Maclntyre remarks recalled at inquiry

Press, 21 October 1980, Page 3

Maclntyre remarks recalled at inquiry

PA Wellington The Director-General of Agriculture (Mr M. L. Cameron) yesterday recalled that the Minister of Agriculture (Mr Maclntyre) twice mentioned the Fitzgerald farm loan to him. He told the Commission of Inquiry into the Marginal Lands Board loan row that he could not say when Mr Maclntyre first mentioned the loan.

The inquiry into the loan by Mr and Mrs J. M. Fitzgerald, son-in-law and daughter of Mr Maclntyre, is in its sixth week. Mr Cameron said he was constantly in touch with Mr Maclntyre and often travelled with him on departmental and Ministerial business.

Mr Maclntyre’s first mention of the farm purchase was “a casual remark,” something to the effect . . . “the kids have bought a farm.” Mr Maclntyre had said' it was. a rundown property near Wellington and described it. That had been “the full extent” of. the conversation. . .. ■' It was riot a work-related conversation and Mr Cameron could not even remember where it. had taken place. - . . The second ; occasion. was “quite clearly work-related in my mind.” Mr Maclntyre had told him that because of the position he (Mr MacIntyre) was in, he would not discuss anything, relating to the Fitzgeralds’ farming affairs. “This discussion took place in his office.” Mr Cameron’s recollection was that Mr Maclntyre raised the subject after Mr Cameron had been to see him on other business. Noone else was present. The topic had . not come up between them again. Mr T. G. Sewell, a Ministry of . Agriculture farm advisory officer who inspected’ the Fitzgeralds’ Long Gully farm, said he

thought the west and south of the property could be developed by the “right person.”

Earlier, Douglas Edwin Rider, of Kaponga, Taranaki, a member of the Marginal Lands Board since 1977 and a member of the National Party “on and off,” testified that he did not consider he had been pressured by a letter written by the Minister of Lands (Mr V. S. Young) in January asking the board to reconsider its earlier decision to decline the Fitzgeralds’ application for development finance.

Mr Rider said he remembered Mr Young, who chaired the January 29 meeting, saying that he knew the couple too well to make a decision one way or another. He had 'elt under no pressure, either,- from anything Mr Young had said at that meeting. Referring to the way the Fitzgerald application was handled by the Lands and Survey Department’s Wellington staff when first received, Mr Rider said he thought that the staff had been, affected by the political connections of the applicants. They had. erred consistently on the side of caution, particularly when preparing budgets. •< Mr Rider said that on June 16, the night before the meeting at Which the Fitzgerald loan application was, approved, the board members had discussed the case, at their hotel. Mr R. L. White— whose resignation sparked the' whole row — had repeated his threat to resign. :? Mr Rider said he had- told Mr White he . could not be influenced by that.. It was not until the June 17 meeting, Mr Rider said,

that Mr White gave as his reason for resigning alleged political interference from Mr Young. “Earlier, he had said that the Fitzgeralds were not bona fide fanners, ‘dyed in the wool’ farmers. At one stage he said that if a loan was granted there would be a political upheaval.” Asked by Mr J. C. Upton, counsel assisting the commission, if he knew why, Mr Rider said he supposed he did — th. e was feeling between Mr White and his wife Norma towards the Fitzgeralds . and Mrs White was a very strong individual. Asked to elaborate Mr Rider indicated that he was referring to earlier evidence that Mrs Maclntyre snubbed Mrs White at the Whites’ home 18 months ago. Mr White denied that incident when he testified.