Lake Wakatip Mail. QUEENSTOWN, FRIDAY, APRIL 22, 1887.

Lake Wakatip Mail, Issue 1586, 22 April 1887, Page 2

Lake Wakatip Mail. QUEENSTOWN, FRIDAY, APRIL 22, 1887.

Pressure of other matters of local interest has prevented an earlier reference to the Boil.T frauds a.iJ some very peculiar circumstances surrounding or connected with them, and were it not that other things remain to be cleared up, the wretched business—as far as we are concerned —would be allowed to drop out of mind as much as possible, unless other disclosures cropped up. So well had certain and sundry transactions affecting the Like County finances been kept from the vulgar gaze for yeais past, that it is no great wonder the revelations of the extent of the " irregularities' in the treasurer's department, as brought out in evidence in the charges made, should luve taken people by rui prise. We venture to say outsiders never dreamt that such a hideous skeleton would l>e found in the County closet, and the wonder is how Bui lt, without the connivance or assistance of anyone else, managed to escape detection to long. This feature evidently presented itself very forcibly in the Supremo Court to the mind of his Honor Judge Williams, who—after prisoner had pleaded guilty to eleven indictments, charging hiin with embezzlement and larceny—asked no less than three times how it was that the frauds had not beeu discovered until so late in the day. Both the Crown prosecutor (Mr Haggitt) and Mr Densistos, counsel for the prisoner, put forward different theories—Mr Haggitt's being that the Council had more money than they knew what to do with, whilst Boitlt's counsel took the hu!l by the horns, and boldly attributed it to the loose manner in which the County business had been conducted, «nd he also hinted that charges of a similar character could safely have lieen brought against one other, if i-ot more persons; but (as he said) thc-e fads would not help prisoner. One thing is icrtain, namely, that, whether legally guilty or not, Mr Daniel (exciiairman and treasurer) and his colleagues arc morally responsible for allowing such a state of things to exist so long under their very eyes. A few persons outside the Council Clumbers probably ki;c>v some months ago that there was a screw loose s unewheie, whilst we have little doubt that the County auditor, Mr Livingston (although, unfortunately, not possessing the assistiint-controllei's facilities for getting information), had known for years that he was being bamboozled* Even iu the Audit Office, Wellington, ttories were current roi apecting the fine tinea Mr £oclt had. and it* is

' asserted that no one there was greatly surprised on ! hearing the results of the researches of Mr Batkins, | the assistant-controller, at Queenstovvn. If such is i the ca9e, it is incumbent on the ratepayers to I demand still further enquiry into the history of | those frauds. We shall not now go over the evidence brought j out at the police court investigation iuto these ' frauds. It isnodoultt pretty well patent to the majority of the ratepayers from that evidence how j the ex-chairman and County inspector allowed I themselves to be hnrried up periodically by the ! clerk (who was boss of the concern) to s ; gn vouchers ! and other important documents as' soon as the | auditor was expected to drop in ; how this model I treasurer, who was specially deputed to deal with i an exhaustive letter from the County solicitor (pointing out pretty clearly that an amount put down as "Extras, £7"2"' for No. 4 contract, Skippers road, was not extras, hut was what has turned out to he the itolen deposit on that contract) coolly shirked his duty, saying he had not time to look after such matters. No wonder that with these temptations the unfortunate Boplt should have gone on to his ruin and disgrace.. For these and many other l:t~le games the Council as a whole is rrnrc or less responsible, but unfortunately the ratepayers are the sufferers. We can't, however, excuse the ex-chairman and treasurer who was supposed to know, and whose solemn duty it \v*i3 to become quite as well acquainted with the whole business of the County as the clerk. However, desirable it may he to have the elaborated swindle cleared up, it is hardly likely that much moie will be known of it. As to the rate book, a jury have declared that Boult hid not steal it, but unfortunately they could not assist, in laying hands upon the mm who did—and without that valuable document a large portion of the history of the frauds must remain unwritten. We know that Built, when fiist asked about the rate book, told the assistant-controller that it was taken and burnt; but his counsel at the trial denied the charge. There is one other matter that the County councillor', as a whole, ha*e treated with a certain amount of indifference, but which if they possess any self-respect they will take proper steps to have cleared up at their next meeting on Monday week. That is the question of the various damaging reports of the auditor, Mr Livingston. When two of these reports were brought up nt a meeting in July list, the councillors declared they were the only two ever seen by them, except one (dated, it appears, November, 188*2) which was shown to them by the chairman in a public house, and they naturally asked what had become of the others referred to by Mr Livingston. Mr Danikl (who was County chairman from November. ISSO, to November, ISS4, and treasurer from November, 18S1 till January last) there and then declared that he knew no more than the rest of the councillors. This statement he has reiferated more than once, and in his evidence on the 17th February he deposed, referring to these documents : —" When any report reached my hands I immediately laid it upon the Mble of the Council Chambers." The public, no doubt are inclined to believe the majority in this case, but it is the duty of councillors to do something more than making bare assertions, not only for their own sakes, hut in order to clear Mr Livingston of the slur implied by Mr Danikl's reiterations. At present they have not acted as innocent men should do. For instance, they never demanded to have a look at the rest of those reports, nor were anv st> pa taken with a view to interrogating Mr Livingston iby letter or otherwise) as to h<>wor in what manner his reports were delivered to the officer for whom they were intended. At the List meeting of the Council a question w as asked as to how many reports the and.tor had sent in, but no one seemed to lie able to sta'e. Will, the number of reports was sixteen—fourteen of which, we l>elieve, Mr Batki.n found in the Council oflices. We have been peimitted the pleasure of pemsini: eleven or twelve of them —ineluding thr.-e already published. The reports date from March, 187$, to December last, and two or | three were in existence before Mr Daniel took i office, but these are unimportant. Numerous objvciional transactions are referred to—some of i them puiiionable mistakes, and others of a shady | character. However, smie of the latter are passed | over, and we have only extracted portions pertinent | at the present time, and which are published in j another column, leaving our readers to draw their | own conclusions. One thing is p'etty certain. | namely, that l>y gross carelessness somewhere, little short of £.'?lM)i) of uncoil cted rates (at least i''2QOO ot which might have been obtained) has gone to the dogs.