WANGANUI BOROUGH ENGINEER.

New Zealand Times, Volume XXIX, Issue 4214, 22 September 1874, Page 2

WANGANUI BOROUGH ENGINEER.

Mr. Millar, E.S.A., seems to have cast his. lines in a peculiar place by becoming the engineer for the borough and water works of Wanganui. He lately took leave of hisarduous local duties for a short season to pursue others in the interests of the borough and of his profession, and returned to find himself “ suspended," on account of having prolonged his quasi-holiday or leave of absence. Explanations followed, and there was a motionin meeting of Council that these were satisfactory, and ; that the suspension should be withdrawn, but an amendment dismissing him from office was carried. The decision does ! not seem to have been unanimous, and has directly led to a change in the occupation of the office of Mayor, for, on the resolution being come to, the Mayor, Sir. Robert Pharazyn, appears to have placed in the hands of the Town Clerk an instruction to this effect :—“ In consequence of the action taken by the Borough Council in dismissing Mr. Millar, the Engineer, I hereby resign my office of Mayor.” The circumstances have thus led to a series of embarrassments, some of which afford work for the Wanganui Council, while others must afford amusement for the public, and others still are likely to afford employment for the lawyers. The following appears in the Herald of the 16th inst. :—“Yesterday the Borough Solicitor and the Town Clerk went to the Engineer's office and requested him to give up what papers and other property belonging to the Borough he had in his possession. He stated his willingness to give up whatever he had, whereupon the two officials went away satisfied. This morning the Town Clerk went with a horse and cart to remove what there might be, but Mr. Millar informed him that he would not let him take anything, and that he would find an answer in Mr. Borlase’s office. Matters are certainly taking a most interesting turn, and unless Mr. Millar changes his mind with the least possible delay, we fancy he will find himself in a position from which all his reputed cleverness will fail to extricate him.” To this paragraph Mr. Millar made reply to this effect on the following day “ The statement published in your issue yesterday respecting my alleged refusal to part with Corporation property is no less untruthful than the majority of the reports studiously circulated by unscrupulous parties for the hist few mouths. That your confidence has been abused you will readily admit, upon the fact being known that, instead of a ‘ horse and , cart' being refused, there were three horses and carts and six men engaged all day yesterday and half of this in removing thirty-five to forty loads of accumulated Corporation materials which I had allowed to be prepared at my place, immediately under my own eye—with a laudablo desire to economise labor and material—during the past eight or ten months, undergoing certain preparatory processes adapting them to be used in the construction of sewerage works, waterworks and public works of the Borough. I have never hesitated to deliver any articles in my possession to those who have any right or claim to demand or receive them, and am moreover still engaged in completing some matters of urgent necessity for the progress of the works. If the present Council, - as now constituted, has confessedly misconceived the legal connection of the Borough with myself, it is no part of my plan to attempt to make the Council more clear on the subject by any childish act that would arm my few interested adversaries with a keen weapon, especially as the regular machinery of the law is quite adequate to the purpose. My course of action will be perfectly peaceful and constitutional, and I would therefore recommend you to reserve your well-meant advice till it becomes worth something, inasmuch as your threats fail to alarm me, nor are you likely to deter me from the fearless assertion of my own individual rights and legal status.” The Herald to the foregoing appends a note, saying ;—“lf Mr. Millar has just, legal claims, they are entitled, of course* to recognition, and

in such cases we should not interfere by giving advice which Mr. Millar would be the last to accept. What wo meant—and our words were clear - enough—was that it would be useless on Mr. Millar’s part to throw obstacles in the way of an adjustment of questions pending respecting what is obviously Borough property.”