CORRESPONDENCE.

Poverty Bay Herald, Volume VII, Issue 1156, 25 October 1880, Page 2

CORRESPONDENCE.

#. [AY ilo no', hold ourselves responsible foroptnions «x|>r<M.<ecl l>y norrespoililpiits.] [ To the Editor of the Herald. ] Sia, — In your issue of Monday's Evening Herald you publish a letter from an "Unpaid lnspector of Public Works." The absolutely untruthful statements made led me to wonder who could have been the author. Having discovered by accident who the author is, I am very much surprised to find an old acquaintance of 20 years ago, who once occupied a very prominent position in a provincial district of Auckland, but who has gradually sunk to his present level, a fag to a member of the Borough Council, who viciously circulates reports tending to damage and defame, but who lacks the moral courage of a man (I mean openess and straightforwardness), but, like a savage, prefers to shoot his arrows, and then hide behind " fallen greatness." Now, Mr. Editor, as tho public mind has been disturbed by the letter above referred to, let me say the conditions on whicli I have taken the metal contract are known to every member of the Council, and all I want is a "fair field and no favour." The best metal on the Kaiti Beach I will deliver and fulfil my contract, in spite of all the paltry and venomous opposition such as one councillor is using, who is vile enough to circulate reports detrimental to me, and even arrange for a committee of inspection to the Beach, but then religiously absent himself from so open a coarse, when his fellow committeemen, like men, are ready to and do attend. I would not have troubled you with this letter, had the complaint orininated from some worthy or intelligent source, but coming as it does from such questionable fountains, I feel bound to reply. To no intelligent member of the Council, nor indeed the majority of people, need I rush into print to say what I shall do ; nor indeed do I fear the result of " Unpaid Inspector's " letter, although I believe that in his Colonial education practical geology has been included. — I am, &c, Malcolm McLeod, Contractor. [To the Editor ofthe Herald.] Sir, — I would not trouble you with the following communication, were it not that many similar strange impoundings of horses at night time are not only causing to many besides myself loss of the " almighty dollar," and of good temper, bnt such acts tend to produce a bitter feeling of discontent which should be at once got rid of. On Saturday night last, after having obtained clue permission from the land-

lord, I put my two horses into a wellsecured paddock. The following morning I found the fence, which is a light one, in order, the gate fastened, one horse (a very difficult animal to catch) in the paddock — but the other was non est. After a long search I found the missing quadruped in the pound, and on my enquiring - I was informed that it had been " impounded by the Ranger appointed by the Borough Council of Gisborne." This information, that my horse had been in the charge of such a titled and distinguished individual, removed some of the peculiar feelings that had been engendered by my long and hot search, but the intelligence had a momentary result only. This fact would obtrude itself — the horse must have been deliberately taken out of the paddock : for these reasons the fence was in order, and was too high for the horse to jump over, and the tate was closed when I went there in the morning. As I do not consider that I am elevated above my fellowmen that from the lofty pinnacle of my moral purity 1 can discern innermest thoughts of those beneath me, I have no right to judge any man's motives, and I will not therefore impute any to the party, whoever he may be, who so kindly took or drove my horse on t of the paddock aforesaid ; suffice it to say that unless you, Mr Editor can solve the problem, " How to keep horses at night time (strange to saj they don't get out by day) in well-secured paddocks ..a " I and others will be compelled to stay and watch our horses at night. If that does not succeed with me, I must request someone to send a special despatcli to Hades to ask for the loan of a 2-headed dog Cerberus for a short time. Apologising for this lengthy epistle. I am, &c. , A Victim. [The Ranger, from whom we have made enquiries, puts quite another face on the case. He first impounded on Saturday morning the two horses in Aberdeen Road, which were remaining unattended, yesterday morning he found one of the same two horses in Palmerston road loose and grazing. He does not know from whence it got away. He derives no pecuniary benefit from impounding stray horses, and if he did we are quite sure Mr. Faram would be incapable of such an act. — En.]