CORRESPONDENCE.

Waipa Post, Volume V, Issue 223, 24 June 1913, Page 3

CORRESPONDENCE.

1 (Jut correspondents' opinions are their ox } n; the responsibility of editorial items makes sufficient ballast for the editors shoulders. It is necessary that all letters for publication should bear the name of the writer not necessarily Jin publication, but as evidence of good faith.! TO THE EDITOR.

SIR, — The remarks of “Ratepayer ” in your columns are open fora discussion. We are a long suffering people and the ratepayers, with few exceptions, must recognise that an immediate change is absolutely necessary to effect an improvement, as the roads are in a scandalous state in the Waipa County. As we all know they will not stand comparison with many other counties. The question of improving the same should be seriously considered by the Council, as the want of good roads is retarding the progress of the whole district. With an income of fully £IO,OOO iper annum, the time, I feel certain, is opportune for the appointment of a thoroughly qualified engineer, one with conspicuous ability.for road-making (in preference). I have nothing to say against our present supervisor who could still be retained to carry out the schemes recommended by the engineer. In conclusion, I have every confidence in stating that it would benefit the whole community, our rates would give much better results, permanent roads would increase the prosperity of the whole country. Besides it would relieve our councillors of the responsibility, and would be much better than asking the Government to take over the roads.—l am, etc., SETTLER. TO THE EDITOR. SIR,—Re Mr Blackman’s reply to my criticism. Others beside myself have inquired the price ot coal and agree with me in reporting that it is higher than Mr Blackman states. That is within the power of anyone to verity at the cost only of a few strokes of a pen and a penny stamp. Now for misconception No. 2. I think a little arithmetic will settle that. For argument’s sake I will permit it to be assumed that we will always get the maximum amount of gas from every ton ot coal namely as Mr Blackman tells us 11,000 cubic feet, and that therefore from 200 tons of mixed coal we will get 200,000 cubic feet of gas. One million cubic feet are sold at 93 2d, giving a revenue of £458 6s 4d and 1,000,000 cubic feet are sold at 6s Bd, giving a revenue-of £333 6s Bd, leaving 200,000 cubic feet for which the town is to charge itself the sum of £l5O. Let me point out that for £l5O a private customer could buy more than 200,000 cubic feet at the 93 2d rate, namely 327)0°° cubic feet, and at the lower rate of 6s Bcl he could buy 450,000 cubic feet. Now I assumed that the Town Board would charge itself the lower rate for street lighting, and concluded that when it was estimated that our street lighting would cost £l5O that we would get 450,000 cubic feet of gas for that money. I think 450,000 is near enough to being 25 per cent of 2,000,000, hence my assertion that we would need to provide for 25 per cent more than Mr Blackman allowed for. If my statement is a misconception Mr Blackman has failed to remove it by the assertion that the gas to light the streets would come from the narrow margin of difference between average results in gasmaking and the very best results, and then for that problematical 200,000 cubic feet we must pay at the rate of 15s per 1,000 cubic feet because we are our own customers and must perforce treat ourselves worse than our others, My humble and lay opinion is that our gas expert’s figures arc still too abstruse to pin our faith to.—l am, etc., John S. Reekie. to the editor.

Deer Mr Editor,—Oi see me old frind Rastus is as loively as iver. He is a mistery is Rastus, iviryone knows him av coorse, and if they arre all roight thin he j is a wondher uv wondhers. it is J gettin unsafe fer a man tu make i a joke in the strate, fer a cove 1 sed tu me last wake, “ look here j O’Bryen, till us wheerthis Rastus j lives or we’ll hcv the lor on yer. Tis a sin and a shame so it is fer a pathriot tu be hidin his loighl undher a bush, be drawin a rid herrin acrost th trail.” Anc! so th game goes on. Paceful folkes arre stopped iviry day be some diver cove sayin, “ye arre Rastus.” Uv coorse, a indignint nigitive (as the fotografers sez) is the only anser. So Mister Editer, will yer plaze till Rastus whin yer see him over th rode, tu let th paple see him as he is himsilf, and asc th hand uv his frind O’Bryen. Just a wurrd on th loightin schames. Phwat do we want wid town loights? Do ; we want all th nabers tu see us I comin home frum th club? Arsk i th young paple pwhal they think, ; and they will tell yez “ no,” wid | a capital N. Yez don’t nade a ! loighl whin yez arre out wid yer i colleen, countin th starrs and 1 watchin th luminaled clock faces jon the post office tower. Tis no : use, ye cant tell a gurl how much j yer loves her while yer both j standin in the naberhood uv a ; ()9 candle power elictric loighl. |Me own ixperiuuce laches me i betther. But th majority hcv i thare own way iviry toime, and | they lurrn a deal ear tu the I counsels uv 1 O’BRYIiN.

TO THE EDITOR. SIR,— Seeing the date for taking the poll in connection with above is drawing near I am quoting a few figures, which may be of interest to (hose who are wavering. these figures are taken from a letter now before me from the Ek.tahuna town clerk. Eke; -buna is a town about the same size as Te Awainutu, but without the prospects for expansion we have here. The cost of installing a suction gas plant in the first instance was £5,840, since then the council has borrowed a further sum ot £1,400, total cost of plant. £7,230. The electricity is supplied for power at 5d per unit, with a discount of id per unit if paid by 15th of month. Cost per unit for lighting is lod, with a discount same as above; From these figures the council had a balance of over £IOO last year after paying all the expenses. It would appear lrom this that electricity is a payable proposition for Eketuhuna and if run on business lines should prove a payable undertaking lor le Awaniuiu. In addition to above figures I have made inquiries in the town of Waitara which is lighted by electricity, and run by a private company. Owing to this fact I am unable to submit figures, but it is a well known fact in Waitara that the concern is showing a handsome profit. 1 may state, Mr Editor, 1 made these inquiries with a view to try and prove that electric light for Te Awamutu was not a payable scheme, but from all the inquiries made only in one instance can i. find a loss made by an electric light company some years ago, and that was owing to the keen competition v ith a gas company, both privately owned concerns. — I am, etc.,

M. C. Lawson Te Awamutu, June 231x1/1913.