VOICE OF THE PEOPLE

Taranaki Daily News, 29 November 1934, Page 7

VOICE OF THE PEOPLE

VIEWS ON CURRENT TOPICS CONDUCT OF PUBLIC EXAMINATION EXPLANATION BY SUPERVISOR. (To the Editor.) Sir, —As some prominence has been given in your columns to criticism of the conduct of recent examinations, I should like to say a few words on the matter. Miss Allan must know well that of the numerous candidates for the Intermediate Examination presented last year by the Girls’ High School not one passed, the candidates being almost all those to whom the inspectors have already refused Senior Free Places. Talk of careers being spoilt is therefore superfluous. The boj' who is alleged to have asked for silence did not in fact do so.. What he asked was permission to work his arithmetic to himself in a whisper, This was of course refused. The Education Department, for reasons of economy, has this year seen fit to assign to nqprly every session three, four or even five distinct examinations. These papers are of varying lengths, and at the end of the allotted time the answers to each have to be collected and the candidates dismissed., The instructions are that these answers must be immediately wrapped and sealed. All this causes an unavoidable disturbance and rustling of paper in the room, but the '■ department, not the supervisor, is to blame. What other unspecified allegations have been made against me I do not know, no one having done me the honour—or the justice—to inform me. But it would be well that those concerned should hesitate to accept rashly the- irresponsible and possibly hysterical statements of defeated candidates. With regard to qualifications, I wish to add that I hold an Honours Degree of London University.—l am, etc., CHIEF SUPERVISOR. New Plymouth, November 28. MATAU AND ITS ROADS, (To the Editor.) Sir,—l was very pleased to see. such an interesting letter written by Mr. W. H. Skinner. He undoubtedly know’s what he is writing about; and knows the wants of this district. better than some who live in it. I see one correspondent now wants us to believe that all the money spent on the various access roads in widening etc., without giving us a mile of metal, was not wasted. I atn afraid I cannot agree with him. Does he honestly think that the money which was spent to metal the Purangi and Tarata Zig-Zags would have" been better spent had they widened it, etc., and left it unmetalled, or as it is at the present day? When all is said and done these zig-zags, with care, are not as dangerous as made out, for it is seldom we hear . of any accidents on them. I happen to have quite a number of friends who come through from New Plymouth every summer. Some when going home have taken the Kiore Road, and they consider that taking it all round it is just as much up hill and down as the road to Inglewood, with nearly as many bends and not nearly such a beautiful road, as far as scenery is concerned, as the Junction Road. There is one thing I am very pleased about. At last some of us have convinced others that five miles of metal will not put most of us on a metal road, even to Stratford, for they are now talking of ten miles, which is nearer the mark. They say we want two miles up the Mangamaire Road, five miles down the Matau North Road, starting from where it joins the Junction Road, and three miles on the Junction Road, starting from the school comer. Can anyone tell me what is to happen to the stretch of road of about half a mile between the school corner and the Matau North Road, which passes the saleyards, the hall, the post office and Mr. A. Rolfe’s house, and carries more traffic than any other half mile of road in the district? I have followed all the correspondence. So far there is no mention of this section being metalled until the Junction is metalled. Perhaps there is a broader-minded view needed here. If the metalling of the Kiore Road has brought the cost of cartage down on manure and wool, it is high time the Junction Road was metalled also, to bring the' cost of living down for those who are not fortunate enough to own a car, and have their groceries brought over the Matau-Pu-rangi Saddle from New Plymouth. No one to my knowledge is against having the Kiorn Road metalled, or against our present “loan proposals,” but what we do object to is trying to block Cr. Rawlinson, with the help of the Taranaki and Inglewood Chambers of Commerce, from getting the Government to metal the Matau-Purangi Saddle. He is not asking any of the settlers to pay for it, so why should they interfere? I have heard of some funny things in my time, but have never before heard of anyone making a fuss because his councillor is trying to get something for nothing out of the Government. The ratepayers on the Purangi side of the saddle are as much entitled to metal even if they do live on a ride road, as those living on the Mangamaire Road, unless of course they are Cr. Rawlinson’s supporters. In that case they apparently don’t deserve any metal.. • In regard to travelling to town in a horse and gig, quite a number of settlers did that before E. McCoard’s time, as in those days they did not have the railway either. I can remember, before the Kiore Road was metalled, that we were bribed into signing up for it. Once the Kiore Road was done we could fight for all we were worth to get the Junction Road done. There are some, no doubt, who enjoy keeping one in the mud until such time as their so-called supporters get metal. As regards Mr. Rawlinson not being satisfied with what the ratepayers are doing, he would be more satisfied, I feel sure, if broader minds were used by some of them instead of the settlers being so divided. We should pull together to get metal for all of us, instead of messing about to get two or three miles. As Matau has always been div- < ided in everything it woiild be such a change to have everybody pulling together for once. It is a pity E. McCoard had not accepted Mr. Rawlinson’s challenge to “Politician.” There is no hall here for any meeting such as this, and as the ladies are just as interested in the metalling as the ratepayers, I think a public meeting would be far the fairest. Does E. McCoard feel a public meeting would be too many to handle, and the air might need clearing a little? —I am, etc.,

MATAU-ITE.

Matau, Nov. 28.