CORRESPONDENCE.

Auckland Star, Volume XXIV, Issue 4309, 14 March 1884, Page 3

CORRESPONDENCE.

The Oracular and Adhesive Chairman.

(To the Editor.)

Sir,—To say that the STAK'sreport of Monday's meeting of the Devonport Highway Board was amusing would convey but a feeble idea of the exquisite enjoyment which it caused to everybody—save one. Of course, what is fun to the boys does not present itself in that light to the frog, as the fable tells us. But it does scoin " hard lines " that Mr Edward Hammond should have been so effectually " hoist on his own petard" as to have had the press represented in order to oblige himself, and then to find that a true and faithful record of the proceedings was the reverse of flattering to Mr Hammond. That worthy and rather prosaic gentleman has been so sat upon recently that his intellect (or what, by courtesy, passse for such) seems to have become a little clouded, which probably accounts for the very nebulous and misty character of his deliverances on Monday evening. And it also accounts, no doubt, for the curious fact that he wa3 unable to make up his mind (or what he calls his mind) aa to whether tho denounced and crushed " absent member " wrote certain anonymous letters. Allow the " absent membor " to assist the adhesive Chairman in coming to a decision. He (the a.m.) had nothing whatever to do ab any time with tho writing.or sending anonymous letters to Mr Hammond, and only learned of such an occurrence through being accidentally in a group when it was being discussed with much hlarity. The " absent member " was not likely to adopt this furtive line of attack, seeing he had never been at al! mealy-mouthed in denouncing Mr Hammond's sslfishness in acting in detianco of the Board and of the ratepayers—in his own presence. He says he retains the chairmanshipfrom a high sense of " dooty," because several influential ratepayers asked him to be Chairman, tho fact being that those very gontlemon (under the altered condition of things, brought about through his leaving tho district) are now willing, and even anxious.for him to be relieved from his arduous and trying duties. Why, two of them actually supported the following resolution, viz.-.—"That tho retention of his seat by tho Chairman is in the grossest bad taste, is an insult to the Board, and is detrimental to the interests of the district." So much for "dooty," which in this case really means a quality possessed also by the porcine pet, dear to the home of the humble Hibernian.—Yours, &c, The Absent Membee. . P.S.—There is one error in your report which may aa well be corrected. It speaks of the first resolution—requesting Mr Hammond to resign—having beon passed " when that gentleman was absent." As a matter of fact he was present, not only on that occasion, but also on the subsequent one, when the above-quoted emphatic resolution was pu* to the meeting by himself, and carried unanimously—barring his own vote of course.—The A.M. ■