THE LATE FIRE.

Manawatu Times, Volume III, Issue 46, 20 March 1878, Page 3

THE LATE FIRE.

lO> VSm. EBITOIl 1 .. J^pßv-^AJith'oHgbi Mr Gilbert concludes, lis. tiinadle against me (published m yourissue- of I6th inst.X by saying: that he <3'oe& not -waint a; paper war, 1 presamethat he- expected; some- reply, to- his frenzied! attack: upon, me,, which I will make at* short a» possible- under the eircumstances-.. ■ • . - Mr- Gilbert saiy^heTßa®sta<ndinff with some sit f riendVeach one of whom was a ratepayer- ia this or- some- other township.., The; truth is that he- was ith the middle of a< crowd 1 of 1 some- thirty people, t inostrof whom^if. they were ratepayers^, did not look lifte it ;: and cv.en iff so^l* cannot see : that feeing at raitepayer is any excuse for hot. helping, to; save- their neighbours-h ouse and goods.. Mir Giilbert convenient^ leaves- ou* th'e fact that 1 ferst a-sted fbr volunteers^, stating that we-trere shorthandfed, which met with no response whatever from, histhirty odd "friendsi."' I lteanre it to. thepublic to- form' their- owa opinion as to whether all daager had 1 ceased 1 ,, and" whetlier a heap of firewood wasrft protection against the* apread off' the fire or B.ot> merely/ reniaisffiiig that : the- said., heap of firewood was fairly on fire- some . ten or; twelve- times; subseqjuen4 to my having called' for volunteers to- make abreak m it. . I also leave it kvthe yublfc to judge 1 , how much a man w.ho stood at a very- safe distance from the fire wias likely to- Ifcuow about the matter. My pififiitiion iia the Fire Brigade iis pretty wett. known' by every ore m the town (excefkMf Gilbert), to be that of jlrst4ieuten»i»t^ and! for Me: Gilbert'sinformation' I may acfid! thai; on this occasion Captam King, especially p»t. me m charge Ojfi the yard where tlie fixe "was then burning. .. .'• •' '•;■• ■ v If Mr Gilbecfc w»l refer to a dictionary he will see that the first and therefore the commonest meaning'of "•lbjafer"" is an^ idle man," wh^ich was most.emTthaticaily applicable to^ Mr Gilbert and his friend's; ' ' . Luckily the yrorliers ait the jftr.e both. landeMtood aind^obeyei myocidlrs, and it was qmife Lttimaterial whether tlie lookers oa did sS' or not^ ; I cannot see what Mr. Gilbert's statement, that liim, a deacon, of the-JBstab-Eshed Ch^ch,;ihas to dp with- this Scatter, bpe^is- simply.an untruth and a very m^hißVOj»s nntr«tli. I am glad ©f this p^^ftumity of saying that I am wmply a' layreader,- Hissed by the Bishop of the d ! iocesi§vtb: wad l cerjainr portions of the service m the absence of a, clergyman.^ andi that^in no .way pj-e---tend to be better tham my neighbouirr ipr that reason. Mr- Gilbert's, reiparts about cowards; are q,ua to unintelligible j but iv spite of his^ courageous services

to Ins country (m providing the army with food, if my infonnatiohis correct), I may state that he gajre^ine a welltimed challenge to fight while the fire was raging, and next day wrote to me tin eatening : to place the matter, jh the hands of )iu solicitor. - ' In conclusion, I may say that at every fire here at which I have been present, there have been a considerable numbei^' of *' loafers," who appear to come merely for the pleasure and excitement of seeing a fire, and without the slightest notion of doing anything to help m putting, it. out. No language, mmy opinion, can be too strong for such conduct, and I am glad to say that by far the larger. portion come ta work, and do work with a will. I do hot think that Mr Gilberts conduct on this occasion was such as to .justify him m haying- rushed into print, but I now finally leave the matte; m the- hands of the public to judge between : us.— l am, &.c, . PIEBS. E. WARBtTBTOIT. P.S- — On re-reading Mr Gilbert's letter,. I see that it conveys, the notion that X addressed myself particularly to him and his friends. This was not the case, as I did not even notice that he was present until he stepped forward as champion and spokesman of the . " loafers "j and if I saw his friends, I did. not kno\r them from mere ordinary mortals.— P.E.W. ! [The- matter having- been now, tho* ; roughly ventilated,, and both parties heard m explanation, the correspondence ■ must cease.-^ED. M. T.J