MR MASLIN’S STATEMENTS.

Temuka Leader, Issue 2970, 12 May 1896, Page 3

MR MASLIN’S STATEMENTS.

TO THE EDITOK. Sik, —In your article of Thursday, May 7th, you urge, iu part justification of tho large expenditure by Ministers on travelling expenses and allowaucas, that tho membara of the present Government are receiving a less salary than any previous Ministers. I should much like to know on what authority you penned this statement ; but as the Act (ixiug Ministers' Balarieß at the present amount was passed in tha year 1887, and came into force in Ootober of that year, your statemeut must be iu error. Clause 6 of the same Act is as follows : "In lieu of tho sum of two pounds two shillings provided for iu the fourth section of tho main Act by way of travelling allowance, there shall be substituted the sum of one pound ten sailings : providing that no greater sum than one thousand pounds in the whole shall be Ipaid or expended Jin respect c f auch allowance in any one financial year." The Seddon Ministry wa3 formed May, 1893. By inserting the above you will oblige yours, etc., , W. S. Maslin.

REPLY. What does Mr Maslin expect to gain by this paltry quibbling 1 He trie-i to throw dust in the eyes of his constituents at Orari by making it appear that an article in thiß paper was not true. The article said previous Premiers got a salary of £1750, and previous Ministers £I2OO, while the present Premier gets only £IOOO, and the present Minister get only £BOO. It was also said that previous Ministers got £2 2s travelling allowance, while the present get only £l 10a. Now that ia absolutely correct, excepting that about three years at which the late Sir Harry Atkinson and his colleagues worked at the lower salaries. On the fact that this detail was omitted Mr Masliu builds his miserable quibble, but can he deny that Sir Robert Stout, Sir Harry Atkinson, Sir F. Whitaker, Sir John HaH, Sir George Grey, Sir Julius Vogel, and their colleagues all received the higher salariee 't He caunot, and that being so, was it worth his while to quibble? To strengthen his paltry quibble, he said the present Government was formed in 1893. Is not the present Government a continuation of the Ballance Government, which was formed on the 24th of January, 1891 ? What alteration took place on May 1, 1893 ? Simply that Mr Ward, who had been working without any salary previously, became then a salaried Minister. Not a Bingle new Minister was then taken in, and yet Mr Masliu wants the people to believe that the present Government camo into office in 1893. This is the sort of quibbling by which he threw dust in the eyes of the people of Orari. But Mr Maslin does not rely on paltry quibbling. He indulges in ABSOLUTE WHOPPERS when it suits him. He said at Orari : '• An article appeared in the Temuica LEADER about this time which I shall read to you [Article read finishing thus = " Wo see no reason why they should not finish their contract; because they are rich and powerful, they are presuming on it," etc.] ' This refers to the Midland Railway, and after having dilated on that subject, he told his audionce that he got a telegram from Mr J. M. Twomey asking him to support the Government's Bill. Mark the position. Ho tries to convey the impression that the article appeared about the same timo as 1 sent the telegram, and that, therefore, 1 was urging him to do what I did not believe in. I asked him to give me the date on which the article appeared, and though he hus had ample time he has not done so. I have, however, • got the date from Mr Thomas, my agent in Geraldine, aud I find it was not an article at all, but a paragraph of 11 lines, published on August 17th, 1893, that is three mouths and 13 days before Mr Masliu was elected to I'arliamout, and between 12 and 14 months before 1 sent him the telegram. There is a " whopper " for you. He made the people of Orari believe that the article w as written at the same time as the telegram was sent, and they gave him a vote of confidence. What do they think of a person now who praoticea deception on them.

MORE OF IT. | Mr Masliu said at Orari:— " Mr J. M. Twomey told both mo and Mr Flatman that unless we got him an M.L.C. ship he would certainly make one or other of us loose our seat." 1 am not reponsible for the grammar of this. On Friday last I sent the following letter to Mr Flatman : "May Bth, 18%. "F. It. Flatman, Esq.. M.H.R., " Woodbury. "DEAR Slß.—Aa you will see by the paper Mr Maslin said at Orari that I told you unless you got me into the Upper House I would make you lose your seat. Will you kindly let me know by return of po-t whether I said this to you. Tlease be candid and do not say anything you are not prepared to stick to. Your auswer will be published for I do not believe I ever said such a thing, and I do not think you can say I did.—Yours truly, '• J. M. Twomey." I have not yet received any reply, but I met Mr Flatman in Timaru last Saturday, and I askod him was what Mr Masliu said true. I told him fully what it was about, and warned him that his answer would be published. Ho said, " I have no recollection of any such thing." I said, " Have you any recollection of my saying anything like it eveu by way of a joke V He Baid, " I have not, but before I give you an answer I must refresh my memory. 1 must seo Mr Masliu." 1 said, " I object to you consulting Mr Masliu. Why don't you depend on your own memory 1" He said, " I am not going to be led by Mr Masliu. I shall tell the truth." I said, " That is what I waut, but if I threatened t<-> cause yon to lose your seat, is it a thing you would forgot so easily?" Ho said, "I give you my auswer now, that I don't remember anything of the kind, but i r must b« subject to my correcting it afterwards if I find I have made a mistake." We talked a good deal to the same effect, and walked down to tho railway station. 1 aaid, " There ia Mr Maslin now." Ho said," Hold on, then. I may bo ablo to <n vo you an answer now," and, though I objected to him consulting Mr Maslin, ho weut towards him, and I did not see M r Flatman afterwards. Now, if I had do no such a- thing aa to threaten Mr P latman that I would cause him to loso a peat ho would not have forgotten t l, I now declare that I Levtr H a/d such a thiug, and, I think, anyO no who known me will not bojov e that I could bo such a lunatic.

Mr Flatman's Rei'ly. Since writing the above the following reply from Mr Flatinan has reached mo : "Fairvicw, May 11th, .1890. "J. M. Twomey, Esq., Temuka, " Dra.k Sir, —In reply to your question asking me if I remember you threatening Mr Muslin's or my Beat, I cannot say that J remember you having said so in my presence, only in this way, that you thought you would come forward for Pareora at next election. This, of courfe, wns said only a few weeks since by yourself to me, and I should not have thought of divulging it in this letter, only I find you told Mr Maslin the same tale, and it is, therefore, no longer a secret between us ; in fact, ib never was a secret, but as you spoke privately to me on this matter 1 thought it wise noc to repeat it publicly. I have always made it; a rule to remain silent on any matters which have been conveyed to me in a private and confidential manner.—Yours very truly, " F. R. Flatman." Niw is there a word in this to substantiate Mr Maslin'* charge ? I have already said I told Mr Maslin that Sir Robert Stout had heard I was going to stand for Rangitata, but that he (Mr Maslin) must not believe it, that I was not goiug to stand for Rangitata. I told him also that I was not going to stand for Pareora, but that I might make a few speeches and retire. I told Mr Maslin why I was goiDg to make the speeches, but I will not go to the extent of giving my reasons unless I find it necessary to do so. I told Mr Hall-Jones,as a member of the Ministry, what I was goiug to do, and he will bear me out that it was far from opposing or trying to deprive Mr Flatman of his seat. I told the same thing to Mr Maslin, and yet, though in possession of this knowledge, he has said on a public platform that I threatened Mr Flatman and himself as above. Not only that, but ha has givun a wrong version of it to Mr Flatman. It is fortunate for me that I told Mr Hall-Joues about it, as otherwise it would be word against word. As for Mr Flatman I did not tell him straight out that I was goiug to stand for Pareora, but he was quite justified in concluding that I was. I find no fault with him for coming to that conclusion, and instead of trying to keep him out my intention was to do my best to get him in, as Mr Hall Jones can prove. I believe Mr Flatman to be a thorough Liberal, as well as a truthful, honest, conscientious man, and would be sorry if he were not returned. If Mr Hall Jones proves this, then it is not true for Mr Maslin to say I threatened to cause the loss of his or Mr Flatman's seat, aud he knows well it is not true. The people must remember I have brought all this on my shoulders because of my loyalty to the Government. Tho battle is not altogether mine, it is the battle of every Liberal in the district, and now that both Bides are heard I shall leave the people to form their own conclusions. J. M. Twomey.