MR McGLOIN.
Some authors are paid for what they write, others have to pay for what they write. Mr McGloin comes under the latter heading,, as we see he has inserted a letter addressed to us in the form of an advertisement in the Daily News. Mr McGloin readied up a challenge to us, which we previously published, wanting to wager.that he never interfered with the contract on the Eltham Road after Mr D. Murphy was discharged. We never stated that he had, therefore we had nothing to do with that part of his challange. What we stated in our article of the 7th June which has sdf stirred Mr McGloin's bile up was that after the alteration in the contract "Mr McGloin then appeared on the scene, and virtually, without any authority, attempted to take the work out of the engineer's hands, and created a thorough mess." Our authority for making tbis statement was seeing a letter addressed to the spreader, D. Murphy, signed by. Mr McGloiu, i»* forming him that he was not to take instructions from anyone excepting the chairman, or clerk of the Council, or the members for the Parihaka Riding. To any one with common sense it would be appareut, if the spreader, who was the engineer's representative, wa3 only to take instructions from the before mentioned parties that the engineer was to be ignored by him, and if the spreader was to ignore the engineer how could the engineer retain charge of the work. We repeated that statement without any quibble whatever in reply to his challenge, and we now restate it and are willing to leave it either to a J.P. or anyone else to decide. This is the point of the whole argument. If Mr McGloin gave these instructions to the spreader, not having any authority to do so, why is he not man enough to own up to it, and justify himself if he he can ; not get dodging about trying to shield himself behind bogus challenges. We are quite prepared to back any statement we have made with evidence enough to convince anyone with intelligence enough to understand plain English. Mr McGloin has made a thorough fool of himself in the matter, and no amount of bombast or pers* sonality in which he may indulge will help him out of the difficulty. He now in his advertisement in the News says he'• did not interfere directly or indirectly in substituting shingle for gravel." This we never stated he did, but said the Council had done so. Surely Mr McGloin does not think he is the whole County Council. Was he not present at the meeting when the specifications substituting shingle for gravel were drawn up and agreed to by the Council and sighed by T. Collins on behalf of E. O'Sullivan and Co? In the first place E. O'Sullivan took the contract and signed the agreement for same. Then T. Collins, whom the Council could not know officially in the contract, waited on the Council, and after consultation amended specifications were drawn and signed by T. Collins on behalf of E. O'Sullivan and Co. E. O'Sullivan and Co had no contract with the Council and yet the Council undertakes to vary another contract in this haphazard fashion, aud, to wind up with, the amended contract bears no date. If this is not making a -mess of public business we give it up. As to taking evidence before a J.P. we can assure Mr McGloin, as far as he is concerned, it is quite unnecessary, as that formality would not increase the value of his statement in our estimation. Everyone knows that newspaper offices teem with surplus cash and that is the reason why burglars keep carefully prepared plans of them in their stock in trade, so that we can pardon Mr McGloin for beiug so anxious to make an inroad into our treasure. Whilst ou the subject of wagers, we might remind Mr McGloin of our last one.
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https://paperspast.natlib.govt.nz/newspapers/OPUNT18950705.2.10
Bibliographic details
Opunake Times, Volume III, Issue 105, 5 July 1895, Page 2
Word Count
668MR McGLOIN. Opunake Times, Volume III, Issue 105, 5 July 1895, Page 2
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