CORRESPONDENCE.

Grey River Argus, 23 September 1911, Page 7

CORRESPONDENCE.

COUNTY GRANTS AND

SHIVOOS

(To the Editor.)

Sir,— Oun. County Clerk (Mr D. J. Evans), has seemingly not recovered from the shock ba sustained when the biassed contents of his telegram to the outside world were ]a:'<l bare by me. If his 'effusion dn to-day's issue of the Angus is any indication as to th,e mood he was in whan he wro*'e he must have been in an extremely had temper. The letter was really delightful and the pity of it is that for his own particular purposes, ho could not have found some other imaginary charge to tax me with.

Mr Evans with Barnham-li'ke p'-<o-pensiti'e s : likes to run the whole show and when pulled up with a shairp turn, he, squirms and wriggles to such an extent that instead of confining himself to the subject under discussion, hs winds up with a dissertation on County grants, shivoos, etc.. Mr Evans' refusal of .reward and position are truly mairv« r jjousCan it be.' that ha has bee"n .oSiered a seat in the Upper House ? •

It may be of interest to Mr Evans to; know that I am not thankful to Mr Seddon for .anything — unlike the County Clerk I am ungrateful, and expect no favours in the way of public, grants . from the member for . the district, and if Mr Seddon 'elects to proceed against me v unde.r the "Legislature, Act" for an alleged offence preferueid against me by >Ir D. J. Evans, he can res:; assured that I will take the necessary precaution t.o protect myself. I," have asked Mr

Evans for proof that I sent. any telegram to Nelson Croeik, and .he cannot and n?,ver couldvproduce it. His despicable tactics, in now trying to shoulder me with the responsibility, are nepr6hensible in the •extreme-. Surly Mr Evans' with, his presumed influence, with the- "Great Liberal Party" should find 'it -an easy matter t.o -hiring" me to book. , Mr Evans is delightfully vague when he says he has the Chief Postmaster's- report that I sent the tele,gram. This is an. untruth, and I challenge Mir Evans to prove it. The blow / and bluster of Mr- Evans relative to pranks played at the last election require fronv hicn some explanation. -If= he attributes these pranks to me, I- publicly . challenge him to bring thorn to the surface. H.o cainnot do it and I defy him. Does he not know of the tactics which wore adoptjsd by his own. panty on the occasion- ,of . the last election? They iGOuld . not do anything" wrong. Oh, no!,; Thoy are beyond reproach. " I repeat that it was my duty t 0 do what I have done, and yet I ani accused of a' "contemptible action." I did not endeavour to make capital _ out of the. correction that 1 telegraphed as Mr Evan's alleges, in order to cast reflection upon. Mr Scddon's cause. No such thought •entered my mind. In any case Mr Seddo.n will require mova assistance than what is at the : disi>osal of his chief booter (Mr D, J. Evans) he. wishes to irctain his r^at in- Parlvam'cnt. The .reference Mv Evans ma'k-e-s to his getting the sack is very amusing. Tlv?rc i's rjo iifed for, him to ft;ar that he will get the "sack" as he; calls it. He is well aware that so long as the County ratepaye:|s think fit to .return as their representative.s, Crs. Duff, Murdoch, Bruce, McGuigan, Ferguson, and Grimmond, they will se,c. that their clerk g"ts his ,£325 pe^ 'annum and at the same time bo allowed to run a dozen elections ; 'especially Mr Seddon's o.r any one els-e's whose candidature they endto-rsc. Mr Evans is supporting M-j Seddon "largely because he is County clerk." What an. admission ! He is paid by the ratepayers to dischargq his duties, which, according to his own words, includes his support, body and' souh to the sitting memtoeii in order, to secure as many Government grants as passible. Such is the attitude adopted by one of the so-called heroes of Liberalism in the YV'estlsnd constituency. I would like to -aslk Mr Evans what had Mr Tom Seddon ever done for the district, 'before he was "foisted" on to the electors of. "Wiestland, as Mx T. W. Bruce, stated at thq meeting of the. Member's supporters held here recently? The. base inbratitude o tlie late Mr Seddon's son. Think of it! Th? paltry "little shivoos and ceremonies of adulation/ according to Mr Evans, should have brought about ' everlasting g-latitude on the part of those who participated in the champagne and J)i'sk:uits when 'thte late. Premier was in power. Utter rot! .'■■'•'■ :

Mr D. J. Evans- -needed- very •■ littte persuasion to run the show at any time and. what of it. : His mind should be disabused of some of his vain thoughts, and he musi surely ere this know that these little functions can bo promoted and carried through to success .without his appeavfance on the scene. In any case there is very little doubt that he partcok of the good things just the same as the others who happened to be present. Th's wailing of Mt Evans vn to-day's issue has r. -remarkable likeness to othe:< Tubbish that he has written and the:ia. is no doubt that the references to what money has been secured by ths Westland County Council from the -Governmem-t were written 'in desperation by one who surely recognises 'that the cau-^e he. is ' espousing is on the wane, aye, ended.— l am etc..

W. H. ROBINSON, Hokiti-ka, 21r 5 t September.