THE WESTPORT MURDER.

Feilding Star, Volume III, Issue 762, 24 December 1908, Page 4

THE WESTPORT MURDER.

QUESTION OF COMPENSATION. [PEB PBESB ASSOCIATION 1 Wellington, December 23. The Prime Minister was interviewed to-night by a Times representative in regard to the telegram from Westport that the Government had acted harshly in not granting compensation in the Hallinen and Anderson case."The Government gave the whole matter very careful consideration,' said Sir Joseph Ward . "It was very fully discussed from its various standpoints, and we came to the conclusion that we could not see our way to authorise a monetary nayment, and m any case that we could not do so without reference to Parliament. Among other things, it was shown at the first trial that theso men were not put in the witness box to give evidence in their own behalf, and while in no way finding fault with those who were responsible for the conduct of the case or making any comment upon it, from that standpoint, I may say that the Government has been advised that if the men had given evidence in their own defence in the first instance they would not have been found guilty of murder. In other words, they could not have been placed in the position they eventually found themselves in. There is no fault inrnited to any Government officer or to the Justice Department concerning the case so far as w« are aware. "In fact we ordered the prosecution of Conolly for murder, and are doing what is our duty in that respect. In the opinion of the Government, the question of the responsibility of providing monetary payment in a case of this kind is of such importance that we consider Parliament I should he consulted to decide finally as to whether the Government should be called upon to make monetary provision in cases of this nature. At | all events, we iaro not prepared to make a monetary payment for the reasons I have given. Naturally one has sympathy for anyone who has been placed in such a position, but it is not a question of sympathy, it is a question of doing what is right." ■■■■■■■■■•