CHILDREN'S PICNIC.

Kumara Times, Issue 1983, 6 January 1883, Page 2

CHILDREN'S PICNIC.

[to the editor.]

Sir—l am sorry that Mr Barnett has so far forgotten his position as to endeavour to answer my question by what may be termed in vulgar parlance evasive bluffing. Had Mr Barnett stated that he had collected from Catholics until he found out they had their own picnic, he would have acted judiciously ; and I had nothing to fall back back upon to support my first view, (which was, and is still, that Mr Barnett studiously avoided calling on me). But, no ; he states that the Committee did not feel justified in askin" Catholics to contribute, <fcc. As to what the Committee felt justified in doin» I know not, but the fact remains, that Wm. Barnett, Esq., Mayor of Kumara, did, on the 30th clay o£ December, 1882, in company with the Rev. Mr Holland, within my view, and in the presence and hearing of three other gentlemen (who can make affidavits to that effect) enter the Hibernian Hotel, and Mr Wm. Barnett did there and then in the hearing of the said gentlemen ask the proprietress for a donation towards the picnic, and did afterwards cross the street, drum in hand, and did enter Mr Mulvihill's (those houses being the nearest Catholic houses to mine), and that before reaching this end of the town, he (Mr Barnett) asked for donations from several other Catholics whose names shall be given if Mr Barnett still forgets himself. Therefore I still assert that Mr Barnett did, on that occasion, forget to call on your humble servant and others who were opposed to him in politics.—Yours, <fcc., D. Hainan. Kumara, sth January, 1883,