COLONEL FOX AND THE GOVERNMENT.

Wairarapa Daily Times, Volume XV, Issue 4687, 5 April 1894, Page 3

COLONEL FOX AND THE GOVERNMENT.

Tho communication forwarded by ' Colonel Fox to the Premier at Auoki land,and wbicbfierecontlyannounced I (says the Post) reached Ministers to- > day, having been forwarded by the - Premier, It consists of two letters. In ' one, Colonel Fox expresses his desire ■ to bo released from his contraot with ' the Government conditionally upon his being granted a Bum of £IOOO, as i reasonable compensation for the loss ho has sustained in coning out hero i and termination of his engagement. A further condition is, passages back to England for himself and his military < servant. In the event of those terms > being accepted, a .formal resignation > is attached, and reasons why the conclusion of tho engagement is desirable | are given, Tho reasons aro very > numerous, but the chief are that the I Premier, as Minister for Defence, con- ' trols the whole of the Defences andDe- • fence foice, in consequence of which '.the force hss deteriorated; that he • hsiCtotained jho services of useless ' oliicersandnofr. officag I and of corpv' to MM I banded, thijhfo jty for poflH reasons, jHHHL^nev«H

only in name; that he (Colonel Fox) required a staff officer,'and recommended the appointment of one and his reoommondstion was ignored l ; that the Premier sent his Acting Under-Secretary for Defenoe to make extracts from his (Colonel Fox's) letter-book behind his hack; that the Premier laid the Volunteer report on the table of the House of Representatives in snob a manner as to prejudice Mm and it; that the Premier sent that report to various persons asking their opinions upon it, but only published that of Sir William Jervois, which differed in somo respects from 'the report, and did not publish that of tbeC9looialDefenceCommittfe,which was in favour of it; that he (Colonel Fox) was detained in Wellington for a month doing nothing, on the ground that ho waa to be consulted re an ammunition contraot, which, howover, bad not yet been put before him; that the Premier asked his opinion as to the Martini-Henry rifle contract, and then sent his memo of advice to the contractors; that on receipt ot'Sir William Jervois' letter the Premier suspended the arranjoments which he (Colonel Fox) had made for sending six big guns to England to be oh'ase-hoped; that the Defence plans were transferred to the Fublio Works Department against his recommendation; that without refcionce to him the Pieiuier consulted a subordinate officer as to what stores, which he (Colonel Fox) bad said were requited, should be dispensed with. Colouel Fox further stated, that as it was apparent that hid advico waa either unsought or disregarded, he was Commandant only in name, and therefore the Government must approve of his action in resigning.