efforts were, directed towards having these 4£ chains opened. This, Sir, is not correct, as for a considerable number oC years he devoted all bis energies towards gtttiog a road opened through tbe land, then belonging, to the late William Dickson, which involved the purchase of 17 chains of road, aad it was owing to our efforts and his reEusal to accept of the outlet by tha purchase of the s-horter piece, that he was kept, as he says, without a road so loag. On his application coming befora the Provincial Council for the first time it was thrown oat bscausa we had not received sufficient notice, and on the second occasion .we presented a petition signed by nearly every settler in. the district, opposing the granting of his application,' they (tha settlers) recognising that he had then, as he has now, a. frontage on the Hooper's Inlet Beach road. Mr, Clark tella us that in 1880 the House of Representatives voted the. sura of £300 for the purpose of a road to block IT, but what he does not tell us is this : that on receipt of a telegram from Sir Barron, who was M.H.R. for this district at the time, to ihV effect that he could get this money he, Mr j Clark, immediately waited on me as a member iof the road board, showed me the telegram, and asked, my assistance to get; the road/ opened. I could not ees that, Mr Clark had any claims to have the road opened, but I recognised there were othew who had a claim, and, having ascertained that Mrs Rochford was agreeable, I, at a meeting of the road board, proposed that the road should be takea~ through her property, which, after some delay, was done. Since this was done some of the land has changed hands, and the whole of'the land in block IV is now held by those who have a frontage either to the Foriobello or the Hooper's Inlet beach reads, and the 'latter pas3ea within a chain or two of Mr Clark's homestead. For this reason I am opposed to any of the rates being spent in makine a road to this block.

To his assertion that I madei overtures on several occasions to purchase hisi land, assigning,_as he puts it, as the reason that there was no likelihood of his ever getting a road to it, I give an unqualifieddenial. I never did so. Mr Clark goes on to tell a fnnay iittle.itory about the time he was a member of; the road bosrd,_and wishes to pose as a martyr, he (go he writes) having incurred our anger Whilst conserving the public interests.: If this was bo, the public, who knew the circumstances; were very ungrateful, as when his term of office expired he sought re-election. I.opposed him, and at the meeting of ratepajesrsi Mr Ci^rk managed to find a proposer but could not get a seconder, and I was elected, and have been a msmber of the board ever since.:-■'.--; ■ v -

Apologising for occupying so' much of yonc space on a subject of so little public interest— I am, &c, W. M. Dicksow, Chairman Portobello Eoad Board.

Jnly26,