COUNTY COUNCIL GRANTS.

Southland Times, Issue 21577, 15 December 1931, Page 3

COUNTY COUNCIL GRANTS.

To the Editor, Sir, —I notice in your issue of the 12th a report of the Southland County Council meeting, and it would appear that the councillors and the engineer in particular, were very anxious to have one of their colleagues well whitewashed and seeing they are past-masters with the brush, and having plenty of lime, soap and soda they might be able to do a little more whitewashing. I should like to know if the engineer thinks that a subsidy of £4OO was unreasonable when the council was getting £4500, and, if not, why did the council not take it up, thereby letting the settlers have a road, and at the same time furnish work for unemployed men? The council would have nothing to do with the Curio Bay road. Here was a grant of £2300, and all the country had to find was £2OO. This, however, they would not do, and the R.S.A., seeing they had a good opportunity to get their unemployed men into work, offered to find the money and did so. I say the County Council is responsible for holding up these grants, to say nothing of others that I could mention. Then they talk about the honour of the county. When they refused to pay their share of the traffic bridge over the Mataura River at Gore it clearly indicated where their honour lay.—l am, etc., d. McDougall. Gore, December 14, 1931.