TO THE EDITOR.

Otago Witness, Issue 2202, 14 May 1896, Page 37

TO THE EDITOR.

Bib, — In Miss Morris^n'et letter of May 4- she mikes a long, rembliug statement about the history of tbe union prior to my being connected with it. With that I have nothing whatever to do. The fi<-st statement in Miss Morrison's letter I challenge is this : "After the act came into force steps were at once taken to havo the uniou registered. The reason for goiDg so fully JDto this m^tt-r will be app<irt,nt when it is 'known tbab statements have besn mads that I wilfully avoided having the-mvou registered in order that no legal proceeding* could be ir>s fituted against; myself. Tnese faebs were perfectly well known to Mr Purchss aud to a number of the members, whatever may bo said to the contrary." Sir, th&t statement is as false as I will prove the rest of hoc statements to ba. ' ( Miss Morrison then goca on to say : " And now, Sir, I enter upon the history of the carnival. A Carnival Committee was appointed from the members of the union, and I was requested to .take the lead, end being asked in what capacity I would aat, suggested manager." Sir, I poß'tively offu-m that Miss Morrison did ask to be made minsger. as she stated that the success of other ventures of a litre nature had baen marred by oatside intei f oreDce. A treasurer w?s also appointed, but, as a matter cf fact, she never acted in tlut cipiclty. And why did ehe not act in that capacity ? On applying to Miss Morrison to lake charge of the moneys that were then coming in, Misa Morrison told her that an she (Hiss Mormon) had now b.en made uiivnagstr there was no need of her services. Miss Morrison then rambles on to the following statement : — " As to the carnival funds being banked in my name Mr Purche* is perfectly correct, but it was with his knowledge and on his advice thit it was done." Now, Sir, that statement is as false as the ©U-ers. The facts are these : Mi*>s Mo^risou left Duxudia for Auckland in Septsmber last. On the 19th of that month Miss Morrison went to the bank and had two new books mada out, one for the uniou account and one for the benefit account, locking the old books away with others in a drawer in the office, and until Miss Morrison's return in March we had no opportunity of knowing what acccuut the carnival monej had passed through. It was then ditovered that the carnival mouey had ppsad through the old picnic book mentioned in my report. Now, Sir, there was a banelib account open at the bank, and I maintain that that money should have passed through that account. Again, why did Miss Morrison' bank the £150 in her own Dame on fixed deposit whea ehe should have banked it in the names of the four trustees of the union P Miss Morrison then utaten that at a m.eeting held later on she told the members tbab the balance sheet was not a final one. Well, as Miss Morrison did not leave Danediu till the end of Septemb3r she had plenty of biuae to make out a final cne. In proof that it was, I copy the following from the minute book : — " The balance she^t in connection with the carnival was taken. After tbe secretary had read it item by item and a number of que»tioun answered by the secretary, it was moved by Mr Bolt, and seconded by Miss Hayward, that the balance sheet be adopted by the union.-— Carried." I now come to the following statement in Miss Morrison's letter : — " There was due to me for salary the sum of £22 10*, but as there was not cash enough to pa> tbis amouub I drew about half the amount in ca«h, bub passed in a cheque for the foil amouut, intending to draw the difference Inter on." Tuis cheque waa drawn on June 29, and in the union balance sheet, made up next day (June 30), Mr Wood brings forward balance in bank, £49 14s 3 1 ; cash in hand, £3 7s 6d, — tbm &h<>wng thab Miss Morrison's statement that tusv was not money in the current arcouut to p«y saluy was quite untrue. This £22 10a shows salary paid to end of June. Now for thew notoiious ohpqucs. The first cheque was drawn Arril 25 for £1 Zs 6J, marked " C->al oceouub," one month before the carnival opene'3. Mil's Morrison's s*l»ry was paid up to the end of April. The n^xt £1 8s 6 i, July S^private co«l account ; July 10, £l 8f 6J, ,si>rii>K 'mattress ; July 10, £1 7s, chain ; July 10, £3 12s 6d, macintosh ; September 20, £3 4s 5d c*sh Now, Sir, the^e chequos were drawn on the carnival account, which had nothing whatever to do with Bal&ry, that being paid out of union accou.it. . I now come to Mi"s Morrison's suspension, and tha f*ct', b-iefly s l a l <;d, ate thes-i : When Mips Morrison went to Auckland iv S-sptemHer last an acting-secretary was appointed, and in trying to work the booki according to Miss Morrison's imtrucMon* she found she was not doing riffhfc, and sbe sent for me to help her. I theo f ouod tbafcin the peculiar method of working the books and accounts there was some pu'pose in doing so, amd c imparing the pass books with the ca-h book aud ledger it wa? found that they did r.ob c nespoud. This led to furthor ex» initiations, aud later oa a subcommitbse was appointed to examine tie previous half-yew, Jtvuuary to Juue. The result w?s that discrepancies to the amount of £12 were discovered. It was then resolved by the full committee that on Mi3B Morrison's returu ehe shouU be asked to exp'ain. In the meanfme a sala of the goods left ovec from tho curnival was held among (h^ member* of ths union, wilh the result that £20 only was realised. Now, in the carnival ' balance sheet Misa Morrison b&s goods left

ovtr from oarviv&l, £88. Now, where is th balance of the goods and other property of the union that is niisalogP After this it was resolved by the fall Committee of Management that Mi 38 Morrison should be suspended until a fall explanation was given Hi*s Morrison's 1 version of the interview with Mr Bolt and myself is a gross exaggeration, and I still assert that Miss Morrison had every facility given her to expUin. Mr Bulfc and Me; Bra Barr and Lea^y can btar ma out in this. s I now come to the statement that the money was paid under protest. IE this were co, it would have boea stipulated in the deed of release that was drawn up by Miss Morrison's solicitor. And now for the beer story. Miss Morrison states that she sold the beer and paid one of pay lunoheon room bills with the monoy. Well, if that was done it was paid for value received. Now, Sir, what I would like to know is what has beoome of the luncheon room money ? Now foe the sewing machine. If Miss Morrison had read my report to the nnion in a oalm and collected frame of mind, she would h»ve found that not a word was said about a sewing machine in it. Tiuitingyou will accord m-s the space for this tetter, — I am, &c , Dunedin, May 8. Geo. Purches.