ASHBURTON FORKS SCHOOL-MR SUTHERLAND IN EXPLANGATION.

Ashburton Guardian, Volume VII, Issue 1938, 7 September 1888, Page 2

ASHBURTON FORKS SCHOOL-MR SUTHERLAND IN EXPLANGATION.

. TO THB EDITOB. Sic, — In the iaaue of the "Guardian-" on September 4th and m the " Mail " en September 6th appears some correspondence from Mr Hale and the Post office authorities which is calculated to reflect upon me. It is there stated that I, as Chairman, have not thought fit to rectify ' the false impression which the publication of our Committee's minutes gave rice to. The facts of the case co far as I am concerned are simply these. As Chairman of the School Committee I received into my hands a letter from the Education Board which bad every appearance of being opened after being first sealed. I decided not to open the letter but laid ifc before the School Committee m the condition I received it. The Committed decided to forwatd it to the Beard asking them If they had occasion to open it. The Secretary was. tnen entrusted with the letter to deliver personally to the Board with a view to obtain an explanation «a to its condition; This decision was recorded on our minutes which were published m your paper. When I received the letter I conceived It to be my duty to enquire into its oondltlon and thns laid it before the Committee. Thft explanation received semoved any impression wbloh might have arisen that Mr Hale was m any way resp#a»ible for the letter being opened. A. meeting was held on Saturday night when the oireumstknees under which the letter ' was opened were detailed, and the same were taken down by our Secretary. These minutes were not published In you „ paper is soon as the meeting took place for the reason no reporter. wai present/ but they were open to be copied by the Press if they required them. Mr Hale In the mean time, thinking me responsible for this delay wrote me a prtaatei letter, whloh, however, I did not cjwose< to take notloe of. I knew his c.o»pUinfc would be fully met when the report of th«i meeting was published, but he- evidently thought otherwise and rmhed into print; aocuslng me of trying to do bio; an ( in jary:. As I was no party to publishing any impression w,hloh might have been put upon A^r Bale, I waa not going to publish | a refutation. The report of the 1 oommUtee meeting would explain all and. Mr Hale knew this well enough. As to my special visit to Ohristohuroh I have other and more Important things to attend to than his personal matters and imaginary tronbles. He aoonees me of personal spite against him and says that my objeot m giving vent to it has utterly failed, t am glad for Mr Hale'n sake it has, If t^fo Is the construction he has put upon i\. I think I deserved his thanks for rumoring any suspicion whloh might b- 4Va existed as to tampering with lett- -ri ' Mr Halo knows better than to Wr jt e to me »s chairman of the Committee In the style Ihe writes me BMO nally. I think I have fairly itaUci the hots, and those who owe ua»X easily see who is m the right. I I have no wish to do Mr Hale or anyone else an injury, and I tblnk In this case I can leave him to the oonsolation of his oonsotenoe I have no wish to Brush him even if I had the power.— l am eto. , W. SUTKHBLANIV Aohburton Forks, Sept. 6th. 1888..