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Patea Mail, Volume V, Issue 468, 18 October 1879, Page 2

We were rather surpiiscd on the arrival of the Wanganui Chronicle yesti-i-day, to see that the Carlyle correspondent of that journal bad furnished it with Sir John Goode’s report on the Patea Harbor, which report was read at the meeting of the Board on Monday'last. Although we knew that the correspondent in question had precedence at the Board’s office, wo hardly thought such a glaring injustice would have been perpetrated, when the following facts are considered. We were distinctly informed by the Chairman of the Board that Bir John Goode’s report would not be available for publication till after the Board had met and dealt with it, which wa considered perfectly just; but was tin's course adhered to by the Board? Let us see. There was no possibility of anyone copying the report during the meeting, and on the members dispersing, Mr Thomson (the Engineer) foiled the report up with the plans and took them home. On Tuesday morning we waited on the Secretary of the Board, and obtained the minutes of the meeting from him, but he informed ns that the plans had been taken away, and could not’ be seen. We could not pub’ish the report on Wednesday owing to this. On Wednesday night Mr Sherwood brought the document to us and stated that lie bad only just received them from Mr Thomson ; and wo want to know how it was possible for the Carlyle correspondent of the Wanganui Chronicle to be able to send a letter containing the report to that paper, dated the 14th. A member of the Board did inform us that lie saw a gentleman connected with the Press busily copying Sir John Goode’s report hours before the Board met on Monday ; but we could not believe him. However, it must have been true, and we should like to know who gave this gentleman permission to make use of the Board’s property, considering that it did not become public property till after the Board met.