THE DOCK TRUST.

Evening Star, Issue 7827, 7 February 1889, Page 3

THE DOCK TRUST.

A meeting of the Dock Trust at Port Chalmers this afternoon was attended by Messrs Allen (chairman), J. B. Thomson, H. Gourley, A. Thomson, and Dr Drysdale. After the minutes of the regtdar and special meetings had been read, Mr J. B. Thomson asked who had called tho last special meeting. The Chairman replied that he had. Mr Thomson called attention to clause f>s, which stated that a special meeting could only be called by the request of two members of the Trust. He considered the business of that meeting was illegal. The Secretary read the following correspondence : Enclosed find letter received since your last meeting from Messrs Mee, Billing, and Co,, from which you will perceive that these gentlemen anticipated the result of their action against the 'Standard,'as already reported in Presh telegrams. My solicitors advise that I oc upy the same position as Messrs Mee, Billing, consequently I am precluded from taking further proceedings. From the remarks of Messrs Mee, Billing, and Co. you will gather that my surmise as to the quarter from where the hon. gentleman derived his information was not so very wide of the mark, and I would particularly direct your attention to the clause struck out prior ti publication which states that " the loan was being floated for the purpose of paying off obligations already incurred." Any assertion moro grossly untrue than this could hardly have been framed. Indeed it can only bo character vised by a very small word of three letters, and the maker of it by one of a single letter more. Truly the ' Standard ' has cause to be proud of its correspondent ; yet, as Jlr Campbell is an honorable man, I am stdl inclined to the belief that in this cafe he has been made a victim of by most cunning and cowardly libellers.—l am, etc., V. Elder. The Chairman of the Dock Trust. Mr W. Elder.

We have to think you for your valued favors of September 19 and October 14, with enclosures, and also for the various papers with reference to tho Dock Tiust, which you havo been kind enough to eend us We regret to learn that the Trust cannot take action itself. Wo are, however, much obliged for the sisaistancc kindly offered to ua in the prosecution of our c!;iim • and we note every information will be furnished to us, and all assistance possible, by the solicitors to the Trust, will he placed at cur disposal, to all of which we attach great value. It is some time Bince wc last had the pleasure of writing to you, but it is becauso wo havo very little to say, having had to await ihc termination of the long vacation before any stepi could bo taken in tho prosecution of our legal actions. We have now only to adviso that we have received the statement of defence from tho ' Standard' newspaper, copy of which we enclose, as well as tho statement of claim, from which you will see tho 'Standard' newspaper disclaims any reference to us in tho alleged libel; and if that be so, tho libel could only refer to your Corporation. Our solicitor is of opinion, therefore, that the liliel upon tho Trust is intensified, and that it is moro than over dcsirablo tho Trust should j' in in tho action we are takiiiL'. In vi<:w of this recommendation, therefore, wc sent you a tcl'-gram bv tho Rrapshu, of which copy is annexed. We havo only recently nuccetdedin serving a writ upon the Hon. Mr Campbell, he having been absent in Germany. Ho has entered an appearance, and our action against his is therefore only in its initial stages, and his answer to our claim has not yet been put in. Wo have in the meanwhile oVrt.aAned an iiispeciion older to viev. tbu oi\g",na\ letttr, furnished to tho ' Standard' newspaper, and it hears all tho appearance of bavin? been written in the colony and scut over here for Mr Campbell's eignature. This, of course, is only a surmise on our part, but it is written on foolscap paper in a hand wilting not than of the party who eii'tied the letter, and somo halfdozen lines «t the ft.ut of the epistle wcro left blank for Mr Campbell's signature. It contained a number of statements which do not appear in the letter published by the' Standard.' Those parts which were omitted hsd been scratched through with a pen, and there worefmany alterations and corrections in it. One rf the statements thus omitted was to the following effect :—"That an excheruist was sent over to iicL'otiatc the loan ; tbat he was p'tid by the TnHf. the Eum of L3OO towards tho expenses of his journey ; and that he had tho promise of a lar<re further payment in the event of his mission proving .successful." Another stat> meiit aluo erased was that the loan was being ostensibly ra:«ud fir the purpr-HO of building tho drck, but. wns in fact required for tho purpose of raying off obligations already incurred. Wc enclose copv of a letter which we hivo received to-day from cur solicitor, in uhich he indicates that it is quite probable that th' defence put in by Mr Campbell will Ira on lines similar to those adopted by the • Standard ' newspaper, and that in the end the action a 9 between Mr Campbell and the 'Standard' newspaper on the one hand and ourselves on tho other may bo settled by fou;o compromise, tho effect of which would be to throw ths whole stigma of the libel upon tho Trust. This appears to be an additional reason why the Trust should reconsider their doeisienin taking action hero. —Yours, etc , Mkb, Billing, and Co.