THE MEMBER FOR OTAUTAU RIDING.

Western Star, Issue 787, 27 October 1883, Page 2

THE MEMBER FOR OTAUTAU RIDING.

TO THE EDITOR, Sir,—Would you be able to inform me what time wo are to bare another election for Wallace County Council, as the riding which I happen to live in has been so grossly misrepresented in the Council as to call forth grumbling aloud, for I think there are very few ratepayers in the County that would put up with the same amount of wanton indifference to their requirements as the ratepayers of Otautau riding have put up -with at the hands of Mr James Mackintosh ; in fact, Mr Editor, I would be ashamed to look the ratepayers in the face had I been in his place. Some time since we all saw that the Council wanted to borrow or get from Government, through the Roads and Bridges Construction Act, some £20,000,1 think, to be proportioned among the different ridings in the County. There was, 1 think, £IOOO for Otautau-Wrey’s road, £IOOO for a bridge across Otautau river at Otautau, and some other items which it is useless to detail just now. However, the Government could not see its way to grant the amount, and sent back the application to have items reduced, &c., to, I think, £SIOO. The application is sent back to Wellington, and not one shilling, I believe, to go to the Otautau riding. What about all the roads in Heddon Bush ? Not a word. Mr Mackintosh never turns up for five meetings, four ordinary and one special, and mind you, Mr Editor, he knows very well this proportioning business is going on. If he cared for the interests of the district ho was supposed to represent, he would either have attended the meetings or resigned and allowed the ratepayers to get a man to look after their requirements. Would not an ordinary thinker say—Well, out of that £SOOO we get from Government, we surely will get a bridge across Jacob’s River at Yellow Bluff ; but no, not a word about the riding at all. Knowing, as our member did, that on the fourth ordinary meeting he was absent, he lost his seat, he at the eleventh hour, or at the time the Council was supposed to meet, telegraphs for leave of absence, and gets it, too. I am surprised very much at the members of the Council then present granting leave of absence, seeing that he was away as long as his seat would allow him without any leave. Now, I suppose all this money will be spent in Orepuki and Mararoa. It’s a pity, sir, some of the county members did not get to Parliament. They would act up to the knocker in the House, I should think. It’s a pity they did not get a trial anv-how. I suppose our riding is in debt, at least it ought to bo, with the amount of day labor with men and horses that has been done on the Gladfield road. I wonder is it true that the bye-road from the main road to Gladfield house has been done by the County. I hope not, anyhow, as it would be wrong to squander public money to benefit money lenders. In any case, it’s time the ratepayers got tip and gave people to understand that they want a fair thing, and also give the Government and Council to understand that a bridge across the river at Yellow Bluff is more requisite than a bridge was at Thornbury. The time is gone by for granting petty favors to the detriment of the district at large. —I am, &c., Ratepayer ijt Otaetaxt Eidiss. ■ THE JUVENILE PERFORMANCE. j TO TUE EDITOR. I Sir, — “ Ryegrass,” who claims to be a , settler, but who, from the peculiar circum- ( stances that took place on the evening of the concert, proves to my mind that he ought to have signed himself “Sorrel” orsoraething j similar, should have waited until he had seen the balance-sheet before charging us with having a private dance “at the public . expense.” The use of the hall was gratuitously c given for a dance for the children and their friends by Mr Booth, the lessee, and the refreshments were provided by myself. After the trouble Mr Hunter and myself have taken to assist in providing a much needed and sorely-felt addition to our local and Western „ District Hospital, and the first-class manner _ in which the children acquitted themselves in th?i? respective parts, and the excellent (

muß,c}i“c nurji o.l, by probably as aoo.l a ban ' a* c*(i; be produced in any large town in Now Zealine), I feel that we should not be open to (rjjuVt.nnd lying attacks such as that made by tlie person- who had the impertinence t# .attempt to force himself into company to wThich .ho w«s never inrited, and who, because I promptly rej cted him, attempts through your issue of Wednesday last, to throw cold water upon our work. In fact, sir, the public are surprise 1 that yon yourseff would publish such a production, seeing that our stagemanager distinctly stated at the conclusion of “ Mignonette,” that the only charges thatwouli be made were the cost of the h*il, printing, and necessary properties for the proper.representation of the piece,-the cost of the dresses, etc., hying defrayed privately. You, sir, yourself know that no pub ic dance was advertised, and the balance-sheet, whicji will appear in your Sat urday’s issue will prove that there was no “ private dance at the public expense.”—l am, &c., VICTOWA HOWKIX, Hon. Sec. Juvenile Dramatic Club. ODDFELLOWSHIP—“ FIAT JUSTITIA.” TO THE RDITOE. SIE, —In your local news of this day’s issue, you have devoted considerable spaes to an account of a meeting held »t Otautau, to “consider the establishment of a lodge under the American Constitution.” It is to be hoped the effort will be successful. There is one paragraph, however, to which any memmer of the Manchester Unity must decidedly take exception. You slate : “It was shown that while the weekly contributions were a trifle higher in the American Order, the initiation fee was only about one-fourth of the M.U., and that although sick benefits were higher in the latter, they had to bo made up in a good many instances, by special levies on the members.” I have merely to remark, without going into particulars, that the person showing this to be the case, more particularly the latter part of the paragraph, is entirely ignorant of the subject, or that he wilfully misrepresented the M.U. I maintain that it would be more patriotic to hold up the Manchester Unity as an example, rather than seek to panegyrize the modern, by misstatements concerning the old time-honored and loyal Order.—l am, &0., Unity. Riverton, 24>lh Oct., 1883. CONSISTENCY VINDICATED. TO THE BDITOE. Sib, —Very disparaging and contemptuous remarks having been rna le by members of the County Council and others reflecting on those ratepayers who having signed the petition ior merging afterwards signed the counter petition, it is desirable that tke case should be fairly stated, and these unjust aspersions rebutted. The petition for merging originated through the desire of the ratepayers to bar* only one rating body instead of- two. i Many of them preferred the Board to the County, but the only course open to them under the existing law being to merge the Board, they reluctantly signed.the petition for merging. Before the petition was presented, to the County Council, the Counties Amendment Act of 1882 had been passed and had come into force. This Act gites the ratepayer? s tb# power on petition to obtain the suspension of the County and to Have all its powers and revenues devolved upon the Road Hoardthus completely changing the previous situation. It was quite within the duty and discretion of the County Council, if acting ss an impartial and judicial body, intent only upon protecring the rights of the ratepayer, to have declined the petition and referred it back to the ratepayers for futurs considsration under the entirely altered conditions. The Council, however, thought proper to reoeivs the petition, and the only way then open to secure justice to the ratepayers by allowing them to have any choice, was to send in a counter petition. The premises being com* pletely altered by the Counties Amendment Act, any ratepayer who had signed the petition for merging, but who really preferred the Board, was quite consistent in signing the counter petition, and, thereby securing to himself ar.d his fellow ratepayers the privilege of a full arid f reo choice as to which rating body should bo kept up, and indeed it was bis duty to sign the counter petition I may go ■ beyond this and say that those who were conscientiously in favor of merging, might, under the altered circumstances and from a sense of justice and a desire for fair play, hare signed the counter petition, and thereby hare shown their respect for the rights of others. The ratepayers are now masters of the situation. They can either merge the Board, or suspend the County, or keep up both. They have also a fourth choice, namely:—to divide the upper from the lower ridings, and have two counties instead of one, and it seems from the report* of the last meeting of the Council that the upcountry settlers contepiplate taking ajtion in this direction. A petition in favour of this is, however, liable to be frustrated by an adverse resolution of both Houses of Parliament. ■lt is not my present purpose to offer any advice, but I may venture to suggest that there need be no undue haste, but that the ratepayer# might in the meantime “ Consider of it, take advice, and speak their minds,” when the proper time com-s. Perhaps, also, it may be well to take into account that we may hope that when >he new Parliament - f 1885 is elected, it will effect a much-needed reform in our present system of Local Government. In conclusion, had merging been accomplished, there is much reason to fear that the surplus of the Road Board rates, after providing interest and sinking fund for the Road Board debt, would have gone in payment of the County’s overdraft instead of being expended en the district roads.—l am, &c., Sam. HoDGxnraoN.

HOSPITAL CONCERT. TO THE EDITOR. Sib, —On behalf of the Juvenile Dramatis Club, I tender my hearty; thanks to the ladies and gentlemen composing the orchestra, the gentlemen who looked after the doors, and to the sereral parties who exerted themselves to dispose of tickets. Balance Sheet. • RECEIPTS. By cash taken at door £lO 15 6 „ Tickets 14 g O £25 1 8 EXPENDITURE. To rent of hall £1 iq q „ Advertisement, tickets, programmes, cardboard, &c. 215 6 „ Hire of piano I. O 0 Cr. Balance 19 16 S £25 1 6 Victoria Howell, Hon. Sec. OTAUTAU TOWN BOARD. TO THE EDITOR. Sir, —In your issue of the 17th inst. I noticed a letter sicned “ Ratepayer,” ’i„ reference to ]\lr Cuthbertson’s claim against the Otautau Town Board. I wish to let tho public know that I was not one of the Commissioners that refused to pay Mr Cuthbertson what was fair and honest for the map that he made for the Board. It was the same map that was sent to Wellington, and the Town district was proclaimed in accordance with said map ; therefore X consider Mr Cuthbert son’s claim was a fair and ieasonablo one for the work done. All the members of the Board know quite well that Mr Cuthbertson has been ill for a length of time, and was not able in consequence to attend court against the Board. lam sorry to say that, it is a disgrace to the Board not to pay tbo claim. —I am, &c., James Qunr