CAPTAIN FISHER'S CASE.

Evening Star, Issue 12029, 29 October 1903, Page 4

CAPTAIN FISHER'S CASE.

CALLED UPON TO RESIGN. [SneciAL to tub Stax.) CHRISTCHUR-CH. October 29. Captain Fisher, in a letter to the ' Press,' admits t'.-iit he has been asked to resign, aed ■Jifii he has Mint i-i his but ;.ro-rt-si> thai the decision calling "n\ m to resign \e -i pilitiea! ard not amilitarore. Ife traverse-; the hisvorv of his side of the trouble as follow -. '■ In endeavoring to obtain juftice for those men who had Ihe misfortune to be incapacitated from obiairing their livelihood through wounds or sickness- resulting from active service, I harmlessly stated in a letter to the public Press that these men had made unavaiii-'ir application to the Defence Department for financial assistance, and the officer commanding this: district at once took offence at that statement appearing. It ifl impossible for me to attribute to him any motive for taking umbrage at apparently so harmless a remark, but I leave the* public to judge whether the following question has any bearing on Colonel Porter's attitude: Last session the question was asked in the House by Mr George Fisher, member '.or Wellington : ' Will the Acting-Premier inform the House what proportion of the cost the people of New Zealand are paying towards the expenses of the Coronation Contingent, who were being toured all over Great Britain to dance " hakas" at concerts of the Princes Te Ranod Pai, who happens to be Colonel Porter's daughter?' As I say, it is impns ible for me to tell whether this has or has not had any bearing on the qnes.ion." Mr Fisher states that at the court inquiry he was not even informed of the charges until the Board met, was not allowed to call any witnes-es, nor did the Board take his written statements. He declares that the Court found the verdict proven on charges brought in violation of the provision in the rules of procedwe issued by the War Office, which enjoin- that a court of inquiry shall express no opinion on thp conduct of an officer or soldier. He further complains that the Cabinet ignored Ceneral Babhigton's wish, which was not to treat the matter seriou.-ly.

the showing of the purchase money for t; tramways among assets, with no set off regard to the money borrowed for that pu pose. Then the statement of assets ei liabilities was not complete. Then he i upon the fact that in the gas and wat accounts there was nothing written off f | depreciation; but someone else pointed b that the gas and water works d.%u't dept date in value, but increased considerabl and so auother effort seemed crushed. ( M'Donald tried h.s hand r-odest;y, and s down without many woias, and then was that Cr Tapper added his quota to t: .general speech-offering, and confesse I Then Cr London, with a confident 100 I rose to "say a few words." He had, ] said, intended to prepare a staremant i viewing the ai.tmd working of things. -<i | giving a forecast of the City's podtiou April, 1908. However, he had not bv I able to complete it, but hoped to be ab | to lay it beiore the Finance Committee : the Council within a month. He behav i in specialising accounts as far as pe ' sible, and he read the fol owing su I gestions, which, he thought, would, | given effect to. greatly simplify matters: J "That departmental accnunts should be k" ; str.ctiy as working accounts, ad capital e ; p-.'niiture heir," eliminated. That a ge i oral account suouid be kept synonomo with a <-ommercki profit an'd bss accour ! That l-.-iar.ces. whether debit- or credi should be transferred to the general a . con-jit, and all departmental accounts clo- | annually. That interest on any balances transferred should he debited" or credhe : as the case mr.y be, and taken into accc--I .*;s a working charge by the various de^.v Tnents. That any capital exnrnditure loan money voted bv the Council, wfn, can be provided without recourse, shoe. be piid direct from thu general accou and debited to the department interested. Cr Lawrence essayed a " wrs.stie," ir contented himself \vilh expressing lis sad fi-tion with the balance-sheet and his opi ion that there was not much use in di cussing it. After him came Cr Gore, w! i was sat.sfied that the knottv document hj; I be<m audited :ind found correct. He ai I breathed a word of caution to councillor: they hed ''gone back" eoc-ideiablv th year, and if they li \tvnt- on " (hc-v Vos anticipate all the benefits to be' denvfrom the loans falling due in IPO?. J : counseled keeping progress with the pop I huion, and expressed tin. opinion th--: C.ty was in a thoroughly sound pesii ! snd that the citizens had nothing to <, while the money was being so well .--. us iv t':is and previous Cou-.icils. 'i'i; esm- iti'lby, vebo took the Council r i his c, ~ler.ee, and candidlv admitted tl. he did not understand the balance-sin . Ho express-d regret that Cr Loudon's star merit was not before them, for he luok. upon that gentleman as one of those tho oughly competent to go into the questii [of finance. He f.her. warned the Count that by sending the balance-sheet abro; without the Auditor-General's signatu they were running a risk of injuring the credit in the money market. Even°at tl expense of a new balan:e-sheet he thougi they should have that endorsement. ( Barnes, if we may say it without disrespec also started, and after the mayor had r plied and pad tribute to the immovabriof the Auditor-General the balance-she . was passed.