The Manawatu Standard. (PUBLISHED DAILY.) The Oldest Daily Newspaper on the West Coast. SATURDAY. AUGUST 15, 1885. THE ROAD BOARD AND ITS LATE SECRETARY.

Manawatu Standard, Volume X, Issue 65, 15 August 1885, Page 2

Manawatu Standard. (PUBLISHED DAILY.) The Oldest Daily Newspaper on the West Coast. SATURDAY. AUGUST 15, 1885. THE ROAD BOARD AND ITS LATE SECRETARY.

In Wednesday's issue we printed a copy of the letter seiit by |Mr T. S. Hoe, late Secretary of the , . Maiuu •■ watu Road Board, to the Chairman of that body, intimating 'the former gentleman's resignation of the- position held by him for the last seven or eight years. No doubt all our Traders read that letter from begin-, ning to end, and formed their opinionwith regard to it. That Mr Hoe has been a most efficient servant of the Board, and has discharged the various duties m connection with his position wjth a consistent regard to his responsibilities and the trust reposed m hiniV few Will attempt to deny. That he has' acted rightly and properly m tendering his resignation at the present juncture Trill also be generally admitted. He held the combined offices of Secietary v acting Treasurer, Collector, and at times .Returning Officer, and at a remuneration m our opinion quite inadequate, to the arduous nature of services demanded of him and the time and labour required to be placed at the Board's disposal. ' Something .more than mere clerical skill and ability were essential m order to' discharge efficiently the varied and frequently "onerous and responsible duties . im+posed upon Mr Hok To be ah efficient and competent Secretary of a. Road Board requires a pdmbinai tion of special qualifications which many men of clerical and financial ability do not possess: In any case it will be generally admitted that j Mr Hoe possessed the entire confidence of successive Boards, and was beld m high esteem by one Chairman after 'another for several ; consecutive years, and only of late has it been apparent that there ,was a desire on the part of a^ certain, element; in v tHe Board to intimate" d& approval of Mr Hoe's conduct as Secretary. For months past the public may have noticed various references appearing m a newspaper published m this town, calculated to excite adverse comment with regard to the late Secretary's dealings m that position. In fact, for months at a time,, there was. scarcely. at» issue of that newspaper m question which' did not contain some allusion which could be capable of no other construction than covert insinuation of a disparaging nature aimed at the Board's late Secretary. The public did not hesitate to express their -strong disapprobation cf the system^tic persecution of which Mr Hoe was the victim. The course pursued was infinitely worse and m,ore deserving of reprobation than making a direct charge, which the Secretary would be m a position to reputo. Nothing direct was put forth, but m notices to correspondents* letters to the editor, paragraphs, leaders, sub-leaders, or some other similar indirect way, comments were inserted, the evident object of which, was to engender suspicion m the public mind with regard to the Secretary's probity. Week after week, and even a few issues ago — since the fire, about which so much h has been made, the systematic and unmistakeable - persecution was steadily maintained: People used to inqnire what oh/ earth is the Board and its affairs so often before public^for ? What do all these insinuations mean ? What is their "Object? .One or two who: pushed iliejr inquiries further, and expressed their sense of indignation at .the cruel persecution, apparently without just or sufficient came, of a resident who during a residence of many years m the place had gained general esteem, were informed with sundry expressive shrugs of the shoulders, that much more was yet to come to the surface. They were given to understand that something dreadful was m course of time to come out, that certain information of a criminating character would before long be forthcoming that official Correspondence had taken .place wfrich was calculated to ; raise grave, suspicions, an 4 m the .end/some of Mr Hoe's friends actually 'began tq think something must be ra4jcal}y wrong, and that all these rumours aftd insinuations must have some substantial foundation m facts. When some friends of Mr FJoe who were convinced of his integrity' arid refused to give any credence to these disparaging and defamatory inuncdas ana hints that appeared m print, plainly stated their -, v absolute refusal to entertain any belief m the sundry imputations regarding his integrity, official letters were produced bear-

ing the signature of the Government ' Auditor, and they would Be told ''*•' there is the proof. I could con- ** virice you, but it will all come " soon enough. Wait a bit, you will "see. l^ Of course these predictions would be accompanied by mysterious and suggestive gestures intended to convince the interlocutor that some dreadful expose, was shortly about to take place. We have never heard that any one who was favourably towards Mr Hoe was allowed to pc- | ruse these fearful and wonderful documents bearing' the signature' of the Government Auditor, and which it was allowed to be understood contained the proof of grave charges against Mr Hoe. The Secretary, conscious of innocence, though feeling keenly the bitter and relentless persecution to which he was being subjected, while at the same time experiencing the full burthen of the unmerited opprobrium cast upon him, had to submit to the cruel insinuations day after day, and as no direct charge was made he was deprived of the opportunity of domonstrating the bareness .and utter groundlessness of the subtle insinuations from time to time> insidubusly put forth to the public. Witn this phase of the question Mr Hoe's letter de.ils m a straightforward and trenchant style that carries conviction with it. ; Many might seem iuclined to think that such persistent persecution must- have had some distinct cause and motive to justify and sustain it. That this surmise is correct is morally certain, but we would. prefer to await the course of events before alluding more definitely to circumstances within our knowledge, but a reference to which might be indiscreet and premature at the present ;time. Nor indeed are we thoroughly conversant with the whole facts, and those not yet' revealed to us , but of which we expect to be m possession within a very few days, from an undeniably authentic source, might prove to be the most conclusive testimony m support of the contention almost universally entertained ' that thelrifluences brought to bear against Mr Hoe, m his official capacity, had but one object and motive. It is a 'most satisfactory feature that Mr Hoe is not afraid to confront 'his calumniators. . In his letter he boldly challenges them to prove his dishonesty m thought, word, or deed. We do not say .that Mr HoE'may have been able to satisfy that immaculate and infallible official, the Government auditor^' that all the intricate requirements ; of the Act had been rigidly conformed to. Jhere' may have been clerical: errors m matters of detail, but against Mr Hoe's honesty we. have never heard a breath of suspicion except from the sources alluded to above. It, is an open secret that the Government Auditor's relationship with the; chairman and secretary of the Road Board were none too • pleasant or amicable, and that the chairman had to remonstrate against the contemptuous and dictatorial tone assumed by Mr Macalisteu, on one of his official visits to Palmefston. No doubt the official m question has not forgotten the* incident referred to^ and may possibly have been actuated by other feelings towards Mr Hok and tlie chairman' than those of •bfothejrly lovie. -, As a matter of fact, m proof ,qf Mr.. ■Hoe <> s ■■scrupulous honesty '^nH trutlifulnftss m. his official capacity, he was on one qccaV' sion taken to -.task ilpKa very acrid: jnan.ner for making, up, from feis.private purse a seeming deficiency m his accounts, caused by a cheque for rates which had been dishonoured. For this he • got ?the 'of tju» official tongue m a style that he is not Hkely . sbon vto y forget.; The straightforwardness and unquestionable candour characteristic of Mr HoeV communication carries conviction to the mind of every unbiased reader. Neither is he; without determination to punish; those who traduce; him); and m our opinion lie has erred m not taking up the stand he now does some months .ago. A nony mpus claunimiatprs are invariably cravens . at heart, and while they would not hesitate: to r6b a fel-low-man of that •priceless commodity vjs., his good name* and Would ha/c no compunction m persecuting him toi death wjth vile insinuations, if promptly, brought :to _ : : book /they would sue for forgiveness on their bare knees m the dust if necessary. No one <Jan blame ; Mti Hpp for resigning at the present juncture At the first -meeting after the fire one warden began to make suggestive inquiries as to What notice would require to be given to their secretary' and as to procuring an assurance bond m some guarantee society. Mr Hoe, m his turn says§ " I want '• no notice. I will go now. But **• yoii cannot expect We, after your "treatment of me, and that of those "carrying out your behests, to un- " dertake, without adequate remun- " eration the laboroius task of com* li piling from one source and anotfier *• a statememt of the JEJoa'rdYposi- "'• tion, after the destruction by fire <( of many of the requisite <^to. Some " of you have left no stone unturned "to deprive me of mjr position and " also to degrade me. My position " I resign, but I defy you to im- •• pugn my, integrity or prove me 1 "dishonest. After what has. ockt curred I can no longer act as your ". Secretary." In . conclusion ; we may express our conviction— nme which we ;have reason to believe is shared by the great 1 bulk of the cqmmunity, viz., that after all tlje persecution to .which of! late months mojre |)articujarlv, Mr Hoe. has been subjectec} at the hands of one or two individuals and 5 a certain newspaper which has been only, too ready to act as their mouthpiece^ m his retirement from the position of the Secretary of the Mahawatu Road Board, he has left behind Kirn an unblemished reputation, and we only hope his sucessor wilube actuated by a similar zeal m the public interest, and by a like determi-

nation to discharge his duties with a conscientious inteiprity and singleness of purpose which it will be admitted on all sides were noteworthy characteristics of Mr Hoe m his official position. His detractors have so far gained their end as to have succeeded m inducing the coveted appointment to become vacant, and they can now proceed to instal Mr Hoe^s successor whose personnel was discussed by the public, months I ago, with the least possible delay. We do not believe the public will . entertain any sympathetic feelings! towards those who. have so persecu- I ted Mr Hoe, to a degree \that has sometimes aroused popular indignation to a pointj. at which it would have found expression m a manner not pleasfint to these chiefly concerned. : he been guilty of the conduct imputed to him, he could not hive lived down the repeated as- 1 persions of his good name ; ' but his J consciousness of absolute rectitude, andliis inward knowledge that he was innocent; carried him ' triumphantly through an ordeal that must have crushed a man whose conscience upbraided him with the slightest cause for self-reproach- He can look His accu'sers_and traducers straight m the face; and defy them to tiate any of the*,' many-grayeansiniu-atfons insidiously directed ; . against him. ■■■'We\trust;'.the Board will do Mr Hoe the simple . j ustice to admit that t^e^assertipns and < vinuendos of certain of its . -members were found-; ationless and should be withdrawn, and we are confident that; public! opinion casts no stbne at his characterjand that his friends, will continue to regard him as au honest man notwithstanding .all the rumours that; have been so industt'ously circulated with a view, to damage him m the; eyes of the community. , "