SQUANDERING OF RATES AND GOVERNMENT LOAN.

Taranaki Herald, Volume L, Issue 12254, 13 May 1903, Page 6

SQUANDERING OF RATES AND GOVERNMENT LOAN.

To the Editor. Sir, — Your correspondents, . T. Rowe and "Squanderer" seem to be trying 1 • to outdo each other's sfeiteanents. They, theorise as to treating me- wita uontemx>t aud as a. nonentity,- and then demonstrate by a colmnin, afc&d 'a half of misstatemients, false assertion^ - and side issiues that my ,ttfutMui thrusts at them camnot be exploded in that manner. The treatment of i?» . as not being on the roll is a -nxerw r quibble. Mr Rowe then states thati 1 said "I had never demanded £50 on my own account, but that it was» passed at public meetings," but that ] do not further say that the meeting was composed of two ratepayers, . . one other individual, arid three :ot four boys, some of whom signed the petition asking- for £50 to be spent in front of Mr Elliott's door."" No, nor do I intend to • speak such a lie. Mere contradictory assertions from one another prove nothing, but if I introduce to the pmblic, the names of those who were present at the meetings and those who signed the peti— tion it will prove who ijs telling the tnuth, and who is not. The following motion ' was carried at a meetings— "That £50 be^spent out of Egraont Eoald rates on the Dorset Road, commencing from Egmont Road." The voting was as follows :^— "For the mo. tion: 'Messrs .W. Stanley, 15. Greenaway. E. Elliott (for Mrs- Ellioifc). W. Smith, N. Hill, w. Cheffi-njrs. . A. Haskell, and A. J. McTntqsb (by proxy). Against: Messrs A. Marsh) It. Marsih, •T. Bishoir. R. ■RU I - and J. Hill. Neutral: Messrs IT.. Spim n»on; V* . Tflale (ia tiie cWrV The weti-Hon was signed as follows • -I. < Thomtason, W. SSmitn, W. Stanley. C. Greenawav, T! T El'io+t. T. *W-iKal». Ci. Barrihall. W. Hill, N. Hill "W. OhwflrngsV A. J. MclneosK and A. H-ssikell. The last named should not have voted or i=icnpd the petition, and would noi* Knt for the imx>re«sion "tihat he wasoti Ihe l-01l- So it enn bp seen TiowmWoh reliance can he" plnr-ad on tfce statements of Messrs* Eow anH "Sauatv--dere»\" The ohflirrtie.'n'fi ■statement is a dpiiV-erate insnH to t*e whole pi the o-pn^pme* wlio werp px<>s«nt at the meetine. Furlhertrfore, anyone acrnuainted witt tH-' -K-toict knows that it is very wide of the mark' to say that the Egmipnt "'Roaii end of Dorset Road is opposite m.v front door ;it js more than, half a mile away. He says that out of £35 collected £28 was spent on the Burst-, house Road. So, by his own admission, he shows that he does not allow much to go from his owsn road for the maintenance of other roaßs that he uses, and towards "the expenses of the Board. He states .that lie has 11 properties in Taranaki,- tffit tlie Egmont Road district does not contain Tarana&i yet. It's a womlef he does nol want the same percent-, age of the rates of Taranaiki spent round his 11 properties^ — or is it 11 sections ? He tben tries to pass over my assertion about T. E-. Bucktnoiiglit with personal allusion to myself tendering that if -lowest I ' would no doubt have got the contract. J thinlc there is a very great doubt, as the lenders seem to have been called for and accepter! by Mr T. E. Budk--thought without a Board meeting &> acceipt tenders ; said contract sfttpfposod to be given to a son of this Commissioner — a minor. But by what coide of reasoning he can come to tho conclusion that Tarn hiding behind my wife's name, wihen I have signed - my name to every letter written by me, will surpass the understanding of all sane people, for &s! a Britisher, I have refused to hide my name, an!d do not do the same as him an-d his fellow commissioners', viz., play low and hit beneath the belt-. He boasts abotat his return chairman of the Board, electod out of five^. contestants for four vacancies. Well, a little thing pleases his little minid ! The tribunal I would like to inquire into the actions of T. Rowe and his ilk is not of a personal nature, as he presumes, but composed as follows : One neutral engineer, one bona fido road man, and Mr Stanforct, with power to place him ariel "Squanderer" where they ought to be if they stated as many untruths as in f^heir liters.' His advicft to coach mysslf up in road matters is most sadly *) neclod-by, himsqlf, for he displays, the most culpable' ignorance when he calls the -. Mutton Track , the Kaipi li >n<J, in-- \ stead of Waiwakaiho Roa«l. 'Squanderer" says that tho pit .ipproved- by me has this day been \ on-lorn sivad hy v iMr Murray . v« Gofvevnnvyrfc J'li^iiieer). 1 ji never "approved of any pit: in-; my I letters. ' I do not ' :- ni»w M.i.ney, • and deprecate any' of B^ird'iry— i ing to make a scapegoat t f that ; gentleman. r \*v -iHI suppose is Mr J. Biafcoo' I*,1 *, untl if so, why did the - Board a'repb a ten'ier for such pit, and after tho contractor's teams had been kept idle all'", .last week at on »» v »c »f nbout /+i2 •' • 10/ a day, total Mnjr about £7P, .t:\- J i low them to s'fe'act to put ahic^^ii »•- \ , torial on ihe ro^f'l. F)o • rho^v^kru that Mr Murray is made rd •SnV-R.*in<v 1 ! flimsy material aa they ri«\ nncl thet t «* he will tvrxi r" » ' •' - wind atid' ' pass it when >♦ ; . • . -> •; Xhxt why 'did T. K. ; Rvtokth«Vi«v]H jrive spreader; .. W.?■ ™ i ' >f% ° > to plac-e>^ •G^ouWf *J/ pit; and* 2?«t * o\it of Mr Sarnjnsbn'g pit on tolp ? Did he think that by pu'ttincr 2^in out cf the pit approved of- tlhat he oouM

V.

Wind the fact to the Government Engineer, that there was 6^ in oxit of the pit condemned at the bottom ? And did T. JJowe assert "that the •Board— -nev«r -t*a.itl tliey—woidd have.metal out of Mr Bishop's pit till the ■|"iiotification above mentioned was proby spreader, when, he collapsed, and. the seriotis remark was made that the -notice gave- the' whole position away ? Re the chairman's gratuitous advice' tish^' What Occupation i should follow, I wrtuld sooner tako "the advice of a bwitrlar to leave safes "unlocked, than to follow the advice of one whose word cannot be trusted. Ye Gods '^ what a sample, of Road Commissioners ■ — I am, etc.. . * : , ■ ,- CM AS. : K EL^IOT.T, ' (This cdrfe|?pbnderice" iW, hd\v' closed. - Ea. T.H.). ' - •'••'/' • •