AN UNFORTUNATE CIRCUMSTANCE.

Stratford Evening Post, Volume XXXI, Issue 71, 7 November 1911, Page 5

AN UNFORTUNATE CIRCUMSTANCE.

(To the Editor “Stratford Pest.”) Sir, —Will you kindly allow me space in your valuable columns to explain

to the ratepayers the failure ol my ') nomination as a Councillor for the West Hiding at the forthcoming County election. My nomination was sent to tiie Clerk of iJie County Council, by registered letter, on the 31st October, arriving in Stratford between 11 a.in. and 12 a.m. of that date, twenty-four hours before flic nominations closed.- Through roinissness on the part of both post oliice officials and the County Clerk, that nomination was not in the hands of the Clerk, as it should have been, before noon of the Ist November; hence, tmcugli no fault of in.re, n y name dues not appear as a candidate for one of the vacancies in the West Riding. 1 particularly regret the circumstance for 1 stated ar the Council table some three or four months ago that if 1 was returned as one of the councillors on the new Council, 1 would strive to alter the present engineering system of the Council in the direction of confirming the services of the Council’s engineer wholly and solely, to the work of the Council. At present our engineer holds that office to the Stratford County and the Whang un-nnona C mnty. fie is consulting engineer to the Egmout Countv, ~aT j.rai aces privately also. Tiiis is quite in accordance wiih aiTM'lg'-mmi'.s l .ade villi the Stratford County Council, though I doubt if it was contemplated that a standing advertisement should bo in the local paper, as to private practice. Be ,that us it may, lam of the opinion that it is necessary to have an engineer’s time wholly and solely concentrated on the work and control of the labour of the Council. It was my intention at the first meeting of tlie Council to move to tins effect. I have always been of the opinion that this should be the policy of the Council, and strove, before the forming of the Whangaimionion'a County, to give effect to, it, but the majority of the Council have, so far, thought otherwise. lam not questioning in any way the capabilities ot our present engineer. I have the greatest admiration for the service lie has given us, which could not be bettered as to quality, but I certainly think that we want the lime that is now spent on other work, foreign to the Stratford County, spent within our own boundaries. . One word as to the candidates for the two vacancies. I understand a ratepayer in my locality has been engaged in canvassing for the two new candidates— Messrs Smith and Anderson—as against Mr Marchuut and myself. 1 being out of court, under present conditions and without presumption, may 1 be allowed to say that in my opinion it would lie folly to adopt this canvasser’s advice as to Mr Marchant. 1 have been associated with

« him in the Hiding for some years, and at times have differed considerably on matters pertaining to the Hiding and County, -but/his knowledge on County matters, his sense of justice and his earnest desire to faithfully serve the ratepayers demands consideration from those lie has served so long. Let ratepayers carefully consider the wisdom or otherwise of placing an untried horse in the shafts of the County’s administrative waggon. Just a word before I finish as to the gentleman who thinks new representation is needed at this end of the Hiding. I jiougnt his battles at the Council table when I considered the Council '• were doing him an injustice in charging him ,£2O, for metal taken from the side of the Manaia road and used for metalling a private road.' 1 secured the rescinding of that resolution, which was eventually modified to (speaking from memory) £7, and I understand ho is still opposed to the payment of this amount. An application by him for extended metal on his road frontage, seeing he offered the metal free of royalty, was granted, hut a further application for extended metal was scouted by the Council. Surely, however, this. is not the measure of my offence ? An ugly rumour reaches me that a dead set is to he made at the West Riding foreman for doing Ids duties as instructed by the Council. I can hardly credit such an action. Yet in the face of the silence of the new candidate, what is-to he believed? The position, as I see it, is this that, owing to the failure of my nomination, one at least of the candidates slips in to a position that otherwise he would fail to obtain by an election. I will await results and then challenge either Mr Smith or Mr Anderson, if elected, to resign their scats and contest it against me, as I consider they will have obtained the position through a misadventure, and not,through the confidence of the ratepayers. Thanking you in anticipation. I am, etc., DAVID L. A. ASTBUHY. [ln fairness to the County Clerk, Mr Charles Penn, a representative of the “Stratford Post” requested him to state whether Mr Astbury’s reference to remissness on his part had any foundation in fact. Mr Penn states he cleared the post office box as usual at 10 a.m. on Wednesday, November Ist, and later, finding that no nomination had arrived from Mr Asthury (whom he expected to nominate), he remarked to the Office Assistant that possibly Mr Asthury had sent his nomination in by the mail arriving at 11.30 a.m. He accordingly paid another special visit to the post office to ascertain, and in addition mentioned to the editor of this journal that there would probably he another name to add to the advertisement of nominations which he had handed in. Mr Penn found nothing whatever in the County Council’s box, and it was not until the evening of the 2nd November (the da\ r following that on which nominations closed) that lie discovered in the box a card stating that a registered letter for that box awaited delivery. This card was not in his box at 10 a.m. This certainly exonerates Mr Penn from any possible charge. So far as the Post Office is concerned it seems that a card was put in the County Council’s box on October 31st, and found by Mr Penn at 10 a.m., and on presenting this at the counter he was handed a registered letter from an Eltham resident. Nothing was then said about a second registered letter; in fact, it could not have reached Stratford until 11.30 a.m. While we sympathise with Mr Asthury, it would be manifestly improper to allow such a stigma to rest upon the County Clerk.—Ed. “Stratford Post.”]