THE "BEAM" AND THE "MOTE."

Manawatu Times, Volume III, Issue 69, 27 August 1879, Page 2

THE "BEAM" AND THE "MOTE."

TO THE BDITpB. . Sip.— -I have po doubt that Mr. ilalcembe is a. gentleman, a scholar, ' and a Christian, and m the latter capacity his ?ib}ical lore ; would hay* jnade him acquainted -with i.-th'e* charitable advice anent the " beam and the ~ i( mote." If, however, he is 'acquainted •with that passage m Poly Wrifcj it' would appear that he has rested^ satisfied with the knowledge, and not gone m. for a persona^, application of the text. I attended his meeting at Palruereton, and found that ■whatever little tim« he could spare from his tirade of abuse of the maladministration of the government was devoted to to a fulBorne' adulation of his own merits during hit brief' political career. : To ths uninitij ated it yduld " appfeaiv-but onlj on Mr. Ha^ombe's showing— that lie was a heavenBorn legislator, and that as long as hie was at the head of th'e Provincial order and. discipline reigned supremeT. 5e sailed aa ' cloeelj as he t'ould to uttering a sneer at -M^, Sneison r s want of political experience, 1 and spoke so as tp lead one to believe— if they credited him--|-that the aiffairs of ihe'coujatry: would be m a state of chaos until he got into the House to shed the light of his political wisdem upon the_

existing darkness. .Now, Sir, I have known Mr.. HajLcpinbje a long t4me ? and I ha>e ' known him £q bp a gentleman who will talk very well, wi/j scheme very well, aye, and who wilT work very we}! — —when it suits Hia own interest. When I bpe,vd him eulogise, his 0711 administration when Provincial Treasurer, I "was •onj.ewhat taken by surprise, because, Sir, the impression upon my mind was that Mr. Halcombe's reign m the pjiny political sphere of which he 30 proud, wa* by no means a brilliant one, and upon my return home I set njyself to satisfy vaj mind upon the point. Many, iprj many matters recurred to my mind _wWc£ would be quite sufl|cient to i desjtroy the pleasing jljuston wifh which Mi-. Halcombe hugs himself that as an administrator he was ' faultless, but as I would have to write from memory,' and might misstate facts, I will confine myself to 'what cag be proved by the blue-books. I found m the year 1871, on Thursday, June 15th, Mr. Hutchison, from His, s^at m the Provincial Counql asked the Provincial Treasurer why the usual ?: remiß^ sion, certificate for lagd had been stayed m the case of Dr." Curie, of " Itarigitikei, after having been issued. In order to deal fairly aud not to iio Mr. Halcotnb© an injustice, I r extract' the' reply given, as reported upon the 'occasion:- 1 - .:';''-' **'■" '• '■'-.'■■'<? •"■"■. I "The Provincial /Treasurer replied.— On the 4th of January, 1870, Dr. Curie addressed th» Deputy-Superintondent,. applying for reinissidh certificate as surgeon of Volunteers, founding; lira claim- on the- fact of his having heid v^wo coinmisiions,' one datedlß6fi April, 18glj appointing hjiniiurgeon to .No. 3 Qompany * Wanganui Rifle Volunteers, the sjacohd, dated J.7th July, 18,62, appointing him surgeon to Yolunteera m Eangitikei and iurakina Bistriet. *" ' " This application came, into my hands, and I at once ordered the issue^pf th'e cetf tificate, accepting t)r. CurlVa Btatomeufc thathe had held' the' last mentioned commission since the datp of its issue up to ths. |me of his writing. V ."* " * " *'" : . " Shortly after its issue, I was made aw&r* that Dr. Curie's c|aini to be; considered as still holding his commission bad^been disputed by the Militia ajithoritirf of the district thdt hf C^rte) had been ordered to attend parade as gn ordinary ; militiainan \ that Dr! Curie had refused to attepd, tuat he had been siimmpnefi for breach of t-ho Militia j^-cfej m: coiisequence, * that he h*d pleaded exemption as Holding a commission^ but that thei Court held that the cbniiniasion had lapsed. . - v .' - "I^ communicated , pe^sona^ly /^fifch. th« Commandant of the district to aacertaiu if the facfs as stated m tne^repert of tho case were correct, -and having . found that they werp sp,f on the 13th July^l wrote to Dr. Ciple informing hhiQ th^at th^s<Srip ! had beeia issued fn ertc»r'and that I fi'atTsent nblice to the Land Office not Vo allow of *i& exei'cisai , " Dr. Ctu-le thetf wrot? to^thelDeputyi SuperiiiteDdent, complaining of my action as agi'oss injustice and persojmi spite, and asserting thdt the commisiion wai still m .effect;"-';' "' -■'•■-■;*•■*•■ - ■*~w* .T "'<'• % "^hen -vgerit ;to tihe 1 Defence Ojfice, and found to my surprise that Drl Curle ? s'naine was standing on tEerecprdsiof/ the office rs holding a commission. I immediately wrote to Dr. Curie expkihing the matter, and in* fprming him that he could exercise his I scrip, and asking him to retract hf s o^ensive .expressions, _S6me. time this I saw th& Inspector of V}>lunteerß, v Colonel fiarricgtpn, wh.p had enquired into. thV whole case *rt %c instance of Captain and Adjutant Jordan, acting commandantof the Bangjftikei District, and learned that the record' m the Defence ofSc^wal^an'irrpr, and , that Dh Clirle held no cpmmissipißinoß March, 1866, and I received from him"' a •written /memor--1 anduin to tljat efte^. ". . ",,: ' J I theix agaiti'sisn't a noficf^ the laisd office not to allow the exercisf 1 of prr'.Curia'B scrip and the only communication "!' hare, since se«n is an extremply abusiy,« letter jfrom Dr. Curie i^^h^^TO^'l^ds Com* rjmistipner." „*\ ...'"..- '","■'' " „ It jfoqld, be positive, cruelty to comment 6n' : the foregoing, - I-mejely leave Jons'. readers to form their own conclusions, as to the" working of the Department, and tha. , jn.titnate. knowledge exhibited $j it? Chiefs '■ iM subordinated— Jl am,^^S^lri-'^ } i. *" . * V ■■-■ .''"'i'- 'Z': ' ■'■"' •. .; .. "foree I**1 ** :