LETTERS TO THE EDITOR.

Sun (Christchurch), Volume II, Issue 377, 26 April 1915, Page 6

LETTERS TO THE EDITOR.

TO CORRESPONDENTS. \Y. B.—Your letter l\ae appeared elsewhere J. T. C.—Unable to decipher ink-pencil communication. "Enquirer."—Cannot afford the space. The Sun welcomes bright, brief letters on topichl subjects. "J. C. E." —Your letter has appeared elsewhere. LABOUR AND COUNCIL COMMITTEES. To the Editor of THE SUN. Sir, —It may be of interest to the electors to know that immediately after the last municipal elefctions a private meeting' was held by the Mayor, Mr Holland, in a well-known private office in Christehurch for the - purpose of forming the committees on the council. The outcome of the meeting was that no Labour councillor was placed on any of the committees or was requested to attend the private meeting. When the council had its first meeting, a typewritten paper with all the names of the selected committees lay on the table near the Mayor, and not one Labour councillor was on any of the committees. The Labour members got to work at once, and wanted to know were they not entitled to representation on the committees. As the outcome of a strong protest from the Labour members, two are now on each committee set up, trying to stop the people from being taxed. Sir, if {his statement is not true I am prepared to give £lO 10/- to the Charitable Aid Board. I challenge any councillor or Mr Holland to prove my statement is false. If it is proved I am wrong I will hand over £lO 10/- to the Charitable Aid Board ■immediately,, and make a public apology to Mr Holland And councillors concerned. —I am, etc., F. ft. SMITH, April 20, 1915. . St. Albans. THE MAYOR'S REPLY.

'' I never attended any private meeting in regard to forming committees," said the Mayor, when asked this morning for a reply to Mr Smith's charges. "It is quite within the right of any member, to suggest but the : appointment of the committees iswthe function of the council and no one else. The Mayor is ex officio a member of * all committees, and does not need to be . appointed. Speaking from there are five- Soeisbl-Seavoeratsr ou thei i council and thegre are seven committees,: = and I believe honestly that at least one ' Sot-ia 1 -Demoerat was recommended for * each committee. The recommendation : did not approve of due Social-Democrat being on a certain committee for reasons which I think it would be inadvisable to publish, and also one inember of the Citizens' Association was not placed on' a committee because of local applications for contracts. As far as I can remember, the Social-Demo-crats were not treated as a party, but the position was viewed from the point of the interest of the most efficient working.'' By reference to the minutes' of the council, Mr Holland showed that' all the committees were appointed in open council. At the meeting at which the appointments were made,, the coun-. cil adjourned for 15 minutes in order that a sub committee of which Mr Holland was a member might' report as to standing committees. This sub-commit-tee, however, reported that it had no recommendation to make. At least one Social Democrat was appointed to each committee.

IN REPLY. TO T. E. DACRE. ■jfo the Editor of THE SUN. Sir —Oje can easily read between the lines of T. E. Dacre's letter, who ''neither supports the Tory nominees nor the Social-Democrats;"'that lie either has a brief for the latter party, or seeks their support in the near future. The whole tone of his more than .foolish effusion is misleading frpm start to finish, and quite unworthy of a man of his known rectitude. It' seems as if Mr Dacre is still smarting under the sting of bis first defeat before the Commission he mentions. To say that I am, or ever have been, adverse to the city's progress or the unification of all local districts.into one solid vWhole, is absolutely untrue, or to say that I represented that the li rates would be doubled" under the unimproved values, is equally so. I fought against Linwood North joining the city purely on account of the unrighteous law of rating on unimproved value, and I shall again and yet again do so. When the propagandists of this faith addressed the public, it was ever, "Mr Joijes. would you like to know how much your rates would be reduced under the n«w regime?" and never, "Mr Jones, would 3-0U like to know what benefit you would confer upon the city by the adoption of this change?" Always the same, what can I save, how much less can I give to the council. Poor sordid elemout. Mr Dacre does not appear honourable enough to say my objection was solely in the interests of the work-ing-man; and not my own. Is the fact of doing good to others at his own expense foreign- to his creed, or does he forget that no man-liveth unto himself? I fought on the principle of the just rights of my poorer brethren, well knowing that my iates would be lighter by the change. This is certainly shown bv the fact of having to pay the first vear in Greater Christchurch £7 10/-, against a previous £l2, and for the last three years my rates have remained practically stationary at £9. Yet, in spite of this, when the proposal for reverting back to the old system was before us a few weeks ago, I voted for it. Are you, Mr Dacre, prepared to do as I did," practically vote for an increase of £3 on your rates to assist others ? The progress of a district depending upon rating on unimproved values is only dragging a red herring across the scent, and no one with due consideration to facts would use such a childish argument. What a veritable wiseacre! What a learned Daniel come to judgment! Surely ilr Dacre is worthy of the Woolsack. Fancy, oh ye oppressed ones, Mr Eagg with a large garden, paddocks, and tennis courts, including a house covering a sixteenth of an acre, being called a large landed proprietor on three-quarters of an acre! Surely imagination runs riot in these latter days. Now, what is all this about—jealousy, bitterness of spirit, or a desire to ruin an opponent's chance of election? Friend Dacre, if we are to fight, let us fight fair, fight truthfully, and honourably, and above all remember that though opinions differ, personalities only discredit those who first resort to them. Know, too, that some good still remains in Israel, and that not every one opposed to you is self interested. —I am, etc., ALFEED R. EAGG.