REPLY TO MR ALLOM.

Thames Star, Volume VIII, Issue 2911, 14 June 1878, Page 2

REPLY TO MR ALLOM.

' (To the Editor of the firening Star.)

Sib,—ln reply to Mr Alloin's letter in your paper of yesterday, it is not only a rule but ib also absolutely a condition that all Government officers shall not take active part in political matters. Now, I was informed that Mr Allom was per* sonally and actively canvassing the district of Parawai relative to a matter that certainly is political, and I asked him if it was true he was doing so, his reply being in the affirmative. I told him he had no right to do so as a public officer of the Government, and that I with others would . take steps to prevent his doing that' which the Civil Serjjjce rules distinctly prohibits being done, viz., actively canvassing in political ma,te?s. As to the trumpet he blows —well, every one knows he must blow his own trumpet, as no one else would blow it for him. - As to Parawai advancing under his chairmanship, if he means he spent the rates in making good the ro-d and footpath to his own house, he certainly did that; if he meant he advanced Parawai by directing prosecutions over and over again against any poor man the owner of a cow that trod for a minute oa the foothpath, and at the same time sanctioned his own sons dcs« troying the footpath by wheeling boat loads of firewood and quantities of manure over them into his own premises, certainly he did that too. As to his gentle* manly instincts, it is the first any one knew he had any. I wonder if kicking any one out of a public office is a gentlemanly instinct! If such was his gentlemanly instinct, it was from prudential reasons, no doubt, he did no more than* think it; and, if he thinks he can, and is willing to try kicking me out of any place, I will give him the opportunity at any time he chooses to name. He talks of. insulting and intimidation: surely there can be neither insult nor intimidatian in drawing his attention to a rule that he has served under for many years, in which all Government officials are precluded from taking an active part in canvassing or otherwise, as he is now: doing, though he pretends to ignore the fact that it is taking an active part in E)litics, knowing as he must the rge meeting of ratepayers held some few months back, when it was unanimously resolved upon joining the Borough, except one dissentient, and him a paid servant of the Count/. Surely it ought to be left to the ratepayers themselves to say which (if any) they shall join. The intimidation he: talks of was the fact that a letter was being forwarded to the Government asking them to prevent any offioial from canvassing or taking an active part in politics. So much for , insult and intimidation he tries to make a point of, and his imagined repfo,--.. As to Borough tactics, I had no kjßgpledge until I read Mr Allom's letter ~tfc>i the Mayor cither knew of or was taking any steps i-i the matter; neither do I believe he is at all, as it is a well known fact that the Mayor and my* „ self do not pull together on many points, especially in relation to the antagonism between Borough and County disputes, - unless I consider the Mayor in the right, when of course I support him. I know ' of no action, or tactics as Mr Allom chooses to call it, as the Borough Council wisely, in my opinion, leaves the ratepayers to choose for themselves, simply approving of their joining .if they think proper to do so. Perhaps, Mr Editor, Mr Allom will kindly inform the Thames pubic the tactics he used for himself re the. Wardenship at the lime of the opening of the Ohinemuri Goldfield, as his scheming in that matter was well known at the time. In conolu-

sion, Mr Editov, I simply acted-unadvised as a ratepayer of the Parawai Biding (in which an attempt was made to get my name struck off the roll), and not acting as a Borough Councillor in this matter.— I am, &c, John Ekad.