THE MAN AND THE CARPET

Dominion, Volume 10, Issue 3118, 23 June 1917, Page 10

THE MAN AND THE CARPET

TWO SIDES TO THE STORY

SOLICITORS AND MILITARY SERVICE BOARD A little more than a week ago was published a story (told to the. First Military Service Board by Mr. J. W. Macdonald) of trouble which the Public Trust Office had with a solicitor w-ho was to have been engaged in place of a young man drawn in the ballot. Tho name of the allegedly troublesome party was not published, but the statement's made by Mr. Macdonald about overfastidiousness and an unwillingness to work caused that party to ask for permission to put his side of the case before the board. The board granted this permission,' and the result was that on Tuesday afternoon bothi Mr. Macronakl and tho solicitor in question appeared. Then explanations began.

The solicitor: I havo asked to bp allowed to refute tho very serious allegations made against me. Tho chairman: They wero not made ."■gainst yon. I have tried to point that out to you before.

The solicitor: The facts are well known and peoplo are asking if I am the individual concerned. I was introduced to members <\f the staff of the Public Trust Office, and all my friends knew I wan going in. I have to tell my story again and again.

The chairman: You can, if you wish, deny that yon are the gentleman referred to. The solicitor: No. I am tho gentleman referred to. T wish to deny the statement.' mado by Mr. Macdouald. Tho chairman: If they applied to you. The solicitor: If you wish it stated that way, I will say so. They cannot, however, apply to anyone eke. There was a room mentioned, there was a carpet mentioned, and superintendence was mentioned. I don't tliink Mr. Macdonald would deny that I was the person spoken of. Mr. Macdonald, to the chairman: You will see that in my memorandum to you I have carefully refrained from mentioning any name. I was not quite correctly reported on one point in the newspaper, but with the exception of that I wish emphatically to state that I adhere to every word I said. I wish to make my position clearly understood. I reiterate everything I said, but I am not responsible for the form in wliich it appeared in the papers. The newspaper report waa in tho main correct, but it did not. represent one fact correctly. The solicitor: The report as made before this board induced Captain Walker, justly, I say, if the facts were as stated, to speak of tue man referred to as a shirker and it traitor to his country-

That impression has been scattered broadcast, and surely I should have a chanco of refuting it. I will be- as, brief as possible. 1 wish my statement to bo perfectly unambiguous. 1 have given Mr. Macdonald a direct contradiction, and 1 wish to do so before your board again. Mr ehargo against him is this: I entered into a definite arrangement with the Public Trust Office to take up definite- work in the place of Mr. Macalister, who had charge of the conveyancing branch. I had repeatedly volunteered -for active service, and I have in my pocket at present proof of two enlistements under the voluntary system. 1 have taken very special steps to get away. J. went to different Ministers, and also to SurgeonGeneral Henderson, who said at tho timo I was going into the Public Trust Oilice that I was not fit even for home service.

.1 felt thnt I was under an obligation to do something for tho Forces, and so I fossicked out what I believed to be tho hardest-pushed Department in the Government. I said 1 would go into tho Public Trust Office on condition that I got seven weeks to retire from the managership of a certain conveyancing firm, and also to convalesce from an. illness. Mr. Macdouald had all those facts in front of him. 1 had » partnership under offer to mo then. I disclosed that to Mr. Macdouald. I turned it down, and. threw up my position as manager of the large conveyancing firm. . . When I s]>ol;e to Mr. Macdonald I mentioned that from health reasons I could jiot tako up nighf.-woj-k. Mr. Matulonnld, with these facts in view, elected to mako use of my services. I went down to take Mr. Jfacalistcr's position, which was admittedly a hard one. I don't think it will he'suggested that there was no work there. I arrived at the office,-and found a fellow-solicitor in occupation of the

jw)in alloted to mo. I mentioned tho fact, and ho explained that arrangements had been altered, and that I was to do, instead of conveyancing, common-liiw work, which it had been previously agreed with Mr. Macdonald I was not to do. 1 went to Mr. Macdonald, and he confirmed tho purport of what had passed. lie said then, after T had remonstrated at the breach of Hie agreement, "Yoit are to get conveyancing work alfo." There was conveyancing enough there to rush a man off his legs. Mr. Macdonald makes tho statement tjiiit I kept, the office waiting two months. That wns the time agreed upon. Ho says T did not like tho room—l lie carpet did not suit me. The statement about the carpel is too ridiculous to require refutation. (Quoting from Mr. Macdoiiald's remarks): "I wanted another room" —of course. "1 went, into the details of my daily work"—as I explained. "Theso details did not satisfy him. He desired to superintend the work of other people, not to work." That is a diabolical statement. "I spoko of superintendence"—certainly. So would any man of sense. That is tho report Mr. Macdonald lias made to tho public. I understand 'he has made a statement to you of which the public knows nothing. Tho chairman: It will be sufficient!for you to deal with one.

Tho solicitor: Mr. Macdonald admits that the carpet incident mentioned by him has inadvertently been twisted by tho reporter. Mr. Jlacdonald goes on to say that I am walking tho block now —doing nothing. What else could one expect? I had thrown up my position and my prospects, and Mr. Mncdonald had shut the door in my face.. Incidentally, I may mention that I joined up within three days with the biggest firm of solicitors in 'Wellington.

51 r. Macdonald rose to reply, and tho chnirmnn asked: Where is the finality of this, Mr. Maedonald? Mr. Macdonald: In the mail), tlioso facts as admitted by this gentleman aro what I have told you. I told him that the position we had ultimately in view for him was Mr. Maealiser's. The arrangement that Mi , . should do com-mon-law work was only a temporary one to meet the war conditions of tho office. Ho raised the question of the room with Mr. Hay. I. said tho only differenco between one room and the other was that one had a oarpet and tho other had not. When I was before the board I jocularly remarked that 1 supposed that was a consideration. That was taken up by the reporter.

Mr. M'liiwen: We can never decide behveen you and this gentleman. .Air. Macdonald: I came here Uy request of the chairman. The uliairman: Xo, but I told Mr. • that it was only fair that you should be here to-day. Mr. MiU'dotiald: I adhere to all I said. 1 am not going- to have it go forth to the world thai T misled the board in tiny way. If this report was so inamu'iitn end no names were mentioned, why did this gentleman identify himself nn t.h» man referred to? Mr. M'Lai'on: You lind better settle it outside. Each parly having thus been permitted to say 'his say, the matter was dropped. MR. MACDONALD'S MEMORANDUM TO THE CHAIRMAN OF THE BOARD. The following are the main points of the memorandum addressed by Mr. Macdomild. to the chairman of the board, ami referred to in tho above report:— j "I am informed that a fixture has I been obtained by a genlloman of the j legal profession for ii.lfi p.m. on Monday, i Juno 18, to enablo him to make a reply | to certain remarks-appearing in (he j newspaper as being my evidence before | your board, and which remarks this I gentleman lakes as applying to himself. "I inn unable to lie presont, but if 1 were able, [ would not now attend except at your request, and out of respect . for you. When I agreed to coino for-

ward with him I was unaware until I raw tho newspaper reports next day that my evidence had been traversed in open. Court. I thought you had only been spoken to in private. 1 repeat tho facts as I gave them upon oath. They vesolvo themselves into the following Headings :-

' 1. Tnat tho position was kept open for two months to suit tho convenience of the appointee.

"2. That tho appointee at tho cud of two months, on coming to take- up his duties, raised the following stipulations: (ii) That he should work no overtime whatever, (l>) That ho would only do certain, classes of work. (c) That ho would not do any ordinary work of drafting, (d) His position was to be only or supervision—no original work, (e) Ho stipulated for a certain room. This gavo rise to the remarks on the eavpet which. «'ere not correctly reported. I "The newspaper report was incorrect Hi stating that 1 volunteered his name. I asked that his name when asked for should be kept confidential. "This gentleman, is not tho only one who has declined appointment in tho Public Trust Department, and the position, naturally arises now, if tho report was wholly wrong and no Jiame was published, could he identify himself as tho person referred to?" Mr. Macdonald's memorandum proceeds to amplify tho above headings, and concludes as under: — "The facts I think require no comment. 1 brought them up merely to show that temporary men are not always prepared to consider public positions from the point of view of patriotism, and it is not my desire, nor was it then, that his name bo published. I have endeavoured in. this memorandum, as I did on oath, to state the facts as fairly as possible, and if any statement from him is published, I desire this published also."