WAITAKI WATER-RACES.

Waimate Daily Advertiser, Volume IV, Issue 251, 4 September 1902, Page 3

WAITAKI WATER-RACES.

TO THU EDITOR.

Sir,—Mr Leonard says I cannot prove his statement to be false. He took all sorts of care that the onus of proof had disappeared, as far as the race was concerned, before he m>de it, and I would remind him that he has not yet proved it tme; but io suppoit of my contention I find I reported to the Council at the time to tho following effect:— After the men worked three days in tho 3000 acre paddock the water was through the paddock, where it had not been for months. Now, Leonard had every opportunity of seeing that report; why did he not contradict it then? No, be allows thr e yeare to pass, and then makes a most scandalous and untrue statement about tho men just on the eve of a new c nt act being let, so that if any of them tender for the wi.'rk the Council will know they are incapable, because Mr Leonard said so. As to the man employed, we will have a look, as Leonard must have been bitte- ly robbed. There weie six men employe I—John N xon and five others—to d«? the work he contracted to do. They were all paid 8i per day (at Leonard’s expense, so he says), but I siy they were paid out of the maintenance account, and not at Leonard’s expense, as the men earned between £4O and £6O, and Leonard only claims £ll. Furthermore, I never was overseer of the races. I was looking after these men while they were on, but I never had the pleasure of meeting Mr Leonard to be obnoxious, and the only man I put on myself was J. Fordo. I did not employ my brother ; he was put on by the boss he was harvesting for. There was no more friendship between the committee and the men than between Leonard and me. Now, Sir, with your permission I will try and explain about that £ll. Some eighteen months previous to L-onard’s contract the Council pasted a resolution to the effect that the contractor’s monthly account must bs signed by the chairman of the race committee before being passed for payment, and matters worked very well until the committee recommended the Council nob to pay this month, as the work was not being done. This, you will allow, is not an unusual precedent in public matters. Of course when the work has been done the man gets his money afterwards ; but the Council ignored this recommendation and ovrelooked their own res lution, and paid him. Then I e came out and told us to go to h ; we were no d good; he had the Council at Ids back, and could get his money in spite of us, which was true. Then he tendered his resignation, and the clerk notified us next day to that effect, and at the end of that month he came to me with the £ll account to sign, and I refused to bo the handy boy for the Council when they paid man the month previous; they could do so again. You will note 1 knew of hia resignation. Wall, I would have to baliave that after resigning he came out and worked until he earned fchia £ll, which be might have done, but I would want a fair grain of salt before I ceuld get that down.—l am, etc., James Kennedy, Glanavy.