THE GALL OF GALBRAITH.

NZ Truth, Issue 168, 5 September 1908, Page 4

THE GALL OF GALBRAITH.

The action , which , ,was successfully brought by- James Joseph Kennedy against Sergeant /Nathaniel Miller, at the Masterton District Oourt last Saturday, serves to demonstrate that the- public who attend football : matches have certain rights which cannot be trampled on by bumptious bobbies, of the Mat. Miller type, or notoriety self-seekers of the Neil (ralbraith class. "Truth" has occasionally had to refer to the despicable actions of Neil Galbraith. This person,, has been the cause of more thpn dbe disturbance with bis autocratic overbearing and piggish manners and ';oi?.'t,o recently m Wellington he made use or an expression to a'gentleman who had placed' his wife m a scat on /the stand,'. at the Athletic Park, for which he had i i chased a ticket,' which might have , resulted m a breach of tho peace. Reverting back to the Master ton: incident,, Mr Kennedy-was forcibly ejected from a seat m the grandstand, :to which he had paid the price demanded, 'by Oopman Miller, acjtittg .tinder tnKtuictiouS from iNeii tiaib'raith; who naS~_.no locus staridi but was merely an ; ordto. ary person attdi'ding, the match, Although it ;is presumed he did not pay his admission money lilte any. /other decent football enthusiast. Gal'is'rarpn fl'escribed him-, self as an accountant "anfl. afi honorary, official of the N.^R.U.; btut admitted, under! the caustic cross-examination of Charlie Pownall, that he received bonuses . to recompense him, for his honorary services. Galbraith was clearly ill at ease under Mr PownalPs cross-examination ami l:c heaved a'sigh of relief permitted to escape from the box and a running fire of pertinent qtiestions which did not . reflect any credit op the hoggisn accountant. .The honorary ho.^ stated that he was. autnorised— not by' resolution, so probably he authorised, himself— to watch the affairs of the NI'Z.R.U. at the Wairatapa match. He also atl/emled the match at his own expense ; justi fancy that ! But perhaps lb sc.it yin an account for laundry which (i tt6"M Cover the expenses incurred.' Anyhow, it is plain thktf the garrulous galoot Galbraith was reci|dHsii?ir for the forcible ejectment of Mi; "SSiSSy from f..e stand by Copman Miller . an^l that Galbraith had no authority to issuo instructions to anyone.;- in fact, that he was guilty of an offence when he called upon Copman Miller to cast out Mr Kennedy. This being so, then "Truth". would like to lenow what justification the mismanagement cqmnv'tee of the N.2.K.U. has for accepting I'd responsibility for defraying Oopman .tVij tier's expenses m the action, . when thd Copman did not receive any instructions; frohi the * N.55;R.U. but acted solely oh' the ins fcructidhs of a the paltry person who attended the match m the capacity of a private individual, although he is hot an : indivMual accord-, ing to his own interpretation of the rules of the IS. It. U., It is clear that the N.Z.R.U. acted illegally m aiithbrisiiig the expenditure of money on. tao defence of " action for .which %imy wore m no way responsible,; and when the annual meeting takes place, if the amouot incurred has been., paid, then the delegates should take steps' to see that the individual members of the Management Committee are made to pay the cost out of their own pockets., Clearly the, person responsible, en his own showing, was gresdy grubby Galbraith, ami Copman Miller should have ,been told by the N.Z.R.U. that he must look to that person to back his defence and not to the Union, which was m. no way responsible for the disgracefuT- proceedings. • Galbraith has "worked" the N.Z.R.U. for some considerable^ time,, what with bonuses, trips, junktet;fcing iiid washing bills. The hotel bill :in- connection with the An-glo-Welshers' visit to ' Auckland amounted to £100 odd,; and. ahy.: interesting item of ''Gratuities £6 servants ; i>8 7 , appears on the bill, which Galbraith ■'will doubtless certify to as. i:r ing correct. It would be interesting to . I earn what is the 'total expense incurred by . the N.Z.R.U. m connection with the Galbraith gallivantings, during the Anglo-Welshers' sojourn m, the Dominion. It .will be a pretty large item, and "Truth" hopes some delegate at the annual meeting • Will insist on particulars being supplied. As Galbraith has put the N.Z.R.U. to the expense of defending an action for which he alone was responsible, it is presumed that he-will,-as usual, send m an account for attending the Court at Masterton and giving evidence, and doubtless the account will include a little item for "washing." What a dashed lot of washing this person must require, but even whitewash would be of no avail with a person 6t Galbraith's calibre. As to Copman Miller and his adventures or behalf of the hog, nothing need he said. He does not even deserve sympathy, though' having now achieved a certain notoriety and farne^ it is quite possible that our frincd Walter Dinnic will mark Miller, he not being a chief 'tec, for promotion to the next sub-in-spectorship which falls' vacant. One thing was quite apparent when Judge. Haselden summed up, and that was that it was made clear that Galbraith had been guilty of unwarranted ihterteronce, as the N.Z.R.U. had delegated control Pt the match to the Wairarapa Rugby Union and Galbraith had thus no official position. The.jury m giving a verdict lor £5 were influenced by Mr Pownall's statement that the action had been brought merely m defence of a citizen's rights, otherwise the damages would have been very substantial, and the N.Z.R.U. would have had to pay. Even as it is, the costs and expenses will tot up to . a considerable sum, and Galbraith should be called upon to pay them himself, as his pocket is the only place m which any sense of feeling exists, his hide m every respect beiDg impenetrable! ■ •