MR. FRASER'S REPLY TO THE CIVIC LEAGUE

Evening Post, Volume CV, Issue 91, 17 April 1923, Page 8

MR. FRASER'S REPLY TO THE CIVIC LEAGUE

TO THS IDITOS.

Sir,—lf the individual who calls himself the Civic League Executive (the same person, I understar.d, who also parades as the N.Z. Welfare Leagua) had developed a little ordinary courtesy and had either written me a brief note, or even rung me up on the telephone, asking for the information he requests in his letter headed, "How they attended to business," in your issue of yesterday, he would have been immediately furnished with it, and would have saved me the necessity of referring publicly to personal and ' family matters, which I am always most reluctant to do.

The fact of the matter is that during the term of office of the present council, not only had I a personal illness lasting about two months, but, in addition, another member of my family was dangerously ill. During both periods my work on the council was seriously interfered with. For instance, during my two months' illness I missed 19 meetings of the council arid committees. If it were not for that period alone the number of meetings I would have missed would have been less than those misßed by two of the admittedly most active and energetic councillors, who missed respectively 59 and 54. The number of meeting I missed was 66, not 96, as stated by the gentleman claiming to be the Civic League Executive. This number, less nineteen, would stand at 47, -without taking intoaccount at all the second period, when both my City Council and j Parliamentary work was seriously inter- | fered with. If the Civic League Executive is in any doubt as to the accuracy of my statements, I will be pleased to supply him with the necessary doctor's certificates. Might I urge, without any feeling, that it would have been well if "The Post" had followed its usual fair practice on this occasion, and had submitted the Civic League gentleman's letter to myself for a reply before publication so that both charge and answer could have appeared simultaneously. I am quite prepared to leave judgment on this matter, as on all others, Co the electors. ' But what bankruptcy of ideas the opponents of Labour show in their attacks. ■ Why don't they address themselves to something worth while? Why. for instance, don't they attack ' Labour's rating policy, which will bring relief to the wage and salary earner

in all the residential areas of the city? Why?—l am, etc.. P. FRASER, 17th April.