Correspondence.

Waikato Times, Volume I, Issue 10, 23 May 1872, Page 2

Correspondence.

*■ 1 IWe do nr)t m-ewwarily endorse tlie opinion* exr pj-fcnhe<l by our correspondents.] " 01/'H R.M. , ' AGAIN. ; (To the E'VithT of the Waikato Time*.) SiK,— Tliin worthy functionary is alwayt cropping up somewhere, i see from tht> published proceeding of the Central Board of Kducatiou that (with his usual magnanimity) he has been actively inliimnull' in the publio weal, relative to the U'lucatioiial reserve here, through one corner of wiiiuh the'J'owji iioard, with the approval of the Pi"viu<:i:t.l t 'overnment, are about to carry a road to the wharf. This worthy gentleman, actuated no doubt by tin: most gwneroua and disinterested ru'jf iv».-8, ainl under the pressure of a most exalted et.-nsij of duly, justice and equitj— for what other 1 ; motives could possibly reach or iuiluence an official t so high in position as "Our R.M ."—appears to have uuncfeived some objection to the road being , taken through a, corner of the School .Reserve, and accordingly write* to the Central Board of Education, praying them not to allow it. No doubt tho ' Central Jioard fully appreciating hia disinterested * and gencroua motives in thus looking after their j iiitei-i;.-jt.a afc «o much personal trouble and inconvenience, inu.-it hiive felt overwhelmed withgratitude : and will henceforth consider themselves laid under a great obligation to the gentleman in question, especially when they remember that he has not the .slightorft interest in the matter, neither was there the Jea*L necessity for hia interference, a» he h;ix long ninoo ccafcd to be chairman of the School (~'oininiUuc, another gentleman having been appointed to that oflice, who certainly ought to be ashamed of himself, for hr.ving solar neglected his duty as not to have reported to his official superiors the great injury that the unprincipled Town Board were about to do to their interests. lint sir, as instances of disinterested generosity : aro .so very rare in these times, I trust 1 need make ; no apology for enlarging a little on the one before us, iia such an example may prove of great public utility. I u September last the Town Board consulted " Our R.M." in his capacity as Chairman of the School Committee relative to carrying the road through the : corner of the Educational Reserve, who not only approved of it in the strongest terms himself, but brought tho subject before the School Committee i and forwarded tho result to the Chairman of the 'I 1 own Board in the following terms : — : "The School Committee can see no objection to I the Town Board taking the road to the wharf

through that portion of allotment SG, marked AB, ■ but beg to refer you to the Superintendent, who I holds the allotment in trust for educational puri [»oses ; Now sir, L don't wish to insinuate that "Our : 11. M." has changed his opinion since September i last, as this might imply that hia judgment i was ac fault in the first instance, which would i be casting n.n imputation upon his infallibility, ! a position I should not for a moment wish to take up with reference to the gentleman in question. Neither do I think that any change ; of opinion lias taken place, or that it is necesj siry in order to his requesting (in May 1872) , that tho road might not be allowed which in Sept. JS7I he most highly approved of. There is certainly ■ an apparent contradiction, but a little explanation : will la.i.ke it quite plain and easy to be understood. i A short time ago a petition wan sent in to the Town ' Board, signed by " Our li M." and six other ratepayers,' praying that they would grarel a side-path along a byo-streot, a considerable distance up which I is a, private school, where the children of "Our K. M." aro being educated. Well, sir, would you i believe it, tho stupid and short-sighted Town Board I (believing it was their duty to make the main roads

iirdt) had tho audacity to refuse forming and gravelling a loot-path for " Our 11. M.'s " children to walk to .school on without soiling their boots by the way! Can you wonder then, sir, after such unkind treatment as this, our generous-hearted R.M. should feel ..so anxious to protect the interests of the Central ' Hoard of Education by trying to prevent the rascally, narrow-minded and illiberal Town, Board from taking a corner off their allotment so as to secure a road to the whari'?—l am, &e., Faikplay. Hamilton, May 20, 1872. l J .is. -My only reason for not attaching my signature is lest it might be supposerl from the eulogistic defence set up in this letter that I was anxious to curry favour with the genilemaH referred to, whereaj my only motive is what [ have aigned myself. [Wo. have inserted this letter on the principles that all i should have ii chance of expressing their opinions on matters of public interest. The remarks concerning the children oi'the R.M. are quite uncalled for. We have not struck the paragraph out for the reason that they will recoil on the writer. "We must remind " Fairpiny" that a Government official is precluded from replyj'ng- iu the public press.—En. W.T.]