W. N. WILLIS.

New Zealand Times, Volume XXVIII, Issue 5890, 4 May 1906, Page 5

W. N. WILLIS.

EXTRADITION ORDERED. PIETERMARITZBURG, May 2. The extradition of W. N. Willis, who is alleged to ho implicated in illegal land transactions in . New South Wales, has been ordered on all charges.

FURTHER APPEAL. (Received May 4, 0.31 a.m.) SYDNEY, May 3.

Tho Attorney-Gsperal has received a cable message from Durban, stating that Willis has appealed to the Full Court against the granting of extradition. The oaso will probably he dealt with early in Juno.

As an outcome of evidence given last year before the Commission of Inquiry into the administration and transactions of the New South Wales Department of Lands, warrants were issued in August charging William Nicholas Willis, George McNair, and Bernard Hoskins with conspiracy. McNair and Hoskins were promptly arrested, but when the police. sought Willis it was found that he had flown—to South Africa. An. urgent message was sent to Durban—the destination of the steamer Commonwealth, on which Willis was discovered to be—and when the vessel reached the Natal port Willis was placed under arrest. Extradition was granted by the Magistrate there, bnt an appeal by Vvulis was upheld, and it appeared • that Natal was legally constituted a haven for fugitives from justice. However, owing to communications between the authorities in New South Wales and the Crown law officers in Natal, Willis was re-arrested early in March, and extradition proceedings again instituted. A second appeal was made by Willis, and it is this application that has now been refused. Tho charge against Willis, McNair, and Hoskins is that they unlawfully conspired together to make use of one J. B. Stephen® to make conditional purchases of certain land in the district of Coonamble, otherwise than for the nse, benefit and advantage of Stephens. Evidence given before' the Land Commission showed that for years the name of Willis had' been one to conjure with in connection with Crown lands transactions, and that there was little prospect of success in applications for State lands without: the assistance of—and the payment of substantial fees to—the same Willis. Indeed, one witness before the Commission said ho heard “Go to Willis” whistled everywhere.