Poverty Bay Standard. Published Every Evening. GISBORNE: SATURDAY, DECEMBER 9, 1882.

Poverty Bay Standard, Volume X, Issue 1221, 9 December 1882, Page 2

Poverty Bay Standard. Published Every Evening. GISBORNE: SATURDAY, DECEMBER 9, 1882.

Why the Cook County Council should have taken the huff at this journal, we are at a loss to discover. Cr. Ferris, after refreshing himself by a comfortable nap, suddenly wakes up and in a style not entirely peculiar to himself declaims against the Standard in the most plaintive, and yet censorious, man- ; ner possible. Cr. Johnson follows suit, and endeavors to punish the Standard by detaining from the firm certain moneys duly earned ' and honestly worked for by the firm of Webb ! and Mogridge. That we could pass over were it not a bad precedent. The amount was a very small one, and it stands to reason i could not matter to the Cook County Coun- ■ cil, or for that, to the proprietors of this ! journal either, whether it was paid at once, or three months hence ; that is to say so far as the sum itself is actually concerned. But the reason for not paying it does, to a certain | extent, affect us. In the words of Cr. Ferris, . we have imputed ‘ bribery ’ and ‘ favoritism ’ j to the members of the Council. Far be it I from us to contradict, or endeavor to contra- | diet, the words which fell, clothed in ele- I gance and eloquence, from the lips of Councillor Ferris, but we could have wished that he had woke up a little sooner. The scathing sarcasm which that gentleman showered upon our devoted head has blighted us in our youth, and withered us in our beauty ; we are annihilated ; sat upon ; and can only hang up our harp and lament. We fail to see where we have accused the “Chairman, the County Engineer, or the members of the Cook County Council ” of bribery. In our leader of the 23rd of November, which we take to be the issue affecting the matter, we only find on revision one really objectionable sentence, and that is comprised in four words, viz., “as might be expected.” For those four words we cry “ peccavi.” In Mr. Winter’s public capacity we disagree with him in many instances, but to impute to Mr. Winter the possibility of anything dishonorable is not only out of our wish, but out of our power. Public actions are open to public criticism, and will meet with it most fearlessly and fairly at our hands; but we do not for one moment attempt to reflect upon anything beyond those public actions. Councillor Ferris is rather thin-skinned in this matter. He should reflect that even if we are totally wrong in our criticism, the columns of our paper are always open to his very able pen ; and we ourselves are open to conviction. Let us be shown where we are wrong. Let any member of the Council point out our error, if such exists, and we shall gladly acknowledge it, but we decidedly protest against being contradicted by a sweeping statement which contains no refutation of our words. We repeat that in our belief the Gisborne-Wairoa Contract 91 has not been fairly dealt with, and evinces a carelessness, to say the least of it, on the part of the Council, which wants seeing to. Let the members of that Council, if they think anything in our columns is intended to reflect upon their characters as men and gentlemen, entirely divest their minds of such an idea. If Mr Woodbine Johnson, Captain Winter, or other members of the Council for one moment believe that such is our object, they do themselves and us an injustice. We believe the Wairoa contract referred to has been bungled, and in the interests of ratepayers we have called attention to the fact. If we • are wrong let them shew us u-liere we are 1 wrong, but let no slumberer wake up suddenly and accuse us of slander or malice. We are here to do a duty to the public, not to sit idly by and see money being paid out for worse than nothing ; not to see mistakes made without doing our utmost to have those mistakes rectified. Our duty is plain, and we mean to do it; let the Cook County Councillors be equally sure that they do theirs, and instead of cavilling at our just criticism, be careful to "avoid in the future the errors they have fallen into in the past. We have no real occasion to repeat, but in courtesy to Capt. Winter and the aggrieved members of the Council we do so, that our remarks can only be applied to the public body, and not to the private individual. If the actual cautery has to be applied, it is of no use to flinch. There has or has not been a wrong done in this contract. Either Mr. Morrice is right, or Mr. Morrice is wrong ; but whether right or wrong the public have a distinct claim to information, and in the interests of that public, we take such steps as are likely to give them such knowledge, and enforce the righting of any possible wrong. If the Cook County Council cavil at our words, they can hardly cavil at the motives inducing those words. We live in a singular community, and we must adapt our words and actions to the necessities of it. Let Mr Morrice’s complaint be • be heard and investigated. We are quite sure that Captain Winter does not desire to hide anything. Why, then, this hide and 1

seek work ? If the money’s belonging to ratepayers are being by carelessness, want onness, or any other means mis-spent, or are currently reported to have been mis-spe jnt, as has been loudly and frequently alleged. by Mr Morrice and others, we say that the fact, or the report, demands enquiry. Le tus throw aside all bickering about words. If we have done any man wrong, or inflict ed a wound by our words, we regret it, and will do our utmost to undo it; but words ca nnot alter facts ; and we think that the fac ts in connection with the Gisborne-Wairoa contract demand at least investigation at the hands of the Cook County Council.