FROM " A CHAT WITH A CYCLING CORRESPONDENT."

Otago Witness, Issue 2202, 14 May 1896, Page 36

FROM " A CHAT WITH A CYCLING CORRESPONDENT."

" Where are your other models P " " Bnrfed, my good fri«nd. We have confined our efforts to the handling of two machine* — one for gentlemen and one for ladies. By reducing tha number of patterns we are able to give tha highest value, as our contracts with tha manufacturers run np to nearly 500 cycles. The wheels we are offering are equal to machine! at £25 to £30 ; you cannot get better." " How do you- sell bo cheap p " •' By contracting foe quantities, and doing » hustling business. £23 10s was the price of the 'Colonial Star,' bub we now give far better value for £20." Send for catalogue. All duplicate parts priced and illustrated. No morecoitlyrepwri. Adams Cycle Compant, If itnoheiter rtrxefo Cbrfotehurolh

with the alleged misappropriation of the carnival funds P Well, the reason why I have gone ao ful!y into there matters is this : that ■it shows to the unprejudiced mind that I have always had the interest* of the nnion nt heart find have sacrificed a goad deal for its good, and ir, shows also that a deliberate fraud on my part is altogether inconsistent with my previous conduct. ■ ■ And now, Sir, I will enter upon the history of the carnival and my connection therewith. The principal objects in view in holding the cirnml were as follows:— In the first place to raise funds for the Convalescent Home, to augment the benefit fund, to clear off what was das on the piano, and also, as I understood, to wipe off the balance and loss on the picnic), and to proTide a means of disposing of the goods which were lying by and dtpreoi&ting in value. A Carnival Committee w*B appointed from the numbers of the union, and the girls thiukJng it vrou'd be better to have no outride help as Umnagets, &c , I was requested to take the lead, and being asked in wh»h capacity I would act, suggested ni*nage^ I was thereupon constituted manager; but noli as Mr Purehas spates at rjr own request. A member was appointed to as?i*t me. but although a willing aud bardworking girl she kuen nothing about clerical work. A treasurer was also appointed, bat as a, matter of fact she never acled iv that capacity, and WM only treasurer in n*mj. The o<. rnmittee nceb a number of ti-nea, but after the ,-ff-tir 'got into swing they found their bhn> so taken up working that the meetiigs were dispensed with. The result wss that £he responsibility of the whole thing was thrown on my shoulders, as practically the unioa left it to the committee, and the committee left it- to mo. In the rash of work it w»s impossible to keep proper books, and the rtteoi'ds of the whole thing consisted of loose memoranda and rough scribbliog books. Mouoy began to came in from various source*, and there is no doubt wba'ever that the union aud the carnivAl money got mixed tip. My time was so cut up that both receipts and expenditure of union funds hid to be filed as memos., and await an opportunity of recording them in their proper places. A% to ths carnival fuads being banked in my name Mr Purches i» perfectly oorrecb, bub it was with 'his knowledge and on his advice thr.t it 'was done. The carnival receipts were duly checked cad banked each day by myself and various members of the committee. After it closed the overntr&in had •o affected me that I was kid up for a time ; but the girls were cUmouring to know the - results of the carnival, and, therefore, although* not in a fit state, I la!t my bed and eudeavoured to satufy them. It was, however, very difficult for me to make out a statement which would ,be regarded »s satisfactory. The car- i nival closed on May 29, and it was on June 24 that I made out the balance sheet, whioh must of necessity have been an incomplete statement. At a meeting held subsequently, when this statement was considered and passed, I distißctly stated that it was not a final balance, and Mr Purches (who had catered for the refreshment stall) drew attention to the small margin of profit that the stall showed, and ! explained that it was caured by the children receiving refreshtnents gratis, remarking at; the same time : " But as Miss Morrison has told you, members adopting this statement to-nighb do not adopt Ihs correct balance sheet of the carnival— a- correct and final statement will h*ve to be taken out later on." Unfortunately I for me thsso remarks were not minuted. Tho six months' audit of the union acoounto was now due, and nearly the whole of 1 the clerical work for 1 that period had to be done. The curroab nnion account at the bank had been very tmill during the greater part of the preceding cix mouth*, therefore, ibste*d of giving cheques to pay current monthly accounts, I paid them as I could in cash, and thtn drew a cheque for the total sums, which, when I could get countersigned, I pussd into the bank. There was due to me for salary the sum of £32 10s, bat, as there was net cash enough to pay this amount, I diew about half the amount in cash, but passed in a cheque for the full amount, intending to draw the difference l&ter on. In making out the carnival balatica iheet I had to arrive at the balance in bank from the receipts and expenditure (not having the bank book at the time), and this showed, as itated in the bal*nce sheet, £312 ; but when I got the bank book made up there appeared to be £320 odd, and I at once cacse to the conclusion that tbis difference belonged to the union account, aud, the union owing me wages, I drew on the account those now notorious cheques. A good deal of mj time was now taken up with the court case arising out of the carnival, and, in addition to the ordinary clerical work of the union, a mass of extra work devolved upon me. New rule* htd to be framed to meet- the requirements of registration, aad nev? pass books prepared, and transfeiM made for the old ones, entailing a lot of time and work. The^e mattsrs were neirly through 1 when dissatisfaction in the trade, which had existed for some time, resulted in my being ' despatched to Auckland, and up to this time I had h*d neither time nor opportunity of . going through the caniival - matters again. My efforts in Auckland in tha interests of unionism were ackuowledged successful, although my health all the time I was there was anything but good. I returned, and, on putting iv an appearance at the office, to my amazement was met with a letter of suspension signed by the president, who, I was informed, would explain the cause at an interview he appointed. I met him at his house, whenhe read out a list of so-called discrepaDc'e?, • asking me to explain them. I requested a copy of the items, which he declined to give. I told him I could not give an explanation .right off, bui would meet him later, and at his request met him with Mr Bolb at the office of the union, when I was allowed to copy the items in dispnte. Aoting on the advice of an executive officer I told Mr Patches that I would give the necessary information to himself at the general meeting of memberi, whereupon he burst ibto a fury and snatched the paper-I held out of my hands, and in a threatening attitude intimated th»t I ' might go. ' Thrt result of this meeting was a serious illness to mygelf, and not knowing how it might terminate I spnt for Mr Purches, to whom I gave what information I pojs.esed and wss able to give in the absence of any data. I also told him I intended 'Ij resign the secretaryship of the uniou, and would like to make out a final balance of the carnival afftirs and explain a quantity of rough memoranda in connection therewith. He promised to go through the accounts with me, but, I may here state that • instead of facilities being given me'fqr explaining any'tbiug every obstacle ha» ( been* placed in 1 my way, for I h*ve no doubt whatever that Isllowed a copy of thebaUnca sheets own *nd Messrs Barr and Leary'a) I'couH viudi- • cite myself and prove to the«public my entire innocence. At an interview whioh Messrs Barr and Leary ' favoured m* with I pointed out to them that - the caruival statement b- fore them_was incomplete, aad that the books from which they were expected to audit the statement were simply rough memos. takf n at the time' partly in ink »nd partly in pencil. I also noticed and pointed out that a good' many receipts and other data relating to money* paid oat wore misting, and

that it would take gome days to collect the missing receipt;, &0,, without whioh a correct and complete statement of the carnival account could not be oompUed. At a subsequent intarriew thay (Me»ra Bsrr and Loarj) informod me that the committee were hurrying them for their statement, and that their instructions were fcp compile one on the evidence before them ; but,, under the circumstances, they considered it would be only fair to myself that I should get a copy of their statement, together with the one I had made out and a'l the books in connection therewith, and that I should have an opportunity ef making out a final ono. I farther understood that a recommendation to that effect wo aid be made to the union. I was quite satisfied with thit, bub, as I kve s&id, no ouch facilities were afforded me. Aud here may be explained the reason of my action in allowing the matter to be compromised by paying ovt;r the money brought out by Messrs 'Bxtt and Leary as a deficiency. My mother, a woman bordering upon 80, and who wss deeply distre>Eect about tha matter, rather than allow her daughter to remain under such a cloud, insisted that the money should be paid on the understanding that it was paid vndir protest and would bs returned when the matter was cleared up. On these representations I then signed the document, bslievin^ that no further action would bo taken by the nnion. What, then, wag my surprise and disgust on rending the report of the meeting of last Monday to see that these conditions had been violated. Now, Sir, allow me to give anobher reading of the beer story. It is quite true that Messrs Speight and Co., id* addition to a donation of two guineas, presented two small casks (nofc.-barrels) of beer. The cheque was all right, but' I was in a quandary as to how to dig- ! pose of the beer. Conrieoted^with the carnival ' ', were some red-hob prohibitionists, so in my dilemma I consulted an executive officer of the umou, who adviaed me that it would be unwiso to allow the beer to go to the carnival, a-nd. the best thing would be to say nothing about it, bub to dispose of it quietly for what I could get. I sold it to a th«n tenant of my mother's and another party. The proceeds of the sale was the only money I bad in hand at the time, and it went towards paying -one of Mr Furchts's bills in connection with the luncheon room ! The beer never enured my own residence. Now comes the sewing machine which I have been -charged with appropriating. Had Mr Purches felt so disposed he could have cleared it up by reading the following note : — Wertheim Sewing Machine Dep6fc, Dunedin, 18th April 1898. To Miss Kennedy, Acting Secretary, Tailoresses' Union. Madam,— Your l*te secretary, Miß3 Morrison, has requested me to certify that a certain sewing machine, which I lent to the Tailoresses' Union about four years ago for a term of six months or so, was duly returned to me at the expiration of that time. lam Yury happy to be able to do so, and may add that I have never given a machine to the said union.— l am, yours faithfully, R. Lochhbad. , Just a few word) in regard to Mi Wood. I certainly think the treatment he has received altogether unmerited. He was always most particular in seeing that everything was in form, but in his reports he spoke favourably of my part of the work, and therein lies bis gailt. As regards the last balance sheet he audited, he had very litfele time in which to prepare it, as it was wanted for the monthly meeting, and in the hurry (he has since told mo) he forgot to mention in his report the fact of my not having kept » petty cash book, which I had hitherto always done. In conclusion, lei me syy that if I have committed errors (aud who has not P) surely the punishment that has been meted cut "to me muit have been sufficient atoueooen!;. I would, therefore, ask Mr Fuichcs, the committee, and members of the union, whom I have never knowiDgly wronged but for whose welfare I have earnestly fought, to now lay aside all fealing and allow me a full opportunity of collecting the necessary evidence aud carefully iavf litigating the matter, when, I am sure, I can clear up the mystery, as death would ba pre*er*ble to living under such a stigma. Trusting to your usual courtesy to accord me the space necessary for this long letter, — I am, &c , Dunedin, May 4, 1896. H. R. Mor bison. TO THE EDITOR. Sib, — Will you kindly allow me space to explain my position, and also that of Miss Morrison, in re&pect to the hysterical and altogether unwarrantable aspersions cast upon me at a meeting of members of the uDion as reported in your is-ue of Tuesday. I mill be as brief as possible, but a lucid explanation cannot bs given in a few lines. Well, then, what are the facts ? Miso Morrison retain? from Auckland, and is met with a letter suspending her from her duties as secretary ; on what ? On the iaere suspicion that there are some trifling discrepancies in her books, theoe so-called discrepancies being contained in a balance liheet whioh I audited, which went before a committee meeting and passed, and, subsequently, with my report adopted and passed at a general meeting of members. Now, wh*b are tlnse discrepancies ? Firs' 1 , and foremost there appears an account for coal for £1 Is 6tl, ia which was an item of 93 6d as account rendered. Well, carrying my memory back to August of last year, I am strongly of opinion that the 9s 6d whioh appears paid, and the 93 6d brought forward as account rendered were two distinct account*. However, supposing this was not so, I am no more h.f -.llible than other people, and seeing this acccuut for £1 la 6d as paid, what more natural ttun that I should conclude the account rendered was correct. It might have been that a ton of coals was chwged for instead of half a ton. Whtt means should I have had of discovering *Buch a mistake. Bub, Sir, that is'not the ex'ent of my wickedness). I allowed a sum lor incidental expenses, the full amount for wh'ch Miss Morrison could »how no data. Why could- she show no data ? Simply because she had not been allowed breathing time, let clone time to record every pef-y trifle she paid away. If the spiteful persons who are harrying her to death had one spark of generosity ia their nature they would admit that Miss Morrison is entitled to sjmpathy and assistance inatead of persecution and ruin. To my certain knowledge, during my connection with the uniomas auditor ext«nd'ng over a period of five je»r», Mies Morrison has on many cessions • put her band into her own pocket and made up deficiencies that others should have paid, s.nd bad she taken my advice the amounts charged as perty expsoses would have baen doubled on more than one occasion. Now, Sir, I have said this balance sheet was passed twice over. A new committpe is then appointed under the presidency of , Me Purchei, and, taking adraotage of Mi*s Morrison's absence, a spirit of envy, 1 hatred, and malice prompts certain persons to ferret out anyfchiDg which c*n give them an excuse for getting iid of Miss Morrison, with tha results I h&ve stated. It must be borne ia mind that at this time norn of the work had been iv the hands of Messes Satr, Lotfjr, nud Co., and therefore nothing

in connection with the carnival had transpired. The question then ia, Were the committee justified in taks'tig the aibitrary measures they did under the circumstances ? I trow nob. Had' Miss Mo r i 1 i son beau allowed to resume her duties as secretary there ia no manner of doubt that she could hv»o explained everything. But ib was a foregone conclusion that eho must be ousted at any cost. As regards the oarnival, I think ib will come as a surprise to sime that I had nothing whatever to do with the ba'auce sheet. I had a casual glance at ib and asked MiiS Morrison it it had to be audited, when she informed me that it Was not a final statement as there were seme things still in ab y^noe. From tbe report of the meeting oa Morddy -anyone nob conversant with the matter must come to the conclusion thab I waa concerned with the carnival balanoe sheet, my name being so beautifully mixed up either designedly or igaorantly with the whole matter. I am afraid to trespass on your space, were ib not so there are many things that oould be si»id abcub'th.ie aff-iir. There are side lights and wheels withiu wheels, the object being to cripple Miss Morrison's power. Time will prove. Meanwhile Hi?s Morrison lies under a bin. That ban, if Mr Purches aud his dupes can prevent it, will nob be removed. But when a more generons public is made acquainted wish the other eide of the picture, I feel suro ib will imiib upon justice beiiig meted out, Miss Morrison asks for nothing more. For myself, well, • I h&ve pocketed the fee (505)," and that ought to bo a auflioient solatium for my wouuded feelings. Thanking you in anticipation, — I am, &0., «» Duafdin, May 2. JB. T. Wood.