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Waipa Post, Volume VI, Issue 307, 21 April 1914, Page 3

TO THE EDITOR,

SIR, —For some considerable time, the one important question of the formation of a borough at Te Awamutu has been engaging the attention of all citizens, and many important public proposals have had to stand down until the question of municipal constitution is properly and finally decided. The borough proposals have had a chequered career so far, and had it not been for the Chamber of Commerce action in taking a census, in the face of the discouraging attitude of the Town Board at the time, it is certain there had been no prospect of anything at all being accomplished. Now Sir, I for one, am wondering how much the Board (or I should say

some of the Members of it who

claim to be very interested in this - -matter) are trying to kill borough proposals. In the first instance, a request that a census be taken was refused, until an official count could be ascertained ; beyond all doubt the lead set by the Chamber of Commerce proved that the Board were lax in their judgment in this matter. Then with the census taken the Board makes a horrible tangle of the question of the boundaries, firstly by making them unreasonably large, and secondly, by suddenly swerving from the very large to unreasonably small. Then the unexpected happened, and evidence was offered of the fact that the Board can act quickly if it only chooses to do so, because within thirty-six hours of its memorable "twist resolution " concerning boundaries, it had the required petition signed, sealed, and delivered. I do not wish to criticise the hasty

action of the Board —if it would but move as quickly throughout the year as it did on the occasion just quoted —what a great town Te Awamutu would be ! !* But truly the Board is a body of extremes in almost everything. It is either too fast or too slow (very rarely the former), too drastic or' too indifferent. Its everyday doings show extreme actions, and concerning the borough it is extraordinarily extreme. Here it is from your issue of April 7th : At a meeting held on April 3rd, Messrs Swarbrick and Swarbrick wrote stating that another petition was required, and "Dr Reekie moved thai the clerk be instructed to prepare a petition at once, that the town be constituted a borough and that a commission be appointed to decide the boundaries. Seconded by Mr Teasdale, and carried." I ask you Sir, to emphasize the "at once" and I need not say any more than state that al-

most as many days have past since that resolution was carried, as it was hours in the case of the "twist resolution." Did the Board really tell the clerk to do something "at once." If it did, then how is it that other important matters have been held in abeyance owing to the "at once" wearily wending its way to nearly a month's duration, without a satisfactory conclusion ? Does the Board really care whether or not we have a borough or anything- z\z,zL- Jf it be that the Board does not care '.hen, why cannot the authorities be persuaded to act on the second petition, and hear objections to the boundaries therein defined ? It is high time something was done.because there is not a man in the town (with perhaps the exception of the Town Bca'd Members), who desires to see the place formed into a borough. What about another public meeting ? —Yours etc., JAY.