THE TREASURER AND THE TELEGRAPH DEPARTMENT.

Otago Witness, Issue 2171, 3 October 1895, Page 22

THE TREASURER AND THE TELEGRAPH DEPARTMENT.

REPLY TO MR BAHNSHAW'S QUESTION. WKr-LiNOTON, September 30. In the House to-night Mr E*rnbhaw asked Mb question wh*thtt the Poßtra<\»lof-genc-al will lay before tho House the icsti ucfn us issued by the Telegraph department to ib} officers re ihe forwarding of telegrams ta and from the Hon. Mr W»rd aad his firm in Invercargil), or if the following; iasi ruction ha<i D<^eo JB»ned to officers of the Telegraph <i«-p*rtmeat : "All telrgrams, wkether urgent, oiviuary, or dulajod, to and from the Hon. Mr >V*rd and his firm at Inyerc*rgiU are to b« given p>-e-ccdfnc«, and transmiited accordirgly. — W. Gkay." The Hon. Mr Ward said no fuch inslruefc ; oafl a? those oi.tained in this qu^lion were ever given, nor vra? ho aware that any such iuMructions had beeu seufc to any part tf the colour. He s«,id, however, that wh(3n he arrived in Wvllintftoti on the dUy after the lito Mr B*lln.be- d;«d. as fcbe result of n« g .tiations which n<~c* sst-rily bad to piocve.d concerning ths reformation of tbe fifiaifltry, and &Uo w!fc^ r*fefeucv» to the pofhiou io the Ministry which was ortcicd him (Mr Waul), ho found it &e«t>ss:iry to nuke namtiron-s inquiries in connection wi:h v*riouß branches of the ba!.if.o->s with which he wns covneetord in the e< a L h ao to whwthrr Ye co'ild acwpt lh* apj) 'iut.neut he now held. As a matter of nerc-sifcy b r c ammuiiiciHo'ii. in ivf-lr fco Lis ine*-ag<"( had to bo forwarded to Wellington with th- grea'c fc possible dts,atcb. Ho then, as ho had nl^aya done since, paid fc->r any fcelegrsms of a private nvfcnre. A\l tfcle^r»ai» to or/r>in his own firm b*d bcon p»i.l for in the u*ua' wsv. At t^e time to whidi he referred bfl a--ked (hi head of the 'JeVgnvjh dopattmw.t thut fcos u'tnott de^ijatx'h and preci d'li^o ahouLl bu givin to a1!a 1 ! ttl-'gJMns 6fn^i to him, and tbia wistJie o»iJy ccca*-K.n on wbieh any >-uch r^qii'S 1 ; was ever mado by him. Private telegrams between himself aud bis firm in liiTfrcrtrgill wb>n prompt de»patch was nectsnary had iuvari«bly kxea paid for at double ratfs. Since this q-!e?tion | had b-'tri jMit on the Order Paj>T ho hed, ts a re«ulfe of it-quiry, fo.md thai, the msni^erof It's firm iv lnvt.-ic^rgi!l \\ml no knOivliiTge nhzb'v.v j of any priority Lciag infi>nn(d fco lw tw ony telegram? bcAween the fi-m and himvJf. When he (tbp manager) wished to communicaite rcith him with despatch, he alvsays paid for snob telegrams at double ordinary ratfs. lie also fouud, ou irquiry from his private secretary here, who was responsible for the donpfctch of any fcs!egrams from fafs office h(W, that all hit prirate telegrams bad bten paid for in the ordinary way. He had nob, as a Minister of the Crown, done anything wrosg, nor h*d he in the alighteifc degree used h"s officisl position for private gain ; quits the reverse. Huwever, iv respect to this matter a very serious question ans>, arid that was as to tho tccrttary of the Tele.gr.-iph department. It asust b3 beyond question that someone who wa« to i an officer of the falegrsph branf-h Icci.fccd in Welltn^Un could alone have furnished the infamrvtion which warranted the hon. member for Dun- din in puttii g such a question to him. He did not belit-vo ho was the person who was first confided iv. Dr Newman asked a qu-stion in the flrefc insts!,cethi« session, and tohitnhega.veastiaigbtforward reply. Ie w.»s for Dr Newman to nay t»li.-thor I.""- was cofrni-i j n'/ of lii i ma't»r b 'fo e it p.i-s'd tj Mr liiriiFh >w. Tlii? ivi t )>rt<m6 fact-, h w«^v«r, rMatniutd : .tfjab any otlier P' rson tr< n^artirg biifimfla through tho Te.)<graph dpfa'tni-nt might find hitnfielf in the prsition if having srere't; and confHenthl mattera disclosed. Leaving himself oat of tho qu"rt on, wts it an honourable or proper thing for any member of the House to be, directly or indirectly, in league with an officer of the Telegraph departmeut, wh-> hp.d bt<»n sworn to secrecy, with a view of inducing him to commit a serious breach of trutt with tho object of I injviriDg tho QovcraEagel; »-nd tho Minlßfeer. in '

charge of the department f He then read to the House tho memo, be had Bent to Mr Gray, aoaretary of tho department, asking whether there was anything to warrant snob, an imputation being made. Mr Graj, iv reply, forwarded t.vo menus. One waa fiora O. C. Rob-rtscn, offiivr iv charge, Wellington, under date 30/9/95. said : " i'Le statemeufc is untoundtd. No buc!i thing takes place." Tiio other was from J. W. Wilkin, ebief postmahtur at Invcioargill, who said : "The J. G. W»rd Faroipra' Assoeiution goneral budneßS tck'giams havo nofebcea wt-s.ted oxi'eptioua'lv aS this office, but have alwayd b.ou trati6mittt d ia tho order of tther privato tclrtgraUiS." This was dated SO/9/95. In connection with tb/s matior, be wou d like to pay that personally his conscience was clear, and he hr.d nothing to fear. At tho mima true ho would aok tho House to iu-ist on tho hon. merabar giviug some explanation as to Low he beeamo posfesed e-f a memor*ndurn of the head of the dopartmenb, and m to tho source of tho information, aud further that tue name of fcha officer who gave the information shou'd be diuclm.od; otlerwi-e neither the public, the Ministry, nor auyono cUe was safe, and he had a right to demand that whoever he was should be publicly URnie-d - not in his (Mr Ward's) own interest, but in tbo ir.t.wt of tho ccontry. Tha seriousness of tbo imp'it»:d charge had rendotod it noc<.-..a4ry for him to go fully iu>o th^ mttttr, and with the cxoUmVion now given be trusted tb^t b >lh his poiibicvl foej acd friends would rcqut him of beinj the cltss of man who would for a paltry few si i!ling3 to b-i saved by tho company wit'i which ho wa3 co*-ufc'eel twiiish Lib political honour. li.vor»h^ t>ie losiliur. — be it a iT.emb.-r of tho Oi>[v fii(io-i or a u;«ftitv-r of the lloii'C wiio v^'.uu'l \us o«u name a< d reputtticn —if M>y nffie. r t>f U>o fs.<jivi •«, or a;iy oth< j r {Hrst'ii, camo to ban wibb. iof(.>rnv»(riju which only could be g«v. v by bre.^iug bii oaih and of ail honour, ho should lefu^o to sccopt it, !or to act in any way upoti it. Ttut wns his linswev to ths hen. n,o-»b«r's queeton. Dr Nowiaan said hn bad not spoAOU (o Mr Kirnshcw ou the s^bj- o\ The flvsi bwi ku«w of iho qut-Mion w»b when he eatt it on tbe Order P-per. Tho Hoti. Sir Wivd s-.id ho w?s glaJ to byeav th'j hvti men b- r >ay thst he ac^i-tid hia ttatemeiit. Mr Isari"h\wb' - »rec.ut whuA Dr Newmin just s*id. He (Rfv Ka'rsha'*) put the qu»»r ; on on tha Or>'ec I-*;.{y»r w\ L*+ r»vn r-c*x»iiH;JHi.tr, Atul h>\ w -\.l Ipf j'u-.i tiy :t. tf'; rcfu-t'l nb/ !iJ'o!y io | pay w" 'it hi* k.rtf Mid who ; \.\ia tf'.o 'ii{■nn:.ii n. U i i.a-1 ftiven Mr Vi'.-ir'l every j op;.oi'>\iJ ity to ii sw.r n o'-.M^.i Ihtb w>.o a!lo*t irvm tlw U nff l« t^e North CUpp. Hie Hon. Mr Watd : I said etiuUftctly that I m vcr gave nor wa» av»arc of tho tx\stm:« of ?ny such order. Duiiog the dii<cuf>sH)u on a motion for the adj- u'iitii«;nfe o? tie Rt<>tt*<?, Mr Earußhp/w reft nod to Mr WmVs reph bo his qa« s i-jn rcf pcctio'i tbe Tr-l^graph d< p^rtmeot. He c*&id tho Treftiurir vraa vwy m>io of tho mark vrheu h© ekAi-ged the WfeliiiMtoo. officials of t^e rtepa*tr»w t with giving bin* this uifovra^tv n. His (Mr Karj)*bA:v'!i) infoim-^ion vra« obtahtcd very far frcm Wulliuj;Uin, a»d tk«i wbole thing waa ki\o«n frc«a AnckUnd to tho Dluif. II« cbasgfd tbo Treasurer with b*.vitg c*tab'iv-hf«d iniquittu* uiqui«^Dß s n hss dws.rtlaent, and bn a»**t;d tli*6 this iitet«octß-u vpjs issued t» tbe drp»rtfji*n4 and was in fewe* till he put his qne*fcie>:i ou tbe O*d«r Fujxtr, no mattor Kbab Mr W*r<i s-vd tj five oostnuy. The Tfe^ture* b*tl sidmiVSed hia itat-iment, iuid alSluiiigh ha mvd? Tv m i«t tv.sive rejily he ro^de no att( mpi to <^e^iy the allfgttion he (ULc Earu&b*w) h&>\ nmle Tko Hon. Mr Ward deprecated tb« aW*cka so evju^t*r,tly made on Inn by rmm^ra in tlvi H»'iHo *nd th* nreM «f th* coJooy. He bai'd 'hat dtiriug Kia political c-nvon Iw h-vd never iutiulgrd in Mtrlbutirig motives to hie fallow manju'.ers surh ish we<e ufnd towards hiva. There wero iiit»b-ni bolh sidca of fehu Hovwo who aeJrnitfc*Ki tlat ho fead b* n nnf*iu-iy attacked, bat lia w^» f/We to bc4d kia o*wi »gain>t frbeaa mvf»i* aiUoko. With rosfecb to Mr E-<.ruAh:vw'* qwMJcn, ho wid they feniDd n«\*ppjpera ond rah\{ ti»u teforo ho had a chance of dofondm^ himself. He ag»in uaaexieel that no 6\i< v h inslruotion aa rufvrrv d to ia Mt Eirn* haw's qu<',tt ; ou t»x3 insmed by him, nor did he know that i*, waa issued.