ORIGINAL CORRESPONDENCE.

Oamaru Mail, Volume II, Issue 567, 25 February 1878, Page 2

ORIGINAL CORRESPONDENCE.

ITO THE EDITOR OF TIIK KVKNINC M.VIT,. Sin—At lir.-t sight of your leader in issue of -the 18th irist., in reference to the doings of the Moeraki Harbor Board re tho appointment of Manager and Harbour Master, in which you \uake five use of my name, ot'it'.ijiHiion, and motives, f io iake no notice so far as to reply, neither would 1 have repliid had the artieie appeared as * letter : but when the Editor of what shculd be a, respectable newspaper writes a leading article on any subject, the public very naturally believe that lie has good reasons for so doing. In justice therefore to myself, it is necessary that I should make a few reniaiks in consequence of the evident malicious inti-ntion of your informants, ;i!id also because your garbled statement!! have a semblance of truth imp,vied to them through the fact of an old servant of mine holding an of!iD9 under the Board. The hye-hiva referred to were passed at j a special meeting called for that purpose tvhen Mr Allan was manager to the Hoard, and when there was no probability of Mr. Mercer ever succeeding to his oflice ; and your informant must know well that I spoke awl voted (in tho minority) against the amalgamation cif the offices of Manager and Harbour Master, arguing that as tlie Uatbour Master was appointed and paid by the Government, there was no occasion for lis at the time to interfere. At a later stage of said meeting, however, my vote would have had the effect of shelving the bye-laws for the time—but with the fact faring us in the face, that without bye-laws being passed the Board were actually powerless to enforce payment of any charges levied by tiietu (as hy the contractors I for tiie section of railway success- j fully defying the Board to charge them I anything for the use of the jetties or j cranes), T di'd not feel justified in voting I in any other wanner than I did (and ■ would do so again), leaving the matter regarding the Harbour Master for the I Government to deal with. ! Your assertion therefore that I voted! for Mr. Mercer being Harbour Master is j not correct, and I have advised him not J to assume the duties Qonnocted there-

with until the question now pending between the Board and tlie Government is settled ; and further, in carrying out works at the port, I have consulted Capt. Liddle as Harbour Master under the Government. The statement that Capt. Lidd' offered to undertake the duty of Manner without increase of salary is absolutely untruo My denial of voting for the amalgamation of the offices leaves Messrs. Donaldson and M'Kernnv alone ; and it is only fair to them that I should state my opinion—namely, that I consider they acted conscientiously throughout. forOapt. Liddle, at a full meeting of the Board, in reply to questions from the chairman, stated that lie was not a pilot, and had no husinusß to leave the Jetty on any duty in c mnection with his ollice ; to which the chairman replied, " then we do not want a Harbour Master : our Manager can do all we want." In conclusion, permit me to add (with ynir permission) that I think it quite possible for a humble seller of "sugar,, etc.," to be quite its worthy of respect m the Editor, who, on very questional)!* information, attempts to hold up to ridicule a person or persons of whom lie can know very little, and who are possibly more worthy of respect than his informants.—l am, ifcc.. J. It. Brkmnbk, The humble storekeeper referred to, and a member of the Moeraki Harbour Hoard. Hampden, 21st Feb., 1878.