ENQUIRY DEMANDED.

Hawera Star, Volume XLVIII, 29 August 1924, Page 5

ENQUIRY DEMANDED.

CHARGES BY MR HOLLAND.

ALLEGED LEGAL SCANDALS

(IIY TELEGRAPH—PRESS ASSOCIATION.) WELLINGTON,'. Aug. 28 Several cases of what he described.as" ‘ ‘ legal scandals at Westport ” were .related in the House this afternoop. byMr 11. E. Holland (Ruller), who de-' manded a full investigation bj' the Government into these-cases.

The Minister‘for Justice (Mon.,'p. J. Parr) said he regretted that Mr Holland had seen'fit to make his charges on the floor of the House before having submitted theni to him- as Minister’/ar Justice. , ; ,

Mr Holland said .lie. .had spokev to the Attorney-General diooht the matter. , - - v< ' ■ ' .

••Mr Parr said he had first* been in* formed that something had been said to the Attorney-General, but that gen-, tleman was under the impression that •specific charges, were to be made to him. Mr Holland: I have madh'tliem now. Mr Parr said Mf Holland wmr‘taking a grave responsibility in making his charges in this way. - Mr Holland said he was prepared to make them "outside the House.*''. ~.

Mr Parr added that ’he thought the charges should have been made outside the House and not yujder .Parliamentary privilege. It was most unfair that Hie charges should,' be suddenly and public- • ly sprung upon a gentleman who was.’a: public officer and, wlm.had no chance o£defending himself. It. would have heen much fairer if Mr Holland had come to' him (Mr Parr),.or made his charges to the local law society, which always dealt drastically with • cases of .misconduct 'when proved. Personally lie could not accept all that Mr /Holland. had . said. Some of it- was .most improbable.. Mr Holland was entitled to bring his charges in the way he had done, but' it would have been fairer if-he had' done it in another way. , . Mr Holland: “Will you hold an investigation?” - •;

Mr Parr said Mr Holland could haVe had his investigation long ago if he had come to him. • •