The Premier and Mr McLellan.

Opunake Times, Volume II, Issue 76, 26 March 1895, Page 4

The Premier and Mr McLellan.

Wellington, March 20. The Premier desires the folio-wing, to be published in reply to Mr McLellan : " The Premier in his address at Wanganui, stated that Mr McLellar, President of the Wanganui Chamber of Commerce, was biassed against th« Government, and that the annual address itself -was contradictory, and to prove this quoted the following extracts from the President's address —« So far as he could learn from enquiry, never before had the President of the Chamber been compelled to review a year during which the pro luce had been so abnormally low, and quite out of proportion with the cost of prooucfc ; on. Until we were able to bring the supply of demand, we would experience low and unremunerative prices.' When referring to the depression later on, Mr McLellan said:—' There was no use blinking the fact that the dullnetß referred to was due in a great measure to the want of confidence that existed in the colony, and to the interference with traders by the recent legislation.' The latter part of the address therefore contradicts-the first, and in proof that the President was biassed the Premier, speaking at Wanganui, stated that Mr McLellan, the President together with the ex-President, Mr Gale, had solicited subscriptions towards the fund for paying the expenses of a good speaker to stump the country in opposition to the present Government. If Mr McLellan will state that ho has not subscribed towards this fund, that he has not solicited or was not present when subscriptions were solicited, there is little doubt but that he will receive the amende honorable claimed, but not until then."