DR NEWMAN'S CHARGES

Marlborough Express, Volume XLVI, Issue 262, 5 November 1912, Page 3

DR NEWMAN'S CHARGES

INTERVIEW WITH MRR. McNAB

INVERCARGILL, Nov.l. The Hon. ■B. McNab, who arrived on Monday from Australia, and has since been in the country districts, was interviewed regarding his political researches and incidentally invited to reply to Dr Newman's remarks in the House. Mr McNab said that such allegations had been cropping up at election ; times in the course of his political ' career, but he had paid little atten- | tion to them. In his so^e possession ; were the complete historical records iof this country. Unless obtained from ' him they could not be published. i Whether he edited these records himj self or handed them to the Govern- >. ment to be edited, he Avould still leave himself open to a charge of getting ; assistance from the Government. A ■, section of the press was of the opinion ' that Dr Newman had withdrawn his

• charges. That was not so, as he still maintained that the Government was * publishing his (Mr McNab's) research ' work, having thus amended his

original charge that he (Mr McNab) was receiving a salary. The statement that the Government was publishing his research work had never i been contradicted.

Pressed as to the actual position with regard to the Government historical records of which he was the editor, Mr McNab said that in the compilation of those, apart from his own work, lie would have been out of pocket to the extent of £500 a volume. In Australia the Labor Government was paying £150 per volume for the editing of their records, the records already being available and a great bulk of them typewritten. In addition, all the outlay on the part of the editor was refunded. The cost of compiling the historical records of New South Wales

in the first instance must have involved an enormous' sum. The Government of New Zealand' got its records compiled free. In the light of these allegations he was determined to cease editing the Government records. He had intended issuing No. 3, dealing with the French settlement of Akaroa.' This, of course, would not now be done. He was the only possessor outside the French Government of the despatches Bent by the French commanders ~to their Ministers. Some of the extracts had been utilised in the latest volume of his book, but to deal with them exhaustively would take an entire volume. Probably he would publish a book later on having to do with the French voyages and explorations on the New Zealand coast. Such a book would command a large circulation, if published in French, as it would it published in English. If such a book were written, he would publish it,in America. •