SIR JOSEPH WARD ON HIS DEFENCE.

Press, Volume XLVIII, Issue 14475, 2 October 1912, Page 10

SIR JOSEPH WARD ON HIS DEFENCE.

(PREM A!Wor.»T.nv'•m.'F«HAW.) "* J - s WELLINGTON, October When tho Houso resumed at 7-fe this evening, *"Vj., Sir Joseph Ward raised a .W^Oi 1 of privilege in connection with > *y</ article apnearing in tho ''P° newspnoer of yesterday. The art he said, contnined statements *&*£_.-* lntely oontrnrv to fact. It was n BJW£ \ larlv remarknble thin*, that should bo cast on the State Guarantee^

Vdvanccs Board and public officers by t Minister of the Crown. It was a most serious charge to mako against ♦ »,« former Minister, and a grave 1 ? u ye a '"iust the Board «nd .State officer* :»nl one calculated to injure "ho rrodit of the country. Ho hoped the I'rirne Minister would agree to refer Se nattt-r to the Public Accounts Committee If that did not .satisfy tho Prime' Minister, he would agree to a „nniittt-s nominated from the other Sif ho House. He had never attended nnv meeting oi the Board, nor Xv Cabinet .Minister.. The aver"ns to local bodies tor the past t* v vo yea.> was L 170,000. DurWC ;i'u. past two years the loans ,n " .« £94.770 and n a )47O<X! respectively Country road himfe and town boards had received as h in one year as others liad in r;"S If" ..;,i,,t«Hl out that if ono Ser oi- the Board obi.wt.jd to the Kin" of a loan, it was not granted. £ne oFihe Uxal bodies could not Ret moiiev Hi- knew of one body which X annro.«.-l.«l the Minister with a View to yettin* him to rai*- the interest So T,e. cent., ami the Minister could not deny it. With regard to statoroents roncerniim loans to wealthy ■boroughs, he asked if the l>nme Minister would submit a proposal that borough* were not to have a proportion of loan in.in.-ys. II he did he would receive some of the finest opposition he bad ever beard of. He himself could propose sonio 6110 amendments, and without ho could, with six other members, have his Christmas dinner in the House. "With regard to the statement that a large sum had been advanced to tho Remuera Road Board three days before last election, ho fitated that tho Government candidate for that seat was 12,000 miles away at the time the loan was authorised. The article implied.' that the State institution was, at last election, used for political purposes. In the. Prime Minister's constituency a Board jjntl received more per head of population than Timaru had. Two boroughs in the district of the Minister of ltail- . ways had received loans. Was that spoils to the vanquished? Money had gone to Onehunga, New Plymouth, Woitemata. and Eden, all of which were represented by his political opponents. Members of the Government side, were endeavouring to convey the impression that county councils and road boards wore being starved and tho available money squandered for political purposes. .There was not a tittle of truth in the statement. County councils and road boards had received moro in tho past two years than they could jtave received under the old system in ■fifteen years. A Hoard in his own electorate had applied for a loan, but tho application had been refused by the Board. He wanted this matter of "South American bribery in connection with n State Jending department" to be cleared up in tho open, with everyone on oath, and all records present, and if it were proved to be correct, tho officials concerned should bo swept out of office. Sir Joseph Ward moved that a l»reach of privilege had been committed by th« '.Dominion ,, in the publication of an article, dealing with loans to local authorities, and that tho matter be referred to the Public Accounts Committee, with power to call for persons and papers, and to enquire into all matters in connection with loans to local authorities. The Hon. 11. MeKenzie seconded the motion. LETTER FROM THE HEAD OF THE ; DEPARTMENT. The Hon. James Allen read ft letter from the Stato Guaranteed Office, regretting the statements made in the House. Tho letter was, as follows: — , , "New Zealand State Guaranteed Advances Office, Advances to Settlers' 'Branch. •■■ "Wellington, September 30th, 19i2. ■ 'Memorandum for .the Hon. tho Minister of Finance,.Wellington. "Atto-doy's meeting of the New ZeaJand State Guaranteed Advances Offico Board, the following, resolution was passed-.-—'This ' Board regrets the statements made in the House \of Representatives on last Saturday morning to the effect that loans have been granted by it to local authorities under political influence, and with a view to influencing the general election of last December (1911). No loan has been granted by this Board to any local nuthority uder any pressure whatever. The only considerations influencing the Board in granting loans were:— "(1) Was the money required for necessary works (irrespectjve of the class of local body applying for the loan) ? '• (2) Was tho security sufficient ? "(3) Were funds .available?'" "The Board asks that a copy of this resolution bo sent by tho sunerintendent to the Hon. the Minister-in-■Charcce'of the Department. "Tho Board further respectfully asks that— , "(1) A copy of tho ftbovo resolution to bo sent to'the Press. " (2) A tribunal to be set up as soon as possible to investigate the charges of political influence made against tho ■Board. "In forwarding the above 1 would ■point out that the objection to tho Board lending to boroughs has no right for these reasons: — i ."(a) There was no power given to tho Hoard to discriminate amongst different classes of 10-'-al authorities [ "(b) Had tho Board done so and accumulated funds, while certain classes of bodies entitled to them were refused loans, it wou'd have been properly condemned fo* (D favouritism. (2) losing monoj throii«;h having funds uninvested while local authorities were refused loans, and (3) breaking the law by assuming powers it did not possess. Xo proper application by any local body wns refused so long, a.s funds were available (signed) ,1 W. Poynt<m, Superintendent ''