THE TOWN COUNCIL.

Tuapeka Times, Volume 1, Issue 41, 21 November 1868, Page 3

THE TOWN COUNCIL.

(To the Edtlor oj the Tutipeka Times.)' v'ijSjCE,-~Allow'ine to correct that part of your report of the last meeting of =the"~Town Council which you have headed "Amusing Scene." Without wishing to be hypercritical, II 11I 1 must -take-exception to the .manner in which you have reported what I said and did. ;sfcv is<?incorjrect, as I will presently shpw^ and. you have made serious •omission's regarding what others : said and did, and these omissions occur in such a way as greatly to prejudice me with the rpader. I do not mean to say this is intentionally done. What occurred' was this : After Mr. - Meafs had moved his .-resolution, to ( rescind, and after Mr. Hay had seconded it, I rose, and was addressing the Council YVarmly, I admit; but by no means offensively), when I was assailed by a storm of vulgar noise (from feet, ac- ■ cempanied with chuckling and "asides") — proceeding from Messrs. Mears.and' Hay. The Mayor called both of those gentlemen to order several times (which you fail to report), but as it was continued, I sat down, while the Mayor addressed t the Council, expressing a hope that there would not be a repetition of such ' disgraceful^ conduct. When I rose again the noise was recommenced, and r Mr. Hay. made a remarkabout "gentlemen" Whatwonder that I, under such circumstances, should say that " certain members of the Council liad never been where gentlemen were bred? " These were my words: "I did not include the whole Council, as you erroneously report. Under no circumstances, however heated, or however much out of temper, could I possibly do so ; and lam free to confess that I then referred solely to Messrs. Mears and Hay ; while, at the same time, I confess that I greatly regret having made use of the words, because, unjustifiable as their conduct undoubtedly was, it did not justify me in so retorting. I may add that I ceased speaking (and the motion was I put unargued) simply because I could 1 not obtain anything like a decent hear- [ ing — the mover and seconder being upon all subjects so thin-skinned thatimmediately they hear a single word j uttered which does not accord ,with I their views, they turn the Council into a bear garden in order to stifle discussion While ! writing on this subject, I will say further that although much misreported, my sole object has been to upset the machinations of certain members of Council whose, views (if carried out) would in my opinion lead the town into serious difficulties. Had they been allowed their way, and had j I left undone what I considered it my duty to do, we should by this time have been in the thick of a law suit, which we should have lost, entailing altogether at least £300 costs. I managed to avert that evil ; and the gentlemen to whom I allude have never forgotten it, and are now, by this little Town Hall scheme, endeavoring to play me a return match. lam willing to play them, and feel quite confident that I shall score the highest. May I request that in future, if you report what I say and do, you will be so good as to endeavor to report also what is said and done by othes. I am, Sir, Very faithfully yours, Johjt L. Shadwell Keen. Lawrence, Nov. 16, 1868. [We omit a paragraph in the above letter, as it contains highly personal reflections on two members of Council. As to the correction suggested by Mr. Keen, it is almost too trifling to demand any notice on our part. We have appealed to several members of the Council, and been assured by them that our report was a fair and accurate account of whafrpassed, but we have little doubt Mr.^Tteen's meaning was occasionally obscured by the excited state of his mind. What he meant to say, and what he did say, are two entirely different matters ; with the former we, as reportors, have nothing whatever to do.— Ed. " T. T."