MR. SWAN EXPLAINS.

Daily Telegraph (Napier), Issue 3077, 7 May 1881, Page 3

MR. SWAN EXPLAINS.

[To the Editor of the Daily Telegraph.] Sir,—l am very sorry at the attitude you . assume and tbe distortion and warping of facts contained in your leader of this evening in reference to my action re water supply to the hills. I still more regret the course you have lately adopted of flinging mud at our late engineer, who is absent from the colony, and therefore not in a position to defend himself. I distinctly deny using words you or your •reporter have put into ray mouth, namely, " that the engineer's time would have been better spent than in preparing plans for supplying the hills with water in looking after the drainage contracts." What I did say was that I considered it a waste of valuable time at the present to go into that matter, as nothing could be done to further the objectin view until the present drainage works were completed. And you displayed your ignorance of the matter, Sir, when you said that '' Mr Lamb has nothing to do with the drainage works; the last of the contracts was let before his appointment, &c." The fact is that there are three or four contracts yet to be undertahen for which neither plans nor specifications are in hand, ■•and. it is well known—-to anyone who knows anything about the matter — that nothing can be done with the loan funds until the drainage scheme is completed. This heiag the case, and wishing to see the water on the hills as quickly as possible, I said I thought we were putting the cart before the horse by going on with the water supply before we could possibly get the money to do it with.—l am, &c, Gk H. Swan. May 7, 1881.