Board to review farming loan
PA Wellington The fitzgerald loan application will go before the Marginal Lands Board again when it meets in Wellington on March 31. The Director-General of Lands and the board’s deputy chairman, Mr N. S. Coad, said yesterday that barring a Crown appeal on points of law in the High Court case, which ended with Mr J. M. Fitzgerald’s acquittal on Mondav, the case was over. It was thought a Crown appeal was most unlikely. Therefore, the matter would be discussed again next week, Mr Coad said. The board, having on June 17, approved a $136,950 loan to Mr and" Mrs Fitzgerald to develop their farm, froze the monev 10 days later when lhe Chief Ombudsman (Mr G. R. Laking) signalled his intention to look into the matter.
Mr Taking’s investigation was later dropped in favour of a Commission of Inquiry chaired by a Wellington Queen’s counsel, Mr B. D. Inglis.
The Deputy Director General of Lands (Mr P. H. C. Lucas) said yesterday the board would have to decide what action to take on the frozen loan offer. Obviously circumstances would have changed in the last year, and it was possible that both the Fitzgeralds , and the board would want to “reshape” the loan.
Asked if that meant they might have to reapply, Mr Lucas said that was possible Taut because of the board’s familiarity with the property now, it would certainly, be capable of a quick decision. “Today is the first day of the rest of his life” was the delighted and obviously relieved comment yesterday by Mrs Fitzgerald about her husband.
Mrs Fitzgerald said that she and her husband could now both get on with all the things they had been unable to do during the last year. It would be good to be able to devote themselves entirely to their farm. Long Gully, near Brooklyn. The couple declined to give a more extensive interview yesterday about their feelings and difficulties in the last 10 to 12 months, saying they wanted some time to unwind and sort out their feelings. “We have 12 months of damaged reputations to repair,” Mrs Fitzgerald said. ,
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Press, 25 March 1981, Page 2
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359Board to review farming loan Press, 25 March 1981, Page 2
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