ORIGINAL CORRESPONDENCE.

Lake Wakatip Mail, Issue 2089, 24 January 1896, Page 5

ORIGINAL CORRESPONDENCE.

♦ THE GARSTON EMBROGLIO. (TO the editor, 1.w.m.) Sir—" What can you expect from a pis; but a grunt " was the remark passed to me by an acquaintance, who had just finished reading "Anti-clique's" effusion ie your is°ue of last week. What indeed-? "Anti-clique"' is afraid to dispose hia true name, hopinf, no doubt, to be allowed to make some valuable additions to the literature of slang and abuse, from behind the shelter of a nom-de-plume. Herein he resembles the silly ostrich, who believes she can avoid discovery by merely hi>ling her head in the sand. Fur we all know who " Auti-elique " is; hia style is too peculiar to be mistaken ; every line betrays its author. In short, to resume this most striking simile, his head only is buriel, wh'le the rest of him remains in full view. Since my last contribution appeared, hold ing up to public ridicule the active participants in a disgraceful and aJrsuvd scene which occurred in the (iarston hall, I have been congratulate 1 on all sides. Resectable public opinion in this district emphatically declares that these persons richly deserved what they gof. And I hope that the castigation I have administered to the larrikin element in this community, will act as a valuable corrective, and that, if it do not eradicate the evil, will, at least, frighten it away from the public gaze. I and my two colleagues on the hall committee would have been delighted to have promoted a dance at Christmas time on any ordinary occasion ; but on thifc occasion the circumstances were sopremely exceptional. Motives of delicacy impelled me, in my last communication, to attribute the refusal of the hall to the fact that the building was already engaged. This was quite true, in spite of " Anti-cliqne's assertion to the contrary ; but it was merely a secondary consideration. The real cause of our refusal was of much graver : mpo t " Anti-clique " and his tribe no doubt wished to hold this particular dance, in or 'er to dispel the dark cloud, wh ch, vith all its painful and distressing circumstances, hung like a pall over the district at the time. Rut the majority of the committee very j roperly considered that to hold a dance, at such a time and under such auspice», was nothing short of sacrilege. They, therefore promptly refused the building for such a purpose, and hence the unholy v ar. Had " Anti-clique " not b;>en at the elbows of the two refractory members of the committee, wiser counsels might have prevailed, and tl is disgrace been avoided, for the propensities of " Anti-clique in fomenting disagreement ars so well known, that at the last hall committee election, it was well understood by a number of the shareholders, among whom were some even of his own brothers, that, if " Anti-clique " became a member, they would drop out. On that occasion he was quietly but firmly "shunted," and he has been in a state of ferment ever since. As a result of the New Year's eve embroglio, the hall has practically passed into the hands of that small clique of which "Anti-clique " is such a shining star ; and this for the simple reason that no man, with a vestige of manhood in him, would submit to the insults and vituperation which must necessarily follow any attempt to oppose the wishes of such a class. We left the committee as we would an evil smelling sink. It is passing strange, to say the least, that all this has happened, as soon as it decently could, after the debt on the hall had been paid off. People will of course, draw their own conclusions, and if by a process of evolution, the building gradually changes from a place of public entertainment, to " a large and commodious grain store, within easy reach of the railway station," mauy people who were wise in season, will turn to those unhappy shareholders who were not wise in season, and say in triumph at the vindication of their reasoning " I told you so." " Anti-clique " devotes a great part of his effusion to personal abuse, his legal cast of mind inducing him to practise the lawyer's favourite maxim, when defending a bad case. He writes a great deal about my crawling propensities, but no man has had better opportunities than he, of learning that I am no crawler. And I shall remind him that no one who properly discharges his duties need crawl to or be dependanfon his fellows. This is a maxim that he and others of his kidney in this district, would do well to lay to heart. Moreover, speaking for myself and colleagues, I shall tell him that our reputations for straightforwardness or any other virtoe would bear triumphant comparison with his, if such a comparison were possible ; but it is not. " Anti-clique " has called us cowards, and aids that I was shivering and shaking. Now he has clearly misjudged us ; for, notwitbstaiulihg the fact that we were abused, insulted and threatened by nine or ten ablebodied men (all brothers), and were outnumbered in the proportion of three to one, it was plainly noticeable that we were the coolest men in the room ; nor are we the kind to quail and quake before even a ton of i bluster, or a dozen bullies. But " Anticlique " is a poor judge of such matters, i Those who have observed his conduct on trying occasions, when personal courage was

an all-important factor, will be highly amused to think that any mortal under any circumstances whatever could possibly be afraid of him. Yours etc.— F. Sutherland, (Your own correspondent.) Garston, January 20. NEW YEAR'S EVE AT GARSTON. (TO TUE EDITOR, L.W.M.) Sir—ln your issue of the 17 th inst. appears a letter in answer to your Own Correspondent's accurate sketch of the bullying and larrikin pantomime in the Public Hall on New Year's Eve, and signed M Anti-clique." I do not intend to enter into a controversy with " Anti-clique " in reference to any of the charges he makes, as they are, for the most part, created by his diseased imagination aud disordered brain. Though the writer of this delirious dream endeavours to veil his identity under a nom-dc-plume, yet for me to guess at his real name, would be guessing et a certainty. And since I know the writer and his interesting traits of character so well, I contemptuously decline to enter into a -discussion, controversial or otherwise, with him and his sub-clique, who, as is well known, belong to that class of the human family which Burke so aptly designates as the "swinish multitude" and Scott, "the vulgar crowd." And your "0. C's." letter is correct in every essential detail, as I was a member of the Hall committee and was present during this disgraceful scene. Thos. Cunningham. Garston 20th, Jan. 1896. PROTECTION OF THE COLONIES. For the defence of the ports of Australasia each colony has, besides land defences, certain ships, of which the following is a list: New South Wales—Acheron aud Avernus, torpedo steam launches. Queensland—Gayundah, doublescrew steel ship, two guns, 360 tons ; Otter, gunboat, one gun, 220 tons ; Paluma, two guns, 360 tons ; with several smaller boats. South Australia—Protector, cruiser, six guns. Victoria—Cerberus, double screw armorplated turret ship; Nelson, frigate ; Victoria and Albert; with gunboats Countess of Hopetoun, Childers, Nepean, and Lonsdale. There are also four torpedo boats. Western Australia—Meda, schooner. Tasmania—One torpedo boat. New Zealand—Four torpedo boats and four steam torpedo launches. According to an agreement entered into with the Imperial Government an additional naval force, consisting of five fast cruisprs and two torpedo boats, has been provided for the protection of the floating trade in Australian waters. For these the colonies pay certain t: ums. Defence works have been erected at Albany (Western Australia) and Thursday Island (Queensland). The following is a list of the ships on the Australian station Orlando, flagship, twelve guns, twin-screw steel armored cruiser. Mildura, eight guns, twin - screw steel cruiser. Ringarooma, eight guns, twin-screw steel cruiser. Katoomba, eight guns twin • screw steel cruiser. Wallaroo, eight guns, twin-screw steel cruiser. Royalist, twelve guns, screw corvette, composite. Penguin, eight guns, screw surveying, composite. Pylades, fourteen guns, screw corvette, composite. Rapid, twelve guns, screw corvette, composite. Dirt, two guns, screw surveying yacht, composite. Ringdove, six guns, screw gunboat, composite. Karrakatta, two guns, screw steel torpedo. Goldfinch, six guns, screw sloop, com po-ite. Lizard, six guns, screw gunboat. Tauranga, six guns, twin - screw steel cruiser. Bjomerang, two runs, screw steel torpedo. 'New Zealand Herald.'