A MINISTER ON HIS DIGNITY

Pelorus Guardian and Miners' Advocate., Volume 22, Issue 28, 11 April 1911, Page 4

A MINISTER ON HIS DIGNITY

A LETTER AND ITS SEQUEL. It will be remembered that at the March meeting of the Waimea County Council the County Engineer (Mr Littlejohn) read a letter he had sent to the Minister of Public Works, in reply to the Department’s request for information as to the delay in expending a grant for improving the Mud-flat Road at Moutere. The Engineer’s letter was a vigorous one, and contained some very pertinent comments on the Department’s methods of dealing with plans and specifications and of their haphazard allocation of grants for roads and bridges. 1 „ The Council endorsed the letter, though the chairman stated he thought portions of it were “indiscreet.”

At the Council meeting on Thursday last a reply was received from the Department in connection with the Mud-flat Road, stating that unless the Council would undertake to expedite the prosecution of this work it . would be necessary to entrust it to the Department’s engineer. The letter asked for proposals for the expenditure of the additional £550 on this road. A further' letter was addressed to the chairman, from Mr Blow, Under-Secretary to the Department, dated xst March, in which he stated: “ A fitter has been addressed to me by Mr Littlejohn, the County Engineer, dated 19th ult., purporting to be a reply to ray .letter, but / introducing a great deal of extraneous matter. The Minister for Public Works has directed me to return Mr Littlejohn’s letter, which I have accordingly done, and I am directed to state that the Hon. R. McKenzie would prefer to receive a letter addressed to himselt and signed by yourself, in reply to the letter from this office of the 15th ult, already referred to. While writing on the matter I am to state that if your Council find it inconvenient to carry out all the works for which grants have been offered the Minister will' be glad to receive an intimation - to that efleot, when arrangements will be made to have the works, or some of them, carried out by the officers. of the Public Works Department.” a ' The chairman said he bad written a reply informing tbe. Department that the matter would be considered by the Council.

From the Public Works Department to Mr Littiejohn, acknowledging receipt of his long letter and informing him that the Debartment did not regard it as a reply to their letter. _ They returned the letter to Mr •Littlejohn. ' ' N The engineer, at- the Chairman’s repuest, read his letter to the Council, Cr Everett moved that the extraneous matter in the Engineer’s letter to the Department be expunged and that the other portions of the letter, with which the Council agreed, be signed by the chairman and sent to the Department. Or Hoult seconded the motion pro forma. He said he refused to - back down. He endorsed every word pf Mr Littlejohn’s letter. The" extraneous' matter ” was what he specially endorsed, and he was confident that a majority of the ratepayers would endorse the whole letter. , . Cr Macmahon said the Council had endorsed Mr Littlejohn's letter. He moved as an amendment that the Public Works Department be informed what was being done to the Mud-flat Road.

Cr Alborough seconded the amendment, which was adopted. * •