ORIGINAL CORRESPONDENCE.

Oamaru Mail, Volume II, Issue 534, 17 January 1878, Page 2

ORIGINAL CORRESPONDENCE.

TO THE EDITOR OF THE EVENING MAIT,. ►Sir, — \n your contemporary of the other day I read with much pleasure in the shipping report an account of the arrival of the Good T I beg pardon, the "Mt-i," brig, from jSewcasfle, flying the Good Templar flag: and being deeply interested in the cause. I lost no time in making the acquaintance of the captain, in whom i foniul an old acquaintance, which acquaintanceship b)--the-way was made under very different circumstances. I can. after an inspection of his vessel, hear evidence to everything stated by the ui'iTiiiit; paper as to the cloudiness and everything <m board : hut w : 'et!:er tins occurs, as your contemporary shiti s, as a consequence, I cannot oli'er an opinion, realise I have vldted as clean vessels previously, and been asked, "■ What will you have,' old boy !" However, as pre-

viously stated, I was happj' to renew the acquaintance of an old friend, and had just got deeply engaged in a conversation with him on the amount of good effected by Good Templary when we were rudely disturbed by the voice of one whom I at once recognised as the representative of Her Majesty. Ho announced himself as such, and delivered himself as follows : —" Captain, I have come to seal up your dutiable goods. How much spirits have you got on board'?" The heavenly smile of the exemplary sea captain and the disappointed look of my two friends beggar description, and had I not been a comparative strange:' to Her Majesty's representative, I should at once have explained matters, as the worthy captain seemed "taken aback," and wondered how any person cotild make so great a mistake, seeing he came in flying the Good Templar flag. However, her Majesty's representative, finding neither grog nor tobacoo aboard, soon left, and kindly asked yours truly to accompany him aboard the Samson, which invitation was at once accepted, pleasant recollections of a previous visit occurring to me ; but, oil, horror ! on getting over the paddle-box, and in view of the oft-frequented saloon, I observed the following notice posted, signed Captain Jones : " Tno whole of i the drinking appurtenances belonging to this vessel are for sale privately ;" and there stood Captain Jones looking every letter of the notice, and Johnny, with Ids occupation gone, on his holystoning the deck. In conversation with Captain Jones, I elicited the following as his reasons for this groat change:

" Yoii see Captain Wneeh-r has adopted this system, and nflvr him I think t can, and look at that sh'o u-head, if 1 don't knock spots out of her, blow me;" but thinking lie had sundry spots nearer home to wipe out, 1 made no remarks, further than expressing my hope to Captain J. that we would continue to have dry weat >er and vended my way homewards in tho company of Her Majesty's representative, one of a disappointed couple. ! A. LoAFEK. P.S. —This is not intend'd as a cheap advertisement of Pie " J-'am -.on ■; " antiteetotal fixings, a full ?i-t o.' uhieh will bo forwarded to'your adv.-rnsmg columns at an early date, if no-- .-; ■•■'( r.;■ ..-viously. A. L. THE MEC!TANh> iX.Si'i !"U i'E COMMITTEE ANO Mil RCIMIiVIoSuN. TO THI3 KMT M! o" Til-: J-'VIiNINO MAIL. Sm, —lt »a-- i' ■■•■ i •; it .",- all parties in-t-ei'esred thai, aft r :'a - in seiing held on tile 10th instant, a.i-l . : resolution then passed, the disp.ii..-1 -,Mention of Mr. Robertson's leas ■ woa.'d remain over until after tie. g.ne.ral m.- uing on the 31st. iust., bur it. apiiei.!K i i.u. a portion of tile Committee (->oe third of the number) are determined to persist, iii i heir unlawfully handing over the gro in I to Mr. Robertson, who is at present erecting his smithy on it.

Mr. Hardy's amendment at the meeting on the 10th inst., which was carried as a resolution, whs, "That tins meeting, so far as it has the power to do, approves of the "action of the Committee of Management in reference to the proposed lease.''' Now, inasmuch as the meeting had no power to approve or disapprove of the action of that portion of the Committee (n,h: No. !i of Rye-laws), Mr. Hardy's amendment is worth nothing, and the. matter remains to be settled by the general meeting, and it would be only decent of the Committee to allow it so to remain.

As before stated, the Committee have no power whatever to act. The property is vested in tho Trustees, Messrs. Sumpter, Allen, and Ashoroffc, notwithstanding the ipxc di."it of the erudite Secretary to the contrary.

It was admitted by the chairman that the action of the Committee was not liual, but should be submitt.'d to the general meeting. Mr. Forrester stated it was "not a matter of great consequence whether the Committee acted illegally or not" (see your report of the meeting), thereby admitting they bad done so : m fact, the Secretary was the only one bold enough to insist that nothing ill'gal had been done—and his legal opinion must he taken for what it, is worth.

Now. sir, I assert that thU minority of the' Committee have acte 1 illegally throughout the whole proceedings.) and are persisting in their illegal acts in allowing Mr. Robertson, tv, take possession and use the ground before his being legally entitled to do so. Tim trust, es are the only persons to auth .rise the leasing or hitting of the ] remis ■••;. and they must, according to section (i of the agk of 1577 the President's own act —give one mouth's clear notice of byinging the. matter before a gei'i-.ral meeting of the subscribers convened for that purpose. T.iis, Sir, has yet to be done. It is an easy matter to get a meeting to pass a, re solution continuing an act of a Commit, ee. Blockvoting, button-holing, so r-.so.ij>, and moh-ora.tory can do many th ngs, but that does not make them legal, n .r ta.Ke away from the legal responsibility of those act-, ing illegally.

As there will shortly ho a. meeting of the Committee, I! think :.hc. n-oper course for them to. adopt: w-mld »> to have a oaao submitted to some imp riial and disinterested solicitor of exp rience for his opinion as to iiie whole n> titer, the draft, of the case to be Hid on t m table of tho Institute for say a. week to allow of members not on ilic. Commit ee having an opportunity of .-.-..-e-'u-j tha the questions at issue iov o ; e fairly an ! without bias before the g n. 1 .-e;an who-jj opinion is to be taken. Tus oour=e would, I. think, go a good way to satisfy rainy who might tic of opinion that tho 0 unmittee were acting blindly in the matter. —I am, etc., A Memuer. Oamarn. January 17, 1878.