ACQUITTAL OF MR. CRICK.

Auckland Star, Volume XXXVII, Issue 71, 23 March 1906, Page 5

ACQUITTAL OF MR. CRICK.

Failure of Closes Evidence. SYDNEY.. March 22. The trial of Mr. Crick late Minister for Lands, on the charge of having received bribes while in office, was begun at the j Criminal Court to-day. ; The charge was that Mr. Crick. as Mm- j ister for Lands, unlawfully and corruptly j received tor hi~ own benefit £250 from Mr. ', Peier Close, in connection with a certain t land transfer. j There was a. strong bar on each side, j Mr. Shand, who acted as one of Mr. ,' Close's legal advisers during the Land Commission inquiry, was leading for the ■ Crown, and Mr. Reid for the defence. The | Court was crowded. j Mr. Reid entered a demurer on the ground that the indictment- contained no j offence known to the law- teat if it was an offence it was not properly described; , and if otherwise correct it was bad for want of definite particulars. j After argument the demurer was overI ruled, and evidence was called similar to that given at the Land? Commission prov- ' mg rhe transfer. Peter Close was then placed in the box. In reply to Mr. Reid, be said the evidence ( he proposed to give ira° similar to that he , gave alter the Indemnity Act waa passed, j I The witness then detailed the conversation I with Mr. Crick, wherein the latter said: I I A lot of land agent-? that are getting- land , cases are making a lot of money out of it. and he did not see why the witness should not do the same, so long a« it was legitimate, adding that he would have nothing to do with anything shady. Com- ; ing to the payment of the £250, the mcmi ory of witness appeared to he more dpfec- j tie than when he was before the Lands j ! Commission, and Mr. Reid objected to j ', leading questions being put to him. Wit- ' I nes»s said he handed Mr Crick the money ' ! and told him to put it in his pocket, but nothing was said as to what it was for, |and no mention was made of the land case. i Witness owed Mr. Crick no money, and it ! wa.-a not a loan or a gift It was bis own \ money, and he had don? what he liked ■with it. He had ha. , , monetary transactions with Mr. Crick extending over many ypars. and often paid him large sum-. He denied there was an understanding with Mr. Crick that he should act as a land agent and share profits with him. This closed the Crown's case. «Vlr Shand said that in face of Mr. Close's evidence he could not support the indictment, and the jury, by direction of the judge, returned a verdict of "Not guilty."