Harbour Board Affairs

Wanganui Chronicle, 23 December 1949, Page 4

Harbour Board Affairs

Sir, —I refer to the Chronicle’s report in a recent issue of what Mr. E. J. Kirk and Mr. G. G. Burgess, members of the Wanganui Harbour Board, had said at a Board meeting concerning myself—th the effect that at a meeting of the Wanganui Chamber of Commerce on December 5 I had made irresponsible statements implying corrupt practices on the part of Harbour Board members. These unjust strictures by Messrs. Kirk and Burgess (which I do not doubt have been correctly reported in the ’‘Chronicle" and which were uttered in the course of the privileged proceedings of a public body relating to a matter of public concern) have caused me pain and have roused resentment among those who know me. Nothing I said at the Chamber of Commerce meeting could fairly be taken as impugning the personal integrity of any man. 1 have, from motives of public duty, criticised Harbour Board policy and am like to do so again; but to say that at the -Chamber of Commerce meeting referred to I went beyond the bounds of honest criticism or directly or by implication maligned the character of any. man Is to is to distort the plain meaning and intent of the words used.—l am, etc., C. D. CORLISS. We willingly publish this letter from Mr. C. D. Corliss. The “Chronicle" believes that neither he nor anyone else in the controversy about Harbour affairs has sought to Impute wrong motives to others.—Editor.