THE LYTTELTON TIMES AND ITS WELLINGTON CORRESPONDENT.

Timaru Herald, Volume XXXIV, Issue 2033, 29 March 1881, Page 3

THE LYTTELTON TIMES AND ITS WELLINGTON CORRESPONDENT.

Wo have been requested to publish tin ' following answer b_» the Wellington Corres pondont of tho Lytlelton Times to the churgef made against him by Mr Uryoe. We do sc ■ tho more willingly, as wo have already com, mentcd pretty freely on the case as presented . by the ex-Minister. We reprint m full Mi Bryco's charge, followed by Llie reply. JIB 11UTCE. 1 ComplainoJ bitterly of misrepresentation by a section of the Press. Tho corres, ' pondent of tho Lgtlello* Times was alwayE trying to get money out of. the Government * and wrote asking Mr Bryce for nn appointment as Private Secretary, und finnlly when the oflicorß at Wcrekino would havo no moro ol " him, ho turned round, vowing ho would make 5 it hot for the Government, which ho had done by publishing all sorts of inventions, Hut tho unblushing falsehoods of the 3 Li/Helton Times were opcu mid honorable as ' compared with the undermining procois ' which hud beou g'ing on m Wnngamii. > « LYITELTOh' TIJIKd" COKIiBSrONDKNT. In reply to Mr Bryco's attack at Wangunui, I have written at length, but as, owini; ' to the accident of til.- Penguin, no mail will ' probubly reach, Chrislchurch until Tuesday, I summarise the substance of my letter for imt mediate publication. As to the chnrg.i of "always triing to get money out of tho Go- ' vcrnment," I wns commissioned after my first visit to Parihnka by Colonol Whitraoro— then DefoncD Mini»tor — to write for tho information of tho Government a description of the country immediately surrounding Purihaka, accompanied by a sketch plan, for which I «as to receive payment. The work wns not done until tho present Ministry cime into power, whou, on completing the work, I was duly paid tho stipulated cum. This ie ' the only Government monrv I have ever re--1 co'vrd, or sought to receive. Colonel Whitmoie's reason f.ir asking mo to do the work was that none, d tho officer* on the West Coast then had any knowledge of the nature ' of tho immoJi.te . surroundings of Parihaka, and he con.'iderud the infonnaI tion would bo valuable m event ol hostilities. With reference to asking to bo appointed Privato Secretary to Mr Bryco, there seemed strong probibility atone time tsat newspaper correspondents would ■ not bo allowed to cross tho Wuingongoro with the Constabulary. My instructions wcro that I must go, and being on , friendly ttrms with Mr Bryco, I suggested, m view of the possibility that i correspondents would bo stopped, thai tho difficulty might bo got over by my getting some nominal appointment on his staff. T'jis waa done m the cas3 of Mr Florence M Carthy, who recoived a lucrative appointment m order that ho should act as correspondent to the Ministerial journals. The statement thut "the ofGcera at Werekino would lmvo no more of him," is a cowardly . attempt to throw the responsibility of his own I action upon tbo officers. On tho day on which tho taper containing any letter exposing tho gross road-making blunder reached Sew Plymouth (Mr Bryco, Mujor Atkinson, f and Coioncl Roberts bom;» there), Colonel Roberts, acting od instructions, telegraphed to Mnjar Tuko that I was t> bo immediately expelled from themess. So fur from it boing lli'o action of the officers they, as far as thoy dared, expressed their disgust ut tho older and sympathy with mo. Thoy asked mo repeatedly to remain m camp, the Commanding Oiliccr promuing to do everything to secure my p>reonal comfort, nnd fncilitato my work. Tho fourth statement that I had turned round vowing that I would " moke it hot for tho Government," is an unmitigated falsohood. Although naturally indignant, I carefully nbstained frooi evon discussing tho tnnttor , with unyoue ; I instructed my eorvi.nt to pack up my things, and a'l tkc officers not on duty remained up with mo until nearly 3 o'clock m the morning, when an opportunity presented itself tv drive into Now Plymouth. Noither then nor Binco havo I over Baid or written anything that would bear out Mr Bryco's falsehoods. All this I have amplified by letter.