NEW ZEALAND RIFLE ASSOCIATION.

New Zealand Herald, Volume XXI, Issue 6956, 4 March 1884, Page 3

NEW ZEALAND RIFLE ASSOCIATION.

TO TUB Sir,—Lieutenant Colonel Stave]y*s letter ■ relative Mr."Smith's commission, re-pub-lished by you to-day, came to my notice for the first time this morning, and. as it ..is inA Bome respects misleading,. Idesiretolay: be; ; fore your readers a t Bhort J statement': of the. circumstances. V The citizens of . Dunedin agreed to give £500 towards the fands of the;, association, and I i equested Colonel ) Stavely ?to appoint eome; : ;person as,'local: secretary, J whose remuneranon .was. to -be 10 per.! •cmc^iipon... Ilia MSOO J collected; ' his duties also, included. tho receipt of all. 'entries' 1 ! and. volunteer subscriptions.. Mr.': Smith in a letter. v to Colonel Stavely,; .forwarded to me by that gentleman, and now in my possession, accepted the appointment and coufirmed ; the airangdment as. to his, commission. It ' was;iri ; .no,way-contemplated .that:-Mr.. Smith: should receive any commisaiontor.moneys: collected by . him outside , the £500; The actual,amount collected by the citizens was £450 3s 9d, including the sale of booths, and . by even 'Stretching-the point to admit the latter as "citizens' subscriptions, Mr. Smith's commission properly amounted to £45, a moat liberal . remuneration for the duties, performed. But ho deducted, aB Ins commission' 10 per cent, upon, his gross receipts under all heads, and including his own subscription as a member ol the associatii ri, and his own ; entries for tho several matches. X observe that Lieutenant-Colonel Stavely concludes by saying' that " Mr. Smith's remuneration waaacrictly in accordance with the ment made with him." If this was so, 1 was,'■ and am yet, unaware of the fact, and I can- ] not help expressing my regret -at being obliged;, to differ from Lieutenant-Colonel Stavely.—l am, &0., Francis Stevens, Secretary N.Z. Rifle Association* Ellerslie. Range, 3rd March, 1884. i.