Original Correspondence.

New Zealand Spectator and Cook's Strait Guardian, Volume XII, Issue 1288, 5 December 1857, Page 3

Original Correspondence.

To the Editor of the New Zealand Spectator. Independent Office, 4ili Dec., 1857. S 1«, —M ith reference to your remarks on a letter signed “ Looker On’’ in the Spectator of the 28th ult., we forward a copy of a letter we have felt it our duty to address to the Provincial Secretary, and of that officer's reply, and we now call upon you, as an act of justice to ourselves, to insert these documents in your issue of to-morrow. li e have confined our application to the Provincial Secretary, to that portion of '• Looker-on's’’ letter which it calculated to injure our business reputation—tile other charges and insinuations we shall take an opportunity uf refuting in the columns of our own paper, And we are, Sir, Your obedient servants, M’KENZIE & MUIR. Wellington, 30th November, 1857. Sin, —-A charge is made in an anonymous letter signed a “Looker-on," and published in lust Saturday’s Spectator, that the proprietors of the Independent, the present Contractors for printing the Government Gaiette send 250 copies home and get paid for the full number. As this is a direct charge of dishonesty, made evidently with a malicious intent, and calculated seriously ft injure us in our business, we beg that you will favor us with answers to the following questions:— Ist. Have we ever sent 250 or any other incorrect number for 350 copies of the Gazette home, and got paid for the full number ? 2nd. Is it possible that such a fraud, even if attempted, could be perpetrated without its being inniteiliatclv discovered ? Au answer to the foregoing questions will oblige, Sir, Your most obedient servants, (Signed) M-Keszie & Mum. The Provincial Secretary, Wellington. Provincial Secretary’s Office, Wellington, 3rd December, 1857. Gentlemen, —In reply to your letter of the 30th ultimo, 1 beg to enclose a return of the mode in which the 300 copies of the Government Gazette which have been received from you as contractors, upon every issue have been disposed of from the commencement of this year to the present time, by which you will perceive that the whole of the 350 copies since the Ist January of this year, are strictly accounted for, with the exception of Nine copies, which are hardly sufficient to satisfy occasional office demands. I have the honor to be, Gentlemen, Your obedient servant, (Signed) William Fitzuerbert, Provincial Secretary. Messrs. M'Kenzie & Muir, Wellington. Return of Gazettes for the year 1857, on band and in my charge at this date:— No. on hand. __ No. O n hand.

Average about 42 Number of Gazettes regularly distributed as per Gar. lie List 299 311 (Signed) Sidney Mason, Govt. Messenger, nd December, 1807.

To the Editor oj the New Zealand Sp c'ator. Napier, December ts-t, 1857Sir, — Tile good folk of Napier were not a lit lc surprised la t week at the arrival of his Honor the Superintendent, more particularly when it was 1 known that lie was full < f most important projects for our good and benefit; ilia', in fact, he was revdy to grant us all we asked for short of separation. \t e could scarcely believe ourselves" important enough to be honoured bv the great man’s' visit at sucli a crisis, when his Honor’s mind must have had more serious subjects to consider than' our petty wants ; it did strike us, 100, as rather absurd that liis majesty should be so liberal now that he has no longer the power to perform, seeing that lie did not perform when he had the power, and for the same good reason very little credit was given to any of his promises. The real object b his visit soon came out however. A meeting of the inhabitants of Napier, and such settlers as were then at the port were called for the 2Glh ult, at a very short notice, to give his honor an opportunity of explaining the present crisis, and during his 1 speech on that occasion he plainly stated that it would be necessary forthe country districts to array themselves against the town of Wellington, and that it was to the country districts alone that he could look for support of his measures, as the town members were all banded against him. In speaking of the support he had received from the Ahuriri settlers, he thanked them much more tiian was necessary, when we reflect that at least two-thirds ot those that voted for him, voted merely to keep out a man they did not know, and had less confidence in than in Dr. Featherston himself; — he did not say that the reason of their supporting him bad been clearly explained in the columns of the Herald previous to the polling day, or that if it had to be done over again, and such a man as Mr. St. Hili opposed to him, for 20 that would vote for iiim at least GO would vote against him. His Honor took occasion, rather unfairly, at this meeting to challenge the Ahuriri settlers to’ make their complaints against him as he was then present; but, as the meeting liad been hastily called, and the day very wet, there was no time for concert amongst the members of the association ; or, in fact, no disposition to attack a man just then whom they considered had been badgered enough at Wellington of late. Messrs. Fitzgerald and Munn spoke in support of some of the principal charges of neglect on the part of the Provincial Government, adducing the great fact, that during the first 3 years of the existence ef the Province, whilst £50,000 had been spent at Wellington, but £2lO was expended here; and, during the present year, whilst £70,000 or £BO,OOO would be spent at Wellington, scarcely £lO9O would be spent here ; and which, they contended, were sufficient of themselves, in spite of what excuses his Honor might allege, to prove neglect. His Honor, the following day, wished to meet a deputation of the Association to give them a verbal reply to their letter of the 3rd August; but they very properly declined meeting him, as, if it was worth their while to wriie to him, it might fairly be considered that he had a right to reply in writing, which he took good care not to do. Indeed, it appears to have been part of his plans not in any way to commit himself in writing, but to try and confuse people here that are opposed tohim by speaking to them in public, well knowing the advantage a practised hand like himself must have against those who are mere novices in the art of debate, but who could perhaps express themselves intelligibly and satisfactorily enough in writing. His Honor has canvassed hard for support here, and complained to many of the settlers that they were not consistent in first voting fcr him and then voting for Golian and Fitzgerald, who he believes are opposed to him. Time, however, will unravel many things, and shew whether he has done himself any good or not; or whether the Ahuriri people are as simple as he may suppose them to be when he asks them to continue to place their trust in him now that h’s power has departed. I am, Sir, yours, ALPH A.

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