THE CAMBRIDGE TOWN BOARD AND ITS ENGINEER.

Waikato Times, Volume XXIV, Issue 1959, 27 January 1885, Page 3

THE CAMBRIDGE TOWN BOARD AND ITS ENGINEER.

TO THE KDITOK. Sir,— As some of my friend* mfoitn me that my silence in reference to the defamatory language used by the landlord of the Criterion Hotel. Cambridge, at the last meeting of the Cambridge Town Board, in ! reference to myself, in tantamount to acknowledging its correctness permit me to state through your columns tli.it I did not say a word in my own defence, but merely referred the board to the xpecification in their own posse-sion, which is a complete refutation of Mr Hewitts slanders, ai the work wns done exactly according to specification, (as far as the contract was concerned,) but some extra work was added to the contract, both in Hamilton ro.td and Bryce-street, to enable the contractor to get sufficient material to finish his original contract, and for these extra works ho was paid, the prices being fixed before he commenced them, (in the presence of the chairman) and his letter was merely a " try on " to get noino money out of the board. There could be no doubt the contractor took the work too low, and no person would have been more pleaded than myself to have seen him get a bonu-. to help him out of his difficulties, but w hen his friend Hewitt tried to make it appear as his right, lin justice to the other tenderers was obliged to set my face against it. My reason for not addresHing you earlier on the subject was that I intend to make Mr Hewitt answer and prove his defamatory and slanderous words in another place.; and do not therefore desire to ditfcutts them in the columns of » newspaper.— l am, 4c. John Gw^nneth, C.L. Cambridge, 28th January, IbBs.