LETTERS TO THE EDITOR.

Dominion, Volume 3, Issue 698, 24 December 1909, Page 3

LETTERS TO THE EDITOR.

MR. 01 NNIE|S RETIREMENT.! Sir,—Yesterday tlio Now Zealand' -national :i fine iras flying half-mast in Wellington! in-v honour uf une of the greatest evildoers of mud-:;;;,' L'rn times—the late King Leopold pf liclgiuiri, I'ruly wo'aroa noblo peoplp. and to our broadmimledness,; in- one direction',' thet-e'.is appar- ,j L'ntly no limit. We can mourn tho death nf a tyrant and a greedy miser, who has been tlm ji-ctiu'so-of turning 0110 of: tho most fcrtild ro- ;> . giuiis in the world into n hell upon earth, !»it, f ; v ; when it comes to dealing with .a faithffnl pub- 's? lie servant, who -lias given his best to tlio <<■ country during his timo of office— then wo cannot accord him.' tho" couimoiicst justice..' No doubt .the Government has; the .right to dip-/ ' pcnso ; with tho services of any of its employees, !, and if, before Mr. Dinnio's administration was !> impugned and ■ bef'oro .'tho; Royal Commission' was set up, the Government had' intimated, tn r Mr. Uinnie that it:no,longor raqnirwl his services, no one would lihvo had any right to com- ■ ' plain. Hut the Government took no such ac- i ■ tion." It set up; tho Royal CmaiuKskm—it ar-;-[; ranged, niul is, alono rcspousiblo for, tlio: ar-• raugoment, that tliat , comnusaon dmuW con- J sist of one man. Into that ouo .'j it entrusted both its own reputation anil tho n." fttto •of .-Mr. Dinnio;'.. Tho coaunisaonor » ported, Mr. Dinnie' replied, and tho fouling nf tho large; majority of'Uioso .who took trouble to: read'both report'and reply>has bocap tliat Mr. Dinnio brought forward dear, straight-' forward,: and satisfactory- answers to every ' point ,of. importance alleged djgoinst;. ill; so ldoing. showad. that Un,. coßunissioiicr'#'i, report was' of such' a nature that no Govern- .v mont which valued its reputation, for . jostice ' i could possibly tako action oil the ctrengtli ef ?'.' it. Mr. Uinnie eamo cuccisrfttlly tJ:rouj-l: ilni.;! ceyoro ordeal to which 1 ho was oxposod. It Ims ->'■ j been, made abundantly clcar in tlio sight of-' the whole country that there was no real ground for the allegations made, against- tho <$cicncy/; : j; discipline,' and administration, of tlio pohct* , force. - It has been mado equally clear that < Mr. Dinni» _lihs contributed largely to that 5; stato-- ofefficiency; • And" what;is liiaiteward?^' : That ho attention whatever is paid to his corn- 1 , pleto." rebuttal of Mr. Bishops, nllsgatioas—: that Mr. Bishop's report is accordcd' a, status ■:?? of-finality- ofwhich it ia altogether Uim.-w-Lhyffl —and Jin- Dinniu'is disimfseu, not with tlnv •''• honour or with- tho - expressions of KSteejn-;; for i' 7 good Work' done which ho diiacpfcs, Uut.-div " missed vitfc ignominy. * l\)r me, 'tlio flaps wero flying jtvv i terday, hot: because King Leopold was dead,: 3J but becauso .1 felt that tlio nonour iif my.-j country hail been dragged in tho inw, ahd J thoro was not a single voice 'in' Itolaauxfit'to protest against tho degradation .—I am, eteii -; J. CIBSON SMITE. Dccembei 23. • ■ j