LAND HOARD INCIDENT.

Otago Daily Times, Issue 14684, 18 November 1909, Page 8

LAND HOARD INCIDENT.

A MEMBER'S GRIEVANCE.

(Fnoii Our Qwn Correspondent.)

_ WELLINGTON, November 17. A vigorously worded petition has been pic.rented to Parliament by Mr Eustace Lane, representative of the Crown tenants on the Ha-wke s Ray Land Board l , against his ejection from a meeting of the board at the instance of the chairman on October i- j itll-hough the petitioner offered to submit to the ruling of the chair if endomed by a resolution of members present. Ihe circumstances of tho ejection were fully reported at the time. The petitioner states that he was illegally ejected and deprived of his seat, and the botiid t-lien became illegally constituted, and its business has since been irregularly conducted. In the future, as in the past, it may be his-duty to point out the loss and annoyance which may result to Crown tenants through incompetence, irregularities, inconsistencies, illegalities, injustices, and indecisions; but under existing conditions the petitioner is deprived of his right-, and to claim it by further attendance would be to court a recurrence of \iolenc6 and compulsion. The chairman has stated publicly that as. Commissioner of Lands lie has to act on instructions apart from those of the board l , and some ilistrudions are on record as Cabinet instructions to the board itself. The chairman has stated publicly that as Commissioner of Lands he may withhold correspondence from members of the" board. Therefore, your petitioner humbly sheweth that a board which has no rules, regulations, power to issue instructions, or instigate all details and correspondence, and the members of which are subject to the dictation of the chairman solely as to what they may say or refer to, has no constitution, and is not the creation of your honourable House, but a bogus board a farce, and a waste of public moneys,—and therefore your petitioner seeks a* parliamentary investigation of the several matters referred to as critically affecting the men he represents, and seeks from you that protection which you intended to bestow, with the privilege and right you granted to Crown tenants of a seat on a real land board which you created, and not on a dummy board which your petitioner sheweth to exist.

The petition was presented by '• Mr ifassey.