COLONEL FOX AND THE PREMIER.

Auckland Star, Volume XXVIII, Issue 256, 4 November 1897, Page 5

COLONEL FOX AND THE PREMIER.

(By Telegraph—Press Association.)

CHRISTCHURCH, this day. Colonel Fox has addressed the following letter to the local papers : — Sir,—l have just seen on page 655 of Hansard, October 19th, 1897, that Mr Seddon states: "We gave a free hand to the late Commander or the Forces." This is an absolute lie. I was never given a free hand as Commander of the Forces. He continues, " and he ran us into £15,000 or £16,000 for a class of rifles that last night I was told were obsolete and useless." The Martini-Henry rifles with which the defence force of' New Zealand are now armed were procured on my recommendation, on grounds fully set out at the time to the Government by me. Those grounds hold good at the present moment. It will be greatly to the advantage of the colony if the whole matter concerning the procuring of the Martini-Henri ritle be thoroughly investigated. I earnestly hope that in fairness to me, who have been obliged by official ties, and in ' the interest of the defence of the colony, to remain in silence while being calumniated, that this letter may be published by all the papers in the colony.-I am, etc., FRANCIS Fox. WELLINGTON, this day.

Apropos of Col. Fox's letter telegraphed from Christchurch, Mr Seddon says his reference to Colonel Fox having a free hand applied only to the choosing of a weapon and not to the command of, the forces generally. He was asked ,by Cabinet to recommend a weapon in 1895. Colonel Fox strongly advised that the Martini-Henry rifle should be ordered, assigning as his reason why Lee Metford rifles should not be purchased that they carried so far that they would be dangerous to people in this colony, and that they had sent bullets through people without killing them. It was on this recommendation that Martini-Henrys were ordered, and they were now condemned as obsolete and useless.