CORRESPONDENCE. A CHALLENGE.

Otago Witness, Issue 1672, 8 December 1883, Page 13

CORRESPONDENCE. A CHALLENGE.

TO THE EDITOR.

Sia,— la a leading article the editor of the locil paper of the -^9.h insc. iriaktH an on-lauiht on my veracity and abiaty as j our Arrow mining correspondent, which may De br eflv noted. )ho editur states: — "Fr m beginnitg to end tho labt !wo reports, at any late, furnished to th<> Times and Witness are full of ina-curacx-a, and also contain curtain passives dictated by peibonal animus." v Nvw I admit ao once that the editor of the locd paptr i» an authority on •• animus." It has been the sole subject of his leaders for some tiintj time p.isc, and he h.i-i furnished some extraordinary expositions ot thu subject JKo b 'ardiug his btawment that my reports " are full of insiocuracies," 1 challenge him to specify his charge by mentioning a few induces. Next he agiiu brings up my reference to the "fourpeg system," and wishes to imply that I had shown the white leathw. The lace was tha. the editor of the local piint chose to put a construction upon my sentences which they in nowise boro, and paced words into my mouth I na.erusod. In fact hu ma'lo out a ciae of what he wished me to have said, and thon invited mo to contradict him. Certainly an .xtraordinary proceeding ; and } as I am not in the habit of tilt}ng at windmills, 1 declined. With respect to the Xipperary Company's mine, I have not the slightest hesitation in making a clean breast uf the affair. Tne mine manage , who is exceedingly voluble in his speech and his idea*, so that it i 3i 3 very difficult, to follow him, is also a bit of a practical joker, and fancies it a c ever thing " to take a ' ri' c* out of a reportur " Tiiirf had n » other effect upon me than to place nio upon roy guard, but when I had ruade a trifling mistake, and tho mmo manager reported mo to tho cdi.or of the local papor, who did not scruplu to nuke cipilal out of the information ro lecoivud, I decided to humour the mine manager of the 'f ipperary no more. Trie mistake hei c refei red to, and upon which the editor of the lo'al print has huiped so long "" persist utly, and which he now ca.ls a "co^k-and-oull story," cousi ts simply of my having stated that the manager continued to sink tho sbaft, whtreiis he wab continuiug the low level ! For this mmta c I have been pilloried at least hulf-a dozen times in tho loial print; but of course this was not done from " animus," but from a Uudable desire to reform me, aud lam thankful accordingly. lam the more ready to go fully into the affair, as my refusal to visit the Tipperary mine has been variously interpreted, and I .may add that I did not ddciino the inspection from any other reason. Very naturally both the mine manager and the editor of the local print are wroth because I did iiut commit mynelf again to their tender mercies, and, like spoiled babes, are crying because •• d g«io" won't stand having his ears pulled. la fact, our tagacioub editor goes so far as to accuse mo si " animus," and a dejiro to harm tho manager by » of using to go and have my repertorial throat cut f >r their amusement. What right, may I at>k, has cither to expect such a sacrifice from me? If they intend to do evil that good may curne of it, I be,,' of them to holect some other subject lot their experiments. The editor of the local print delivers himself like tho witch in "Macbeth," who could "see into the seeds of time, and tell which grain would grow, and which would oot," saying, "For anything ho might have saia (supposing tnat I had vißittd the Tipperary claim) would only have been misleading." Such an argument is, ot course, uu,aribwoiat>le, and I succumb.

So far as my i eports which have appeared in tho past in the Daily Times and Witnoss are concerned, they must stand upon ttit-ir own rneiifc, even though tho t»;jaeioun editor of the local paper calls thuiu '•twaddle." They hive done good service aid pro duced tome little beneficial effect, and, for " twaddle," have elicitoii an uncommon amount oil ijiscusiion and some violent attacks, out of all of which they came unscath d. J>'erorthele« it may be true, as our editur (-ays "that experienced miuerd— (of whom, of course, he is one, but not I, by any mean-) mast notice how indiSirentiy 1 am able to i oiut cut those teaturoj of tho miiits calling tor tho closest attention." Here I may a k why tho deuce doesn't ilw erudite editor cf the X cal paper point ou 1 , those features properly ? In vain have I and otherd looked for enlightenment on mining in tho pages of tho local paper, and instead f.iund articles on "animus."

At the conclusion of his article, the editor of the local print t-a>s that " I am not allowed lo go into all tho ininos that I report upon." This) is a deliberate faisehcoJ, and I defy him to mention a single mine to -Ahich 1 have been refused free access. I have everywhere heeu received with cordiality and uure-f-o-.ve, and the best feeing has ever exisood between thu minf maeagors and myself with Che exception above referred to.

The ontuiaina paßSed upon me ai "mining engineer" I treat with contempt, considering the quartt-r from v/hence th y proctcd, and I shall not again tirespa s on your valua )le sp^co to reply w> the scurrilous ravings of their bilious author,— l am &c, Your Arrow Mining <Jorrbspokdisi.t. Arrowtown, N-^vuiiibor 30