Original Correspondence.

Clutha Leader, Volume XX, Issue 1033, 11 May 1894, Page 3

Original Correspondence.

MR RAMSAY IN REPLY. TO THE EDITOR. Sir, — Some friend in your district has forwarded to me a copy of your paper containing the usual annual attack made on me by the 'curlyhaired ' tv, inkier who writes your Dunedin notes. Last year he abused ms very bitterly for certain actions and this year he is at it again. I will not, Sir, trouble myself with him further thtin to tell your readers that if they only knew him as well a*s I do and as the football team which toured the goldfields two years ago, they would not be at all surprised at anything he. J might write in the way of personal abuse, although they might think it was rather peculiar that he should shower that abuse on one who never showed him anything but kindness and J who extended to him the best hospital- ! ity on the only occasion on which ho visited this district. It can only be accounted for on the score of a slight acquaintance with the ' green-eyed monster.' Regarding my action which he so adversely criticises, all I ask you to do is to publish the verbatim report of what I said at the Board, and ?\ copy .of which I now enclose. I have no desire to enter into a paper warfare over the matter, although I can hold my own at that too, if necessary, but let me tell your readers that those people who try to insinuate that Mr Green was not the man I wanted to see elected are simply trying to damage me. Had it not been for certain members of the board on the way to the meeting declaring their intention of proposing Dr Stenhowse in order to split the ' Progressive Party ' (who, I may remark, are now the majority), Mr Green would have been unanimously elected, and that was finally agreed upon Mr Green consenting. I may add thpt Mr Macgregor was pressed hard by Mr Green himself to stand, and that he firmly and bluntly said ' No ' — a ' No ' there was no mistaking. My staying away had the desired effect, as those worthy members M'Kerrow and Clark did not propose the doctor, their only reason for doing so being, as one of the members said, to put 'Ramsay in a corner,' But Ramsay is too old to be ' had ' in that way and would not be a party to the perpetration of the disgraceful scene which usually attends the election of chairman. — I am, etc., J. J. Ramsay.

Mr J. J. Ramsay's reply to Mr Thos. Mackenzie at the Education Board meeting, April 29, 1894 :— Mr Ramsay said he rose to refer to a matter which mighfc come under the heading of a personal explanation, but it was just possible he might overstep the bounds of such explanation, and he was aware that the new chairman intended to introduce at the board table a more orderly and dignified mode of procedure, and moreover, as he was very desirous of seeing such an order of things established, and intended to assist the chairman ia such a laudable effort he would, to be perfectly correct and in order, moTe the adjournment of the board. On the previous day Mr Thomas Mackenzie had taken occasion to criticise his (Mr Ramsay's) action in not being present at the meeting and' recording his vote for the election of chairman. He would at this stage simply remark that he had good reasons for his action, but he thought it was somewhat of a new departure for one member of the board to criticise another for non-attendance. He was not aware of the' existence of any rule making continual attendance at meetings of the board compulsory, but if there was such a rule Mr Thomas Mackenzie was the last man on the board to draw his colleagues' attention to it, seeing that he was the one member of the board whose attendance bad been systematically erratic. During his (Mr Ramsay's) tenure of office he had only been absent twice, once through sickness, and oncecompulsorily, but attendance with some members was the exception not the rule. It, therefore, came with very bad grace from Mr Mackenzie to accuse him of non-attendance to his duties, and if that gentleman wanted reform he would advise a commencement nearer home, and suggest to Mr Mackenzie that it would be well to remove the beam from his own eye before he attempted to refer to the mote in his brother's. He warned Mr Mackenzie that if he persisted in pursuing those ungentlemanly tactics The chairman' drew Mr Ramsay's attention to the word ungentlemanly. Mr Ramsay said he would apologise for using it, withdraw it, and if it would please his friend across the table (Mr Mackenzie) substitute gentlemanly (laughter). He warned Mr Mackenzie that tactics such as those would not raise him in the respect of the board, or in perhaps what he valued higher, the esteem of the public. He sympathised to some extent with Mr Mackenzie. He himself knew what a dwarfing effect an early training in public life acquired in a small centre had, (laughter), and it must be very unfortunate for a man to get such a training and be. the pooK bah of that centre. — (Laughter.) — Now there were no pooh bahs on the Education Board — (renewed laughter), — and ! he would take this occasion to con- 1 gratulate his friend Mr Green on his

election to the position of chairman. Mr Green wa3 the right man for the position, and one reason why he congratulated him was because he recognised that before Mr Thomas Mackenzie had Sat a year under his presidency he would have learned that the first duty of a member was attendance to Education Board business, and not the utilisation of every possible chance and opportunity for the purpnsp of advertising the merits of the ' Hon. member for Clutha.' — (Laughter.) Now, as to his action yesterday. He found on coming to town that there was a very strong feeling against the election of Dr Stenhouse to the chair, and he also recognised, as Mr Fraser and others did, that a strong man was required for the position so that they might be brought back to something like the dignity that members of the boar.d should assume, but which, unfortunately, they had not assumed for some time past. He also found that an attempt was to be made to nominate Dr Stenhouse by the very party ■who so vigorously opposed him last year, not for love of the Doctor, but for party purposes, — (Mr Fraser : Hear, hear.)— and to force on the board the same miserable fight which had disgraced the chairmanship election for two successive years. — (Members : Hear, hear.) — Indeed, he was openly twitted by a member when going to the meeting with the awkward position into which that member would force him (Mr Ramsay), while the same member admitted that he did not wish the Doctor to get the chair. It was then that he decided to aot as he did, and as the Doctor would not withdraw, and he could not stullify himself by opposing him if nominated, and as moreover he personally did not wish to vote against the Doctor, he decided not to record his vote at all, but leave those members who were untrammelled by previous actions to decide the matter on its merits. He did not consider his action dishonorable, and he certainly thought it neither wise nor graceful for members of this board to set themselves up as dictators. He did not so act, and he would not be dictated to, nay, not even by the ' Hon. member for Clutha.' — (Laughter and applause.)