STRANGE ATTITUDE.

Dominion, Volume 4, Issue 974, 15 November 1910, Page 5

STRANGE ATTITUDE.

THE FLAXBOURNE CASE.

"I WON'T GO OFF THIS COMMITTEE." ■

OUTBREAK BY THE PREMIER,

Perhaps the most exciting incident which has occurred in connection with the Hine Commission took place yesterday. It arose in regard to the Flaxbourne case, in which tho Government is' alleged to have paid Mr. A. L. Wilson an extravagant fee for making a casual inspection of the' Flaxbourne property, with the object of indirectly remunerating the Hon. T. K. Maodonald, M.L.C., for his services as an assessor. When the case was reached, Mr. Allen (Bruce); rose, and remarked that he was of opinion the committee should deliberate for a few minutes before any evidence-was tendered. .

The Premier (warmly); I know what you are alluding to. • ■ Mr. Alien: Well, this is a charge agamst the Government of the country— the Government is interested. Sir Joseph: Mr. Hine is not here, or I would ask that he ehould'be sworn, in order that we might ascertain the-Gov-ernment to which' his oharge refers! ■ I will, however, ask his counsel, Mr. Myers, to state which Government this charge is brought; against.- . :; . ... _Mr, Jlyers: The charge ia against the then Government of the day; which, to a certain extent, is the present Government. '

Sir Joseph: I object to that. Mr. Myers; Tho charge is against the Government of that day. , ■ Sir Joseph:-What Government? Mr.- Myers: The then GovernmenMJif Government of .that particular day. The ohairman: Is it against fire Sed> don Government or the Ward Govern.. mentP , ' .-■■■■. Mr. Myers: ; The Government of tha day at that particular time. : The chairman: Was Mr. Seddon Premier at the time. M,r. Myers: I suppose it was Mr. Seddon's Government. The records' will show. It would be the Government of which he was the head. Whether.he was here or not at the time I cannot aay from memory. Mr. Hall-Jones may have been in charge.. But that matter could be looked up. Sir Joseph: Everybody else knows,' - Continuing, Sir Joseph said that he thought it was unfortunate ■ that Mr. Myers could not state' which was the Government, Mr, Hine should be put qn hie oath, to say which one it was. Mr, Myera: I have-answered the .qn?s- ; tion several times. ■■■ ■ . ■ . '' : Mr. Allen pointed out that allusion made in the Hpuse to the matter in question. U would be recalled that' Mr. Malcolm had nekod what wonld.be the position if it were found thai eojae of the members pro[iosed..f6r positions on the special committee were implicated. In reply Sir Joseph had stated that if that were- found to • bo the case those members would quickly go off the committee-*-' ' \ . Sir Joseph: Do you suggest that I am implicated?' . -.. ■ " : '... "• . Mr. Allen: I don't know;. the. charge is against a GaviMmment. ■ , Sir. Joseph: Wel.lf •.: ~ ■ Mr, Allen: A Government includes more, than one member surely! The Prime Minister said that this was a charge ■_ against the administration of ; ' Mr. Seddon; it[•was' a chaTge. against a Department of which Mr, Seddon was the head; it was a ohatge in connection with the Surchaee of an estate of which Mr. Sedon.was.the administrator, .and was;responsible for the carrying out. of- the whole of the details. More than thatt It was a charge ngainst a dead man. Mr. Myers: Nothing of the kind, ,; Sir. Joseph went on to.faj; that_he wae sorry Mr. .'Hine was absent. Hβ' was sorry also that his counsel (Mr,. Myers) could not remember which Government was copeerned. He did not wonder, at it. The. people of , this country Tfould readily see that a cowardly scandalouß thing it was. "If," continued Sir Joseph, I ''I conld use stronger terms, I would use them. Let mo say in the presence of the press, I won't go, off this committee. But I won't' deliberate on it. I will sit here aud takopaTt in the examination, of tlio men who aro making'this cowardly attack on a dead man, The whole tiling is contemptible." Mr. Myers 6ajd that he .would like to know what Sir Joseph meant in connection with his later remarks. There was no charge against any particular individual; were was none against Mr. Sed--don. It seems to me, and even if it were--— ■

The chairman:-I don't think that we Bhould go into' .this. . " , ■ Mr. Myers: Surely I am. entitled to refer to tho remarks made by the Prime, Minister whioh, ho used for a particular purpose. Mr,. Reed contended that the discussion should be confined to members of the committee, .. . Mr, Myers: Why, the deliberation takes placo in the presence of the press, and Sir Joseph said that he was. making bis observations for the purpose of the press recording ftiepi.' And I not entitled to answer him v. The chairman: I stopped him at a certain stage. I don't think that comment should be made. . , ~ ':.. ; . ■Mr. Myer6: Surely I should be heard. The chairman: It is open to any mem-' ber of the committee to pass a remark, but I don't want to . see .a. conflict.between members of the committee and the counsel. Mr. Myers (warmly): Well, if I were allowed I should characterise the Prime Minister's remarks very severely, .. Sir Joseph: And I would give a characteristic reply—would use much stronger language. ■ The matter was then allowed to drop, ,