THE REPORT ADOPTED BY UPPER HOUSE.

Press, Volume LXVI, Issue 13905, 2 December 1910, Page 8

THE REPORT ADOPTED BY UPPER HOUSE.

'HITCH YOU-l WAGGON TO A LIE." ATTORNEY-GENERAL'S ATTACK ON MR HINE. (special to "the r__ss."} WI-LLINGTON, December 1. Tbe Attorney-General moved that the Select Committee's report on the Hine charges against the Hon. T. Kennedy Macdonald be agreed to. The Hon. Dr. Findlay prefaced his remarks by a denunciation of the practice and system of public detraction in this country, of which this imputation was but an illustration. An impartial visitor to Xew Zealand irucht well conclude that our politics of late years were organised, not to study and promote social progress, but to foster and promote, contention. The time, energy, and money which mijjht so serviceably be devoted to claimant humanitarian

movements, were wasted in ignoblo strife, and the' real duties of A' arl "*}" ment were ignored, or poorly regarded. Tlio time was when one met an opponent in politics by attacking his pokey; now it teemed they met him by attacking his character, ignoring his measures, and endeavouring to throw suspicion on his honesty and reputation. ■'Hitch your waggon to a star, ' was the motto of one of the world's great- I est reformers. "Hitch your waggon to a lie," was tho method of some politicians. Proceeding to apply these remarks to the Hine charge*, tlie. -^ t " torney-General went on to vindicate the Hon. Mr Macdonald in regard to his connection with the land transactions winch formed the basis of the charges against him, and pointed to the fact that Mr Hine'.'. counsel repudiated on behalf of Mr Hine any imputation against any member of the Government in office at the time, aiid against any officer of the Government. While Mr "Macdonald admitted all the facts alleged against him under the circumstances there was no necessity for a long enquiry unless (and this was important) Mr Hme hoped, by a prying and searching investigation, to discover and disclose something discreditable upon the part of some Minister, or at least by the line of examination followed leave a nasty tasto in the mouth of the public over the wholo affair. Dr. Findlay contended that this plainly was Mr Hine's purpose. His long series of questions were aimed at the late Mr "Seddon's character, aud the whole investigation was an attempt to throw discredit, upon the only Minister who had any thing whatever to do with the purchase. Mr Macdonald was only an incident in this political inquisition. What significance had a Wellington agent's commission in Mr Hine's eyes, unless he could make it a means of discrediting and dishonouring a great name in the cause of Liberalism? But Mr Hine stood convicted of hypocrisy, not only by his conduct, but by his words. He began the enquiry by disavowing the imputations against Ma- Seddon and then, through his lawyer, proceeded to cast as much suspicion on his memory as he indirectly could. The charge in connection with the Nni Nai purchase was a deliberate charge against the late Mr Seddon, for that purchase was | seven years old. The whole spirit and method of these charges wore a blot on our public life, and since Mr Hine had throughout tho support and apI proval of the Opposition party, that party, along with himself, had committed themselves to methods of political warfare, which surely must make every fair-minded man sorry, if not indignant. Concluding, Dr. Findlay said it was a question whether members of Parliament should be forbidden to act as commission agents. In these circumstances probably they should. 1 Lately, in the Municipal Corporations. | Harbours Boards, and Hospital and Charitable Aid Boards Acts there had been made very stringent provision against the chance, howover remote, of a man's private profit and his public duty coming into conflict, and he was disposed to think that consistency, if nothing else, demanded similar stringent provisions with regard to the legislature. The Hon. J. Rigg asked what steps the Attorney-General proposed to take in regard to the breach of privilege which the Council decided had been committed. He sugaested that a joint conference of both Houses should consider the matter. The Hon. J. B. Callan was of tho opinion that preventive legislation was very desirable in order to prevent even a suspicion of impropriety. The Hon. R. A. Loughnan urged that members should be given somo further protection against the class of criticism of which so much had lately been heard. The Hon. J. E. Jenkinson suggested the wisdom of having the evidence in the enquiry printed. The Attorney-General said that later on he would bring down some definite proposal as to suggested legislation, and also on the question of privilege. It would be better, however, to defer action for a little time. The report was then adopted.