A DEPARTMENTAL ENQUIRY.

NZ Truth, Issue 179, 21 November 1908, Page 6

A DEPARTMENTAL ENQUIRY.

Sacked oil the Word of a Woman.

"Truth" has been told qR the hard lines Jl a youthful letter-carrier Jn Christchurch, who suffered because a -grave scandal was circulated xa'oout his character. It appears that a. complaint was laid iwith the postmaster •to the effect' that fthe young man, who ist only nineteen years of age and has red hair', had attempted ,to rape a girl of l& I *w.hose name is m this paper's possession. /A formal, complaint iwas sent into the postmasteV »by the paper's possession. A formal inquiry was held, m which the postmaster appears to have been judge, jury, and general poofoah. The letter-carrier was desired i»o give his version of the occurrence, and aid so m writing, and against this ; affidavit iwas pitted the information supplied by (the mother of .the girl. '^Truth" doesn't know what actually occurred between the toy and the maid, but is informed that it ' didn't go beyond a little "spooning" behind a closed door. After furnishing his evidence, the youth, was assured by persons, who should be able to know, that nothing' more wo aid be heard oit the ma,t{ter,' but quite suddenly HE WAS . AJSKED TO RESIGN. N» sought advice,;, and then demanded to see the substance .of the- charge laid by ,the girl's mother. It is a strange thing about this "inquiry" that the accused person wasn/t -permitted to see nor question the evidence against him. The authorities absolutely refused to permit hint to view the correspondence sent m by the girl's mother, and when the dismissed garvant made a further demand to see the complaint, with the expressed intension Df instituting proceedings for- lib»el against )the woman who constitutes herself the girl's guardian, he was told confidently jco desist, otherwise a serious charge, PROBABLY ATTEMPTED RAPE, ftrttt btf Uvellid Agaituri bin*. a» w»3

obliged to leave the service under protest, but still advances his right to ,an open inquiry, as opposed to the hole-and-corner tribunal which obtained for him the sack. He is unabie to briDg a libel action agaiifst the girl's mother because he doesn't know the substance of the woman's information and /the Department won't supply him withwit, yet his public career has been ruined upon the unsupported testimony of a woman. The Postal Department m Wellington is supposed to have been consulted over the affair, and if so the responsible officials have been guilty of one of two things : (1) They 'have dispensed, with the services of a youth who has been guilty of' no ofience ; or (2) they have condoned the crime of rape by refusing to institute Court proceedings, an offence punishable by law. "Truth" is informed that the young man courts the fullest publicity, and it is either the duty of the Department to reinstate him or give such information that will compel him, to stand his trial m the Supreme Court. '