BENEATH THE RUINS.

Dominion, Volume 3, Issue 907, 29 August 1910, Page 6

BENEATH THE RUINS.

': : v '■: ' '.;'mSSINQ. NATIVE DOCUMENTS. ■ .'..,■ .; It came as;a. surprise to most members ..■'.; of the House of. Representatives' on Friday • ..to learn that-many.vahmbie;records, etc.,'. ' belonging to.tho Native Deportment had never' been recovered, from the 'cellar:of the , old Parliamentary -Bnildinjs. ' lieporting on"the,matter, the Native Affairs Committee recommended that.. : action should be taken to recover, them. . j' ..... Mr. Herries, If .P.. for, Tauranga, : said •• • ' that he understood tho .documents belonging to'other Departments' had been \ ; recovered. Tho documents might'.at any time bo needed in connection with in-1 .. -. • vestigations into'.titles, etc. . Sir. Jfassey contended that the remissness in the matter showed gross carelessness on the part of someone. . i Messrs. Herdman'and Field also, .urged . that steps should be taken to resurrect ■■"• .-.; any. documents which might still remain in tho collar. 7 ; . '■ a , ■ In reply, the Hon. J. Carroll said it ' .was strange that, during tho many- years '. .7 that-the documents had been stored in '..''■•'.the cellar no .search for any of them :•,•• had ever: been required. The documents .:,''. in question related to Native affairs . which;took,place in the dim.past.' Ho - was informro by "the Minister' for Public Works that there ..wjs only a bare possi- . - bilitythat, any of 'the documents remain- ' cd intact as the result of -tho fire. "He , / tkaTed iritli members of the committee in the: Laudable desire' that theroatter should be investigated.. .In view of the zeal which was being displayed by .members of. the committee, ho would suggest that, headed by thoir chairman, they should themselves-mako the investigation on . . soiiio off day. . (Langh'ter.) . Mr..Mos9cy: Headed by tho Minister! In conclusion,.Mr.. Qarroll.said that lie. Agreed that search should bo made. It was"later explained by the Hon R. M'Kenzie, Minister for Public Works, that tho possibility of any of the documents being found intact itas ertremtly . remote, seeing that after .the fire the basement, which was water-tight, was flooded with wateT.