POLITICAL POINTS

Evening Star, Issue 20312, 22 October 1929, Page 3

POLITICAL POINTS

LAW FIDELITY GUARANTEE (Troth Our Pabliaurntart Reporter.] WELLINGTON, October 21. The Statutes Revision Committee of the House of Representatives has made brief but important amendments in the Law Practitioners’ _ Amendment Bill, which sets up a solicitors’ fidelity guarantee fund. The committee has struck out the clause which stated that when the fund exceeds £IOO,OOO its income shall be paid iuto the funds of the New Zealand Law Society, and be available for its purposes. The trustees are directed to invest the fund in authorised trust securities. Clause 15 contained a proviso that no solicitor to whom the Act applies, nor any person acting as a barrister, shall have any claim against the fund in respect of thefts committed by a solicitor to whom the Act applies. This limitation has been deleted by the committee. * * * » NATIVE TRUST LAW. An amendment to the Native Trust Act was introduced by Governor’s Message in the House of Representatives to-night. It is a short measure, and its terms were explained by Sir Apirana Ngata, Native Minister. It will, ho said, simplify the operations of the Native Trust Office, and would enable him to add dairying lands in which Natives were dominantly interested to the securities oil which money could bo advanced. The powers of in regard to certain lands vested in the Native Trustee were extended, this particularly applying to Lake Ponkawa, in respect to which a llax lease had been issued, -subject to validation. Another danse would permit the Native Trustee to lend money to the tenants of the land vested in him. The Bill was read a second time formally, and referred to the Native Affairs Committee. * •' * ■» LIND CASE REVIVED. A petition was presented to Parliament by’ Mr J. W. Munro (Dunedin North) "on behalf of A. A. Lind, praying for a Royal Commission to be set up to inquire into the circumstances surrounding his imprisonment for an alleged crime of which (he says) he was. both morally and criminally, innocent. Petitioner says that, as an innocent man, he, was wrongfully convicted and sentenced to seven years’ imprisonment with hard labour, and that he served six years. As an alternative to a Royal Commission, petitioner asks that he be granted a retrial. and such legal and financial facilities as are necessary to enable him to establish his innocence.