GORE POST OFFICE SITE. TO THE EDITOR.

Otago Daily Times, Issue 11917, 15 December 1900, Page 10

GORE POST OFFICE SITE. TO THE EDITOR.

Sir, —My letter explaining the true position in regard to this matter lias drawn a reply from Mr John Ballintine, the Mayor of Gore. Mr Ballintine wisely declines to commit himself, excepting in regard to some trivial assertions which, even if admitted, would be of no gre.it consequence. The first is that on a, copy of a record map Mr Ballintine finds that sections 9 and 3 are marked as " Government building reserve." I never said they were not so designated, but merely stated that the courthouse site was not earmarked for a post office. Even admitting for the sake of argument that a site is reserved ' for a particular object, when it becomes, from force of circumstances, unsuitable for such purpose, it must giveaway to ona more convenient. Instances o£ this are to bo ! found all over tho colony. To use a simple local illustration: Mr Ballintine might as well argue, that the Bank of Australasia, which commenced business in the early days in East Gore, should not have taken the opportunity which presented itself to secure its present site in West Gore. It is quite true, as Mr BallintinD states, that the council decided unanimously to request tho authorities to combine all the local Government buildings in one. Mr Ballintine, as mayor, moved the resolution, so he should know. Hut Mr Bailintine is distinctly disingenuous when he says the Government were asked to combine the buildings in one "on this (i.e., the courlhoufe) reserve." If that tag had been added to the motion, most probably tho mayor would not have found Or Copland as seconder, nor would it have been passed unanimously. This, at aJiy rate, is a fair inference, seeing that the gentleman in question signed tho petition in favour of tho present site. Mr lialliivtine condemns the site chosen by the Minister as requiring a very clever architect to make the building "look pretty." The Hon. Mr Ward said no one was to run away with tho idea that the site was too narrow, and guaranteed that the new post office would be a credit to the town and district in every | respect. I am content to take Mv Ward s word for this, as there is evidence in, say, the reeentlv-ereeted Masterton and Bluff post i offices 'that he knows what he is talking about. i The only public building I know of Mr Jial- - lintine having anything to do with is the local Town Hall, to which he caused to be built an i addition which as a specimen of a " pretty ; building" would make the angels ween.' 1 Under the circumstances, Mr Ballintino will, T trust, see, that it is not necessary for me , to call at the Council Chambers to verify his ' statements, 'as T am quite prepared to take ' them for what they are worth, which is so very, infinitesimal a quantity as not to be worth quarrelling about.—l am. etc., i No Spoon-fed Liberal.

1 Spnin has only 11,500 miles of railway, wliilo Franco, of about the same area, lias 35,000. Spain transports annually 16.000,000 passengers and 8,000,000 tons of minerals and merchandise: France, 400,000,000 passengers and 110,000,00.0 tons of goods. .^^^j