A DEFENCE.

Poverty Bay Standard, Volume XI, Issue 1332, 21 July 1883, Page 3

A DEFENCE.

TO THE EDITOR. Sir, —Kindly allow me space in your journal in order to disabuse the mind of the public as to the truth of certain allegations and grave charges made against me by Mr Carlaw Smith, Chairman of the Public Works Committee, and which appeared in your report of last Tuesday’s Council proceedings I shall confine myself at present to shortly Replying to some of the remarks made by Mr Smith in support of his written report, my reply to which will be forwarded in due course to the Council, and will consist of a contradiction in toto of the statements made ing the no'a bene. Mr Smith opened the proceedings in the Usual hackneyed style, deploring the pain (sic) under which he was suffering (I almost imagined I saw a tear drop) in having to find fault, etc., etc., but his bounden duty as a Councillor and Chairman of the Public Works Committee compelled him to call attention to the flagrant miscalculations made by the Engineer. In reply to this, I have simply to state that the whole thing is a fabrication. Mr Smith goes on to state that he had especially warned me as to the fall the pipes should have—that a fire might break out at any moment, and no water available—that I deserved severe censure, etc. ; after the delivery of which he is again seized with the pain- caused by the Public Works Committee h .ving to look after the Contracts—good gracious, what is a committee for but to look after all contracts, great or small—; and if Mr Smith as Chairmen, finds the pains coming too often, and is likely to injure his constitution, I should advise him to resign. I can assure Mr Smith he suffers no excess of pains and penalties above t-hoie usually al-otted to Chairmen of Public Works, and those entailed by the rules of the Council, which, fcr your edificition, Mr Editor, I shall describe: Bill Sykes has a contract for say £3O. Biil is short of cash, and wants a draw, say of £lO. The Engineer inspects the work and if satisfied noiiiiea the Town Clerk ; the Town Clerk notifies the Chairman; the Chairman appoints a meeting of the Committee ; the Committee meet on the works so as to satisfy themselves that Bill is entitled to this draw ; they draw up a written report, which is submitted to the Council; the Council sit upon it, and ultimately Bill’s request is either granted or refused. It is a tegular house-that-Jack-built arrangement, and can you wonder at Mr S. kicking against it. Mr Smith then complements me by stating he has ceased to have confidence in my ability. May I, without appearing rude, ask Mr S. did he ever have any confidence in my ability, for if I remember right, his stump oration in McFarlane’s Hall, at the time he was a candidate for municipal honors, was to the effect that now we had a Harbor Board, and likely to get a breakwater, and large harbor works likely to be carried out, that it behoved us to secure the services of a thorough competent engineer—a man of professional reputation, one who had devoted his life to those sort of matters, and in fact had made that particular branch a speciality, and so on. Evidently he had no confidence in my ability at that time j and, strange to say, since his election as councillor, and elevation to the dignity of Chairman of Committees, I have been allowed to prepare plans and specifications for harbor works which he even has approved of. Certainly he may look at it in a pecuniary sense knowing I receive a salary of 19s 2Jd per # week (by the by, the office lad receives 253) he finds it a saving to the Board, and can hardly expect to get a thorough and competent engineer for the money. Mr Smith still further compliments me. He did not know whether it was ignorance or neglect on my part. Of course he didn’t; nor does he know whether the moon is made of green cheese, for I’ll swear he is as little able to define the duties or guage the ability of an engineer as he is to analyse the component pasts of the aforesaid heavenly body. I got a thorough fright some months ago. I was told the thorough and competent individual from South had arrived. The occasion was when the water scare was at its height, and the Councillors had sucked me dry, and also worried themselves into a fever, the idea struck them to offer a bonus of £lOO for the best design for a water supply, in response to which this gentleman made his appearance. Wo were all delighted. Now we would have water—good, plentiful, and wholesome—all data and reports to hand were submitted for his inspection. At last the awful night arrived (I think a special meeting was called for the occasion) : in Stalked Cr Smith, bearing in his hands & most pretentious and official looking document, which he solemnly laid under the nose of the mayor. All was hushed. The strain was becoming too much to bear, when up rose Cr Smith, and after a few preliminary hems and hahs, spoke, Gentlemen, this is a most important occasion. I hold in my hands a most important document, written and concocted by a gentleman who has made water a speciality, but before divulging the contents of this most precious document, you, Mr Mayor, and brother Councillors, must be bound by an oath of secrecy not to make known its contents publicly unless you are prepared to carry out the conditions—and a good deal more to that effect. Cr Tucker objected to be sworn, upon the grounds that if it was a public document the contents must be made public. After a good deal of discussion, Cr Smith yielded, and the document was read. Oh, horror, judge of our surprise and disgust when we found it to virtually consist of an abridgement of one of my old reports, the only new matter being that of an addenda, offering his services for the sum of £BOO or £9OO to supervise the work from the Waihiriri stream. Strange to say, the Council were not on. Perhaps this gentleman has turned his attention to harbor works, and made that a speciality. In spite of Cr Smith’s no confidence motion, I shall as formerly sign myself, John Dbummond, Civil Engineer.

TO THE EDITOR.

Sir, —I see by a paragraph in the Wairoa ** Guardian/’ that the Editor blames me for having broken my word with him. The truth is I went to him and he only jeered and snubbed, and as I found that he only wanted to ridicule the petition I refused to give him access to it.—l am, &c., Sidney Tiawhanga.