THE HERALD’S MORALITY.

Temuka Leader, Issue 1275, 9 December 1884, Page 2

THE HERALD’S MORALITY.

4 leading article appeared in yesterday’s Timaru Herald which preached most extraordinary morals. Some years ago the Dunedin City Council took 20 acres of land belonging to a Mr Sidey for waterworks purposes. When Mr Sidey pot in his claim for compensation the Council, acting on the advice of their solicitors, refused to pay it because the particulars had not been made out in accordance with the schedule of the statute. The amount claimed on this occasion was £2403, and shortly after Mr oidey sent m another claim for £4806, but it came too late according to law, and the Council ignored it. They

appointed valuers afterwards, anil offered Mr Sidey £435 5s in satisfaction of his claim. These are the facts and what do they disclose? Firstly, that the Council took advantage of some want of formality in Mr oidey’s first claim, and thus deferred paying him until the term in which he could legally bub for it had expired ; and secondly that when he had no longer any legal claim they snapped their fingers at him and said “We will pay what we think proper.” This comes as near dishonesty as anything we'have met with from a public body*, and it' is this which the Tiiriaru Herald has the' unblushing effrontery to defend. It appears that " the reason Mr Sidey’s claim was illegal, was that it had not been lodged with the Council witbin the , time specified by law, and in order to remedy this Mr Downey Stewart got a clause inserted in the Public Works'Act of last session to meet the case. Under this clause Mr Sidey renewed bis claim last Tuesday and on last Wednesday a deputation of the Council waited upon Mr Stout, who is now in Dunedin, to ask him to protect them against the injustice thus done to them. They complained that by going to law they had already been let in for £IO,OOO in .other cases, and then asked the; protection of the Premier from Mr Sidey. Mr Stout, however, brought them down a peg or two.He told them that be bad nothing to_do with the insertion of the clause ,referred .to, and that he did not know when it passed that it had any application to them. But he would tell them that if it came before him in Parliament again he would vote for it, because, he said, “ it would be an immoral proceeding if a corporation were allowed to take advantage of a technical defect in a man’s claim and take 20 acres of land from him, and pay him simply whSt they pleased. Would it be fair, Be asked;' for the buyer of the land to say, * Because you make a technical error in your first claim, or were eight or nine days - late with your second, you must " just take what we choose to give you, or else get nothing at all 7” The Mayor cowered before the and complained that be was accusing the Council of dishonesty and immoral practices, and all the other Councillors toned down greatly. They appeared to see themselves as others saw them, and to feel their position. The Timaru Herald says Mr Stout’s morality is the queerest it has met with lor a long time, and asks what can be thought of him in upholding such a thing ! Judged by the Herald’s moral standard the whole thing may be wrong, but people who believe in paying 20s in the £ will not uphold the doctrine That it was just- of the Dunedin Council to try to wriggle out of paying a debt on technical grounds. For a private person to do this would be had' enough, but for a public body to do so is disgraceful. Mr Sidey’s claim may be exorbitant, but that has nothing to do with it at all. There exists a proper , tribunal for awarding to him what he is justly entitled to, and he ought to have facilities given to him to appeal to it, and the Corporation of Dunedin ought to be ashamed of themselves to object to such a course. It shows their cause is bad when they dread going to law. Really the Herald must be in its dotage when it defends such chicanery.