OUR READERS’ OPINIONS.

Gisborne Times, Volume XXXIII, Issue 3628, 14 September 1912, Page 8

OUR READERS’ OPINIONS.

THE ROADS QUESTION

(to the editor.)

Sir, —I hope the noble population oi Gisborne are praising their audacious and road-preserving Borough Council. The roads are in a beautiful condition. While 1 was going along doLautom Road the other day it seemed as it i was on the ocean wave. The other morning a person was driving down tho road and the ruts were so bad that the king bolt was broken and the occupant kissed the mud nearly brcaKing his neck and the horses bolted, leaving that noble person to his own resources. I see that they are extracting the slush from the great chasms in”the public thoroughfare. If the rain descends while they are engaged in doing so rich .people will he able to proceed to town in motor launches. I also congratulate the Council on the way they spend the rates. —I am, etc., TOM C'OWIE. Gisborne, Sept. 12. IS HE ELIGIBLE AND SUITABLE? Sir,—l see by your valuable paper that Mr John Colley is likely to stand for the 'Council. Now, what I want to know is whether he is eligible? On good authority I hear that his firm is among the‘suppliers of materials to the Borough. At any rate, Mr Colley, in my opinion, is only tho nominee of Mr Sheridan. What 1. want to know is why Mr Sheridan offered to “fight’’ Dr. Collins, either in tho press or on the platform ? The proper place for such a. contest*,to bo field is at the ballot box. I myself would not like to see either Mr Colley or Mr Sheridan elected to the Council. What we want is a few less business people on the Council. Is no representative of the workers willing to stand? At any rate, if it is the case that either Mr Colley or Mr (Sheridan is wanted to oppose Dr. Collins it should be Air Sheridan, who ought not to be allowed to push Air Collov forward instead. Hoping that AH Sheridan will take a hint from an old

“WATCHDOG.” DR. COLLINS AND HIGH-SPEED MOTORING. (to ttie editor.) Sir, —AYell do I remember the letter to the newspaper referred to by a. correspondent in r J hursday’s “limes” of Dr Collins’s attack on the late Mr Whinray. Yonr contributor describes it as satirical. I describe it as something not nearly so complimentary. Your correspondent is in error* when he says Cr Collins met with no mishap. i. read an account in one of our daily papers of his having accidentally run over a boy, and that the doctor immediately picked the victim up and conveyed him to the hospital, which certainly redounds to his credit, as a “motor hog” would have'shut his eves to the occurrence and “scooted” so fast that the contraption could not be,, seep for dust. Cr AYhinray did good service to the citizens when lie carried his motion limiting the speed of motor cars, mid the attack made on him by Dr Collins in holding him up to ridicule was very unfair. I would like to deal with, this matter further, Jiut I feel it unnecessary to-do so.—Yours, etc., PRO BONO PUBLICO. Gisborne, Sept. 13.'

THE ENGINE FEEING DRAMA. (TO Till? EDITOR.) Sir, —The labored effort - of “Worker” ’ to have a dig at tire Borough Engineer, and incidentally to bolster up Dr. Collins in his pilgrimage for votes, is very interesting. As Mr Sheridan is on the track of the doctor to debate the question of the Borough Engineer’s administration, 1 will leave that matter to him, though I think it will take all Air Sheridan’s ingenuity to force the doctor to come j to the scratch. He has drawn a red herring across the trail, and while Ins present method of defence may be. and is, entertaining to a section of the public, all lovers of fair play can only hold his tactics beneath the depths of their profound contempt. Mv real object in indicting these few lines is to force Dr. Collins, either through the press or on the public platform, to give an explanation of iiis attitude in regard to Air Morgan, late Borough Engineer, who, 1 lielieve, sooner than submit to the eternal “nag-nag” of Cl* Collins, resigned from a position he held with, credit to the town and himself. V ith the materials available, lie kept the roads in better order than any of Ids three or four successors, who, however, are not to blame for the present muddle. It is men of Dr Collins’ own stamp who engineered the Gentle Annie quarry scheme, who are at fault. II Mr Alorgan had been supplied with good stone instead of mullock, 1 venture to say nobody would have entered the task more whole-heartedly than All- Alorgan, or given more satisfaction than he. It looks as if the doctor. wr>tli:in own ”1> that mistake had been made, did not mind tliougu t-ne Dorougn lost one of tlie most” loval and faithful servants it ever had. But here is an eye-opener. This letter of ■“ Worker’s” says:-—“Then a Councillor; —I think it was Cr Collins—was driven to make an attack on the administration, using poor Air Alorgan as an instrument of attack (I never agreed with him in this; but that’s by the way), and Mr Alorgan, who has infinitely more pride than the present Engineer, sent in his resignation. As the facts transpired afterwards, Air Morgan could never got the quantity of material he required to carry out his work owing to the awful muddle at the depot.” That a grave and gross injustice lias been done to Air Alorgan even Dr. Collins could not deny, and as the injustice was, in my opinion, brought about by Cr Collins, in spite of Air Paterson’s repeated statements that no blame was attachable to Air | Alorgan, I now call on Dr Collins, as a member of a noble profession, whose duty it is to alleviate the woes I and trials of suffering humanity, to I make due reparation to one of our i best citizens, a clean-living, sympaI thetie and charitable man—l mean | Mr Morgan, the late Borough Over- | seer. I gave Dr Collins an opportunI itv a few days- ago to deal with, this matter, but lie has ignored the subject, and endeavors to cloudy the issue by entering into a personal exI posure of the electioneering tactics of the once famous Clayton-Slieridan-Darton-Collins* combination, and incidentally dragging in the mire the names of some of our most reputable townsmen who belonged to that party, and who I feel sure will not thank him. Dr Collins says that both ho and Air Sheridan ai‘e rogues. I was always under the impression there was ‘honor even, among rogues. In

conclusion, I will give Dr Collins fair warning that if he does not clear this matter up, he will find, to his chagrin, that he has been through the bitterest contest for a seat that has everktaken place in the Bay.:—l am, etC '’ FATR PLAY. Gisborne, Sept. 13.

MORE LIGHT WANTED. (TO the editor.) Sii-,—Ale and my mates ain’t much as scolars, but we thought as how we wood' drop you a line to arst you to bo kind enuff to rite a line or to oi explination wen Doctor Collins rites to the Times, as we carnt undorstan is letters. . We no the Doctor is very lamed, cause lie as oftin told us so, and told the Borough Council sip and he tells Jack Sheridan that ’is is “the master mind” and Jack Sheridan's the “inferior.” We thiraght the Doctor was riting bout that engineer in the letter he rites. AYi does ho arst you ii ho may ‘‘roenpii/ukito AYat does that mean? We can understand Jack Sheridan, but I- suppose that’s becose he is no seolar liko us, tho he is pritty smart. Plee.se Air. Editor, rite us a few lines to ex pi a i ic.—A’o urs resp ect Iv, VERY DENSE. AIR. SHERIDAN’S REPLY TO DR. COLLINS. (to the editor.) Sir,— Paragraph No. 1 : —Flapdoodle, Fiddlesticks, Fireworks'. No. 2:—Piffle, Pawns, Priggery. No. 3:—Drivel, Dodgery, Dirt. Nos. 4 and s:—Bluster, Bunkum, Brag. ’ Basket of Eggs. Big stick. A’ours, etc., JOHN SHERIDAN. A PROTEST BY DR. COLLINS. (to the editor.) Sir,- —I notice in yesterday morning's issue a letter over the nom-de-plume ‘•Anti-Humbug.” It is obviously unfair for any individual to attempt to shoot one party to a duei from behind a hedge, however much his sympathies may be with the other. The ' writer in question has applied some very unpleasant epithets to myself. .If he- is either earnest in his opinions, or cares to prove and justify the epithets he applies, will he kindly declare his identity, and 1 will then’be in a position to meet lum. If not, will von kindly, Air. Editor, protect me from the- slanderous abuse of a writer fearful of taking the responsibility of his own actions i JAAIES C. COLLINS. Gisborne, Sept. 13.