THE KAWAU BRIDGE.

Manawatu Times, Volume V, Issue 162, 21 September 1881, Page 2

THE KAWAU BRIDGE.

TO THE EDITOR. Sir'. — When I gave you my letter, and had a conversation with you on fh« subject,! asked you whether the Kawau was not'the boundary; ? You did ,'iiot know ; you considered, and then, you, a Borough Councillor, " believed so." When afterwards you found that we labored under a mistake, you should not have printed my. letter. At there is now some hope of us being represented by a jsetiler,l can yfcry well bear a defeat on a minor and unimportant point, especially as the victoryis tarniihed by something which looks very much like treachery/ Viggo Mosbaj). ' P.S.— For instance it is not enough' to J state that you or I would not lie— -that is uanecessary. Fact'is, that if you had not said "I believe so," when yon .saw me hesitate, I would havt withdrawn my letter. Have you any spite against me?, [Mr. Monrad's well-known antagonism to the Borough of Palmerstdn,' and every 1 one and .thing connected with it, has led him into a^ very unpleasant position, and the way he has adopted to get out* of it is by no means manly, and not j quite truthful. Mr. Monrad admits that when he asked us as to whether the Kawau iwas,. the boundary '6f the Borp'uxh we ,aH7 swered we did not know, our impression was to the contrary : and he further says that when we' saw "him hesitate, we said, "we believe so." Now, there was notthe, slightest hesitation on his part, eri the contrary Ke thought he had the boijough on the hip, and it was m answer to his positive arguments that the Kawaii was" the boundary, and to shorten the interview we let him have his way. Had Mr. Monrad conieto our office for the information, and on the^ strength of the! very equivocal" I believe so" been beguiled into writing his letter; then he might havfe had renson to complain. But what rare the' real facts He, perhaps, one of the oldest settlers m Karerfe, and a candidate for the County-Council, jumps to the conclusion that a certain 'stream is the boundary of the county, and consequently indites a letter with sarcastic' allusions ,not only to his representative, but to the'" of Palmer»ton. He met us at the sale y irds with the letter sealed; and handed it to us for publication, with the conversation just retailed. Mr. Monrad never said if you find that I am wrong as to the boundaries, do not nublish it ; but •m the contra y our last words to him were " That will be all right, Mr. Monra 1 ; it will appear m next issue." And now the whole head and front of our offending is that we did publish the letter, th t the information upon 'which he wrote thn letter was wrong, and that his« sarcastic sneer at the Mayor was uncalled for.' Mr. Monrad has used the very ugly word ',' treachery," but had we paried with him with a pronmise to pnblishVbis letter and failed to do so, we imagine he might have had reason to use the word. There is a moral contained m the transaction which we would recommend to Mr. Monrad's cs >ecial attention : — " First see that you are right, and then "go a-head ;" but do not let your wishtoattack a person or body J beguile you into doing so* until you are satisfied that your statements are correct, and can be borne out by facts.- I—Ed1 — Ed