PUBLIC OPINION.

Patea Mail, 16 August 1882, Page 2

PUBLIC OPINION.

Contributions. Letters, Inquiries and Answees thereto, are invited on Farming. Commerce, Politics, and matters of interest to the Patea district. Names of writers need'not be Printed. “ MORAL ASSASSINATION.” A . writer in an evening paper takes rather an extreme view of your article on the Building Society, when he describes it as “ a personal matter,” and accuses members or directors who have discussed the position of the Society as being “ a few malicious, vindictive, political wirepullers.” It is strange that nothing can take place in this town , without politics being dragged and malice, envy, and all uncharitableness imputed. It is |a matter for deep regret that a society started by the pioneers of the town,-when the town was in its infancy, that was managed with skill and judgment by both manager and directors, and was so eminently successful as in no small measure to help the development, of the* (own, should not have terminated in an equally satisfactory manner. That it has not so terminated I think the writer must admit; and that a statement concerning a society in whose business persons are-con-cerned residing on this coast from Wanganui to Opunaki can scarcely be called “ personal,” without the writer wishes to stop all comment on a matter in which a large proportion of the public are interested. .. . After what has been said and written on the subject, no doubt the trustees**--chairman of directors, and manager feel it their duty to lay a clear statement of accounts before the members at the next meeting, and so stay the busy tongue of rumor. A Member. What a delightful way Mr Mace baa found of occupying his compulsory inanition during the Eangitikei stoppage of his timber ; taking the role of protector of injured innocence ! In imitating Don Quixote’s hero—always on for slaughtering monsters, but which turn out to be nothing but windmills—Mr Mace has great vituperative ability ; but with all that,’he will find it a harder .task than he expected to defend the injured innocent in this affair. “ Facts are stubborn things,” and it would be as well in future for Mr Mace to obtain his facts from some reliable source, before slinging ink at gentlemen equally as ‘‘honorable, respectable, and enterprising ”

(with their own resources) as the person whose “ moral assassination ” he bewails. I should like to ask, is that gentleman’s Saturday afternoon’s financing what Mr Mace thinks the height of enterprise ? It is generally understood to be a mere dog-in-the-manger class of business ; losing himself, and injuring the trade of the whole borough, from the stationer to the merchant, because legitimate business may not come his way as much as he would like. Mr Mace tells us that the P. L. & B. Society has a grievance with its manager, and that they ought to have settled it privately. About the grievance, it is only in Mr Mace’s imagination, as I do not know of any ; but about the other thing, I have no doubt that the manager would have been delighted with Mr Mace’s suggestion ; but at what cost ? Personally I am very glad to find there are not many men in Patea who have such flimsy ideas of their moral duty to> society as to connive at such private arrangement as suggested by Mr Mace. In conclusion, I think every honest man in the communit)' will thank you for your action in this matter. Knowing the facts, I say your report was the height of mildness. A • • Glan Abeb