LAND OFFICE SCANDALS.

Otago Witness, Issue 2686, 6 September 1905, Page 19

LAND OFFICE SCANDALS.

SYDJNEY, August 29. i The extradition of Willis has been applied for at Durban in connection with the Land Office scandals. August 31. i At the Lauds Commission evidence was given m connection with a batch of leases in ihe Bat hurst district. This disclosed : that all the leases for which Willis acted I as agent were rushed through, as the ie- j suit of i^ie pressing action of the Under j secretary of Land.?. The leases were i named in a special Gazette- prepared after • midnight 011 a day when land matters were not usually published. **" The Government Printer gave evidence that be had demanded Executive authority I before he published the Gazette. He did this because there were so maaiy unusual ' things done about that time. September 4. Before the Land Commission J. B. Stephens gave evidence that what pur- j ported to be his signature to a document : taking up a certain lease was a forgery, j He gave no authority to take it up, nor j had he paid any money in connection there- j with. He declared that the evidence he j gave when previously before the coinniis- J sion was all false. Hoskins, station manager for Willis, persuaded him to give false evidence.