TO THE EDITOR.

Patea Mail, Volume VI, Issue 525, 27 May 1880, Page 2

TO THE EDITOR.

[Correspondents are invited to discuss matters of public interest with fairness and .brevity-;... this journal, being an .impartial medium of discussion and advocacy for all affairs relating to the County of Paten,] HARBOR BOARD CORRESPONDENCE. Sir,— Owing to the Chairman: of the Harbor Board claiming a certain telegram as private property, and refusing to allow it to be read to the Board by the Secretary, and to the fact that no report of this appeared in your issue of the 11th instant, I enclose copies of correspondence on the subojet, by which you ; will see it was a public telegram, the property of the Board; and also that to the Chairman’s telegram to Captain Johnson, of the 29th April, a reply was forwarded to him the same day ? although it was stated at the Board meeting, as you report, that “No reply had been, received.” Trusting That you will give the ‘correspondence publicity through your valuable paper,—l am, &c., JOHN GIBSON. Patea, 24th May. , (Copy.) Patea, 11th May. Major Atkinson, Colonial Secretary. Dear Sir, —By this mail I have posted copy of Patea Mail of this date, containing report of meeting of Harbor Board, in which you will observe it is stated: that to a telegram to Captain Johnson, Marino Department, of 29th April, “ No reply had been received.” Having had a telegram passed to mo for perusal—perhaps inadvertently—which had been previously rend by certain others of the Board, from Mr Oliver to Mr Sherwood, solley upon the matter of training wall and wharf, and although lying on the table at the meeting and included with the other letters and telegrams, it was claimed by the Chairman as a private telegram, and the Secretary was not allowed to read it to the Board. Having reason to believe the Minister of Public Works has sent this telegram to Mr Sherwood in his capacity as Chairman of the Harbor Board, that it is a public telegram, and not of a private nature, I bog to ask, providing I am not making an unreasonable request, that copies of all official correspondence between Air Sherwood and the Minister of Public Works during tho last month be forwarded to me, with permission to make same public, if necessary. —I am, &c., John Gibson. (Copy.) Wellington, loth May. ( Dear Sir,—l have duly received your letter, of the 11th instant, respecting correspondence witli the Patea Harbor Board on the subject of certain harbor works, and, as requested, enclose copies of a letter and telegrams which have passed between tho Government and the Harbor Board since 20th February. By these enclosures you will perceive that Captain Johnson promptly replied to the Chairman’s telegram, and also advised him immediately tho plans -were approved in Council. With regard to the,Hon Mr Oliver’s telegram of the 10th instant, there is no doubt at all that it was, and was intended to be, considered an official message. AI! the enclosed arc copies of purely official correspondence, and I am not aware of any reasons why their contents should be withheld from the public.—Yours, &c., H. A. Atkinson, (Copy telegram.) Wellington, 20 { 4 [ 80. Chairman Haibor Board, Patea. I have asked Public Works Department re wharfage. The Order-in-Gouncil re other work will be issued at once. 11. Johnson. (Copy telegram.) Patea, 8 f 5 [ 80. Hon Mr Ollivcr, Wellington. Authority to erect wharves aa applied for urgently needed at once. Kindly use your best influence to have Orders-in-Council issued. Board meets Monday. G. F. Sherwood, Chairman Harbor Board.

(Copy telegrams.) Wellington, 10 | 5 | 80. G. F. Sherwood, Esq., Carlyle. Order for training .wall has passed Executive Council ; but, with regard to wharves, would it not bo better for Board to delay, as Government have adopted site on other side for station and wharf. R. OI.LXVER. Note. —Other copies of telegrams, &c., returned from Wellington, are not printed, because irrelevant to the point at issue.— Ed.]