SLANDEROUS STATEMENTS.

West Coast Times, Issue 3891, 27 September 1881, Page 2

SLANDEROUS STA TEMENTS.

(2b Hie Editor. ) Sib, — Although T did not intend to do so, I have been urged by several friends to give the flit contradiction that I am able to do, to the abusive and scandalously untrue statements made by a person signing himself a miner in a letter in your is'ue of Friday last- The first statement is that I and other members of the County County have drawn our expenses while the Council have been without funds to pay their creditors. I found on looking over the books that the only person who has drawn any salary or expenses up to Jane the 30th is Mr Seddon. Oa April 30th I received the sum of £9 9s being my expenses from the Ist of Jauuary to that date, and this ia the whole sum I have drawn for the whole of the year 1881. The letter goes on to say that Mr Dale haa lived for year 3by what he manages to get himself, and by keeping his horses aad drays working for the Uounc'l. The reply to this ia that there is not a solitary particle of truth in i\ Daring the flood of 1879, when horsea and drays were difficult to obtain, my son's dray waa employed for a few days in repairing damage done at Arahura. I think the total amount received did not amount to £7, and this includes the whole amount received since 1 have been a member of the Council, now upwards of five years. Since 1879 I have not had any horse or cart employed for the Council, The whole of thii» work

ba 1 * been done during the last two years by Mr James Main, who is the contractor f< r it. The next statement is that I and other Councillors named, have been inducing the bank to put the screw on so as to make an outcry against the reduction of the gold.dijty. The reply to tbh is, as before, that there is riot a particle of truth' in it. - The very reverse ha< been, the .case, as the Manager of the Bank^pf New Zealand knows to his coat, having been interviewed and dunned ecb'res of times during the last twe or three months, for money to pay the Council's creditors. But the bank declined to sdvauce any money witrout some security ; and beside?, I am firmly of opinion that efforts were made to keep the Council without funds, but the c efforts were not made here. I shall leave Messrs Jack ank Sandle to refer to the remainder of "Miner's" letter, which is a tissue of brazen falsehood from beginning to end, and written and fathered, by men of evil dispositions and bad minds. I am, &c, F. Dale, M.C.C. Kanieri, September 26. i