MR MACGINNIS IN REPLY.

Dunstan Times, Issue 1105, 6 July 1883, Page 3

MR MACGINNIS IN REPLY.

TO THE EDITOR. Sir —Permit me space in your columns to reply to the letters of Messrs Jolly and Mackellar, which appeared in your hist issue, but before doing so, I desire to correct two errors which appeared in my speech at Poverty Beach. What I said iu reference to the Macandrew Bridge contract was th t I would not give instructions to have the contract signed , and not that I gave instructions the contract should not be signed, as reported. Then, in reference to the Barmeleugh Bridge, What I said was that although ashed to send Mr Mackellar the ptans, I would not do so. hut after I resigned Mr Jolly wrote the Clerk and got the plans up for him, and not that I gave instructions the plans should not leave the office as reported. Mr Jolly says that for five years the late Clerk, as sub treasurer, had carefully written up his books, which, when audited, were found correct ; and further on says “ he certainly did not consider, neither did he deem it a necessary part of his duty as Treasurer, to act the part of a detective, knowing that he (the late Clerk) had entered into a bond for £SOO sterling with the Council for his good behaviour. If for five years the late Clerk had written up his books properly, no credit is due to Mr Jolly, for it is well-known that up to the time Mr Pyke left the Council, he (Mr P.) performed the work which should have been done by Mr Jolly as Treasurer, and Mr Jolly, up to the time of the late Clerk’s defalcations were discovered, never eiamiued the County bocks, and the Treasurer’s statements read at each meeting of the Council, and certified to l>y Mr Jolly as correct, was prepared by the late Clerk without any reference to the books by Mr Jolly to ascertain if sucb statements were correct. Mr Editor, what an admission because the County held security the Clerk was not to ho supervised. Does Mr Jolly think those men would have become bondsmen to Mr Clark if thev thought he was not supervised by those whose duty it was to do so, L do not think so, and the public (think these men have been harshly used and placed iu a false position by Mr Jolly in nt doing his duty as Treasurer, and I feel certain had they known it they would have given notice they would no longer be responsible as bondsmen. The Counties Act distinctly lays it down that he Treasurer shall keep full and trne accounts in which ho shall enter every sum received into, and every sum paid out of the County fund sccmmt. He not only did not do tho work, but would not supervise the Clerk and instruct him to do it. Evidently Mr Jolly’s only desire was to dangle “ Hon. Treasurer of Vincent County ” to his name, without unkertaking the duties and responsibilities pertaining to the office, and which the Counties Act lays down it was his duty to do so. Mr Mao- i

keilar denies ho has Keen a contractor since be entered the Council, and could have no necessity for browbeating the Engineer for extras. The contract I referred to was repairs to Cromwell Bridge, and the extras was for some iron work in connection with it, and when browbeating the Engineer, lie may remember being told by a Councillor it was out of pla-e to take such a stand, as it was well known ho was the real aontraoter, which ho di-1 not deny. Mr Mackeilar says he has no interest in the contract for repairs to Matandiew Bridge. I .will explain to the public the circumstances. The tender is sign, d “ Patrick Thomas,” io Mr Maokellar’s handwuting, which is contrary to one of the conditions of cite tender, which lays down the tender must he signed by the actual tenderer, and witnessed by some other person. The deposit cheque accompanying the tender, is Mr Duncan Mackellar’s. Also, a few days after the meeting of Council at which the tender was accepted, I was in Cromwell on County business* and in conversation with Mr Maekellar lie asked me what I was going to do with the Macandrew Bridge contract, and if I knew who Patrick Thomas was. 1 replied I had my suspicions. He then said yon must know it is me. and as I have as much work on hand at present as 1 can a tend to, and as the Council’s arrangements with the Bank are unsettled, you might hang it up for some time. I then saw Vlr Jolly, and we arranged that he (Mr Jolly) was to cold the contract over and await instructions from me as Chairman, but the whole transaction was so glaring and barefaced that 1, as Chairman, would not give instruction to have the contract signed, although for four months previous to my resigning the chair, the Council was in a position to go on with tbe work. 1 admit that one of the objects in hanging the contract up for a time was onr unsettled arrangements with the Bank, but my desire was to hang it up till such time as the Chairmanship difficulty was settled, when I intended bringing tbe whole matter before the Council, but had Mr Jolly taken upon himself to get it signed, I certainly' then would have taken steps to prevent the County being imposed upon The plans of this work was sent to Mr Jolly for tbe inspection of intending tenderers, but strange to spy Mr Jolly handed them over to Mr Maekellar, who stuck to them until late on the morning which the Council met, when it was too late for any person but himself, wdio had the p>an, to send in tenders. According to Mr Maekellar, Mr Jolly followed the course previously adopted in sending plans to Dunedin This is not true. Tee plans of no work which the County has ca vied out ever was sent to Dunedin. All that ever was sent down by tbe Engineer were tracings, not the plam, md so strange, these plans went to Mr Maekellar at Tapanui. Well, miet people think that Mr Maekellar. of Cromwell, held to the plans so that no person could ten ’er for the work but himself or friends. The Barnsclengh Bridge plans, be says, was promised hv me. This is not the case. He wrote to me in my capacity as Chairman, but I never answered his letter. The plans were sent up on a Saturday morning by tbe Clerk, at Mr Jolly’s request, three days af.er 1 resigned, and ou the afternoon of that n.ay I sent a private telegram to Mr Maekellar, the purport of widen was that tbe plans were wanted in the office and i bora-fore could not go up - Mr Maekellar admits he came into the Council expecting to be Chairman, and no doubt he had in his mind’s eye himself, as be usually has when he said at the Bannockburn that £’2;)o a year was lit to euoudi for the coming Chnii roan of Vincent County, but I am sure tbe ratepayers do not de-ire a man of Mr Ma. ko.bar's stump to rule over them as Chairman. 1 have ties: assed very considerably nn yonr spuca Mr Editor, but a s.-n-e of duty to myself and the ratepayers compels me to sp-nak out whit lias come under my onservai ion whilst Chairman, with the object that those wo undertake responsible p >sitions in I he Council should fu'lil tbe duties and put astapto the abuses I leferred to. M. J, M AcausN'is.