ALAS! THOSE CHIMES.

Wanganui Chronicle, Issue 15000, 27 November 1900, Page 2

ALAS ! THOSE CHIMES.

(To the Editor.) Sir,— l read with mingled feelings of disappointment and disgust your report his morning of the meeting of the Bells' Committee on Friday. It would be useless, is welf as taking upt'io much of your -.'aluable space, to go over the well-trod ten .'round again of the best site for the bells md bell tower. Miss Burnett will not iear of the old Rutland Stockade hill, now 'orming a part of what is known as Queen's Park, so it is no use- discussing that. She very kindly gave way to public feeling as regards the open space nt the intersection :>f Wicksteed and Ingestre Streets, and iskcd that the site might be fixed at the :ar end of Maria Place, on the rise next he fire-bell tower. To everyone's utter miazemcnt. however, the Borough Council .efused permission to have the bells placed -here, and suggested to Miss Burnett a :ite much farther on, just opposite *• Bowling Green in St. Hill Street. Miss Burnett very naturally, and also very properly, I think, declined the offer, antl now he whoi'e- thing is shelved, and the Comnittee, finding that they can do no further .rood, and that a "dead-lock" has been created by the obstructive tactics of th<> Mayor and Borough Coui-cil, has resigned ; n a body and abandoned the whole affair ' Sow, the question is, Who is chiefly responsible for all this? 1 ansirtr unhesitatingly. His Worship the Mayor, and no one else ! It was he who objected to the ?ite near the bell-tower; influenced the Counci*. (coerced would not be too strong an expression), and tlicy were- „ eak mough to be ruled by him, with the result that the citizens of Wanganui are now in peril of not getting a peal of bells at all, for tlio present, at unv rate! A'l this, 1 say. is intolerable, amt should not lie allowed to exist, .my longer. Why should our beautiful town and the citizens thereof be tiyannised over and "bossed" by Mr Hatrick?' But, enough of Mr Hatrick, Mayor of Wanganui, for the present. His term of office will expire next April, when I hope to sea a change, and someone in the Mayoral chair who willl be more in touch with the wants, interests and feelings of the ratepayers generally than our present Mayor is. In the meantime, I sincerely hope that some influential, right-thinking, and generally respected citizen will take this matter in hand ere it is too late, and ■s,o round with a, requisition for signature by the ratepayers to the Borough Council, isking them to reverse their decision, and grant tlio -dte for the bells at the far end of Mm i I'l.it-e, mi ilil> rise near the lookout t'.vu. .>-■ sugm-sii'd by Miss Burnett, who, --uit'ly. N oiiiitii"! to sonic consideration in ii-i-nmiii'oi, of her proffered munificent gift. I am. i-U .

WATCHFUL. WaiitMiitii. Xm\vi»'«i

Uur Colonial coir-iii" say that we New n't we something to "blow" about? Look at our Miniate, our creeks, and springs, our won-ii'rl.nnl vi hike scenery, our forests, our uiiiivalh'ii baj scenery, and a happy, contented, and healthy people inhabiting ou isle" Out men away in South Ai'iic.i an- noted for their fine soldierly appearance, and the way they stand the tear nnd wear of an arduous campaign. We. have other points we can "blow"i nhi>"t-, nn-i .unom: them is Sykes' Cl.. ' - 1 ' '■" Pl-.am eta „.1 «&■-