THE REMUERA LOAN.

New Zealand Herald, Volume XLIX, Issue 15132, 24 October 1912, Page 8

THE REMUERA LOAN.

:'.■,'.: ~: ■•-. ..T, .;.. ■■ .J;'..!.;;.,. ■';,.' !■:; - -.'-v..'; .VS-.vr' ':' -'" ;; ..v'rJ MR; CA WKWE EXAMINED. | THE INCIDENT 0? THE SPEECH •., MR.- DICKSON'S EVIDENCE, ; ';inr VSLESSXeBU—SBXS& ASSOCIATIOX.3 "Wjoxracxojr, Wednesday, The Public Accounts Committee continued it»:• inquiry;-to-day,> and fed -, further en-? dcnce as ; to the Jfcmuera Boad Board loan. Mr. C. A. Cavffcwell was, he said, «m answer to Sir Joseph * Ward, chairman of the Bemuera Bo .d Board in 1911. The Board asked for a loan of £85,000, -which was applied ■ for; in r, March or .April, and provisionally, approved in May. 'No political influx ') was used 'in regard ;to the loan. The Board simply made application, andtheloan was approved. The loan was necessary for the operations of the Board. The money "had to he obtained somewhere, and the Board naturally got the money from the 'source whence it was available. ■ Sir Joseph Ward: Could you haver got the money elsewhere? "■" " :■'.':'':,.'■ ;>' Witness: No. ; Ho added that the;water and drainage systems were then absolutely necessary, arid hut for the raising of the loan and the, prosecution -of ' the ' works there would,, in the opinion of the ; health officer, have been - loss of ' life" in the district. ' '. ' .'•/'. . /.. -. , ' _ Giving'the Men a Holiday.

'-•" Witneiiß continued that he Was a membev" of Sir John ; Findlay's Election ; Committee. - On one occasion he addressed the men while the rain was pouring in torrents. He was asked it he . would give them a holiday. -He told the foreman he could do what he liked. ; He told him i! "They are men, not dogs, and the best thing you can, do ;is to give them: a holiday." i-.He never suggested that Sir John Findl£y;would, pay- for-the holiday. He had.no auihority from Six. John' Findlay to say'he'would pay'for it. -No wages had beenppaird r to •the ;r men outside ' the 'Board. hHe-Vunderstbodrthat the: wages the men; for that day; had ;beeh paid by the Board. j. There' a strike among the general i labourersf"ih Auckland, and the strike extended,' to Remuera, Road : Bcjitrd workers, He - wanted to get oa with the drainage ; works, and applied to the State-guaran-teed Advances Department for an advance.; Up to.that time:they; had had no advunce.x He went to Sir John Findlay and told him that" unlessi/they 'got -a -loan "-they could not go.;■ On with the work. - He. understood that Sls" John; Findlay telegraphed ;to WelIhigton urging;an advance, and the Board three days after the second ballot received a; portion of' the loan oh account. Sir Joseph Ward; ■ When you addressed the men on the occasion referred to, did-, you advise them to support the" then Government? - '>• '■'■ ■■- - v :WitoesS; said he considered it would be: advisable'■■ to '/.'that Government in j "power, and get cheap money. The Board . ft:v_ other, work coming on. -. Misisterial Influence Again Denied. . . ■}. In reply to questions by various members' of 'the committee, ; witness emphatically re. iterated, his -belief.:-.th&fc; ;^^no Ministerial influence was used, and that the loan, had-j not influenced the result of the election. '•. J -To the' Hon; J. Allen: Witness said it was' about ■ three days: before the second i ballot-that he addressed the men. He suggested to the foremen that as the men I were wet through they should get a holi-; day." _* ' ** /"■ Mir. "-Alien: Can you giVe me any in« stance in which the ; men on. these Works have had a holiday on full'., pay? , v.' Men Did Not. Know Result of Deputation. ■:••: .Witness: They have-not'- ,/ope before: ■ss-'-jSt:: a5-i '' t^ontihuing,.:he. ! said he- did. not know that the men whom he addressed were: aware of the reply re--;ceiyed from Sir John: Fhjdlay that the,loan .would.be expedited.-;;y Hedid hot make the .reply public, "or get anyone else to make, it known- among the men- :" Tliesa things get about," he added. , ' •i - In; addressihg the men he stated, that, the next Government ; :wouid probably, ac- ; cording vto its '!prGnosneed.:*poHcy, refuse any more advances. .'.When : he addressed ■! the -men ,he : knew„thafe the' loan: was as- • rared, but/he did hotsay-so. t* ■:'-"•■' ■■■;:,■"! To Sir, Joseph Ward:.ln October, long ' _ before the ; deputation waited oh Sir John.l -Tmdlay.,ißking him/ to assist/them 'ih get- i >tingyibe - advance of ;T£losOQ,f the {• Board j had written to the Advances; Board 4 ; mak- j ' ing : representations as :to the necessity or expediting the loan which had J then been 1 provisionally approved. Sir John Finday was nptritt New Zealand at the time : the-lean was applied for. Witness had /at no time, communicated with any -Minis'-/ ter ;iri connection * with an-application for the lean. Several of the members of the ; Road Board were working for Mr. Dicksoai r (Sir! John Findlay l o opponent), and ho exception taken, to it. : It was the usual custom /for the chairmen -of - local bodies to take an : -active -intei'est in elec--tionS.' .•; 'J ■{'■;.- '■'■■''■ : '■ ,= ' "'/■".;.:'-/./"-;-/ '■.

Evidence of Sir John Tindlay's Opponent. : ; Mr. J. S; : Dickson. M:P.:fbr Parhell, said that an employee: of the Board told him he;, had been, advised ' by. the chairman that he had better not*'support. his (Mr. Dicksoft's) candidature. /;>Subsequently the employee. in-question .resigned from' his (Mr. Dickson's) committee. He knew nothing about the deputation ; rom < the Road Board (of which he was a member) to Sir John findlay urging him to obtain an, advance fof £10,000 "on the loan. " '/"//// / ■".* , /'To Mx. Myers ::;;lt;v¥as /a/ matter of' urgent necessity to prosecute the drainage ■and waterworks, Which would riot' have been carried out but for the loan which the Board applied for. - ' . fo Mr. .Hanari: it/was".not an: urgent necessity to get £10,<W before the elec- : tion. TOie Board had!-applied for a* afl. ; vaaice of. £8200. for /January,;.- and? could mi'Q carried on until then. The request for £10,000 was made to Sir John Findlay w?,th the object of supporting his candidature. ; The works would riot have stopped if they had not obtained the money. ■ 'To Sir Joseph ; Ward: He " thought the loan was approved before lie was a 'member of the Board. - When he became a member- he approved of the loan. He did ;; not; know the amount of the liabilities 'of .the .Board-, at ..the time of the interview with Sir John Findlay. • He knew that I employees of the Board; were working in I his interest. dnring. election. He did not think, that was wrong so long'as it did/ interfere with /their work.' He I did not think it a wrong thinr> for the chairman of the Board to take part in ! elections. :■::./;-": ■'. .';'■'!, ' I-' The committee adjourned until" tomorrow.. .'"-'■;.■ ■./:'*;