Mr. Kinross's Case.

Poverty Bay Herald, Volume VI, Issue 705, 29 May 1879, Page 2

Mr. Kinross's Case.

Kinross's case occupied the Court all day yesterday. Messrs. Rees and Nolan prosecuted ; Messrs. Travers and Chapman defended. The Hon. Henry Russell sent a letter to Mr. Mansford, saying he could not attend through illness. Mr. Rees, in opening the case went at length into the proceedings before the Legislative Council in 1871, and after pointing j out the law on the subject of supplying Natives with spirituous liquors as consideration in payment for lands, Mr. Rees read from Mr. Kinross's evidence to support the charge- of paying. Mr. Rees occupied one hour. Mi\ W. W. Fates deposed to supplying the natives with large quantities of spirits when in Kinross's employ, but the spiritis were entered in books as so much money paid to buyers. In entering the spirits as money, the amount charged was more than the ordinary price of the article. He was aware of the illegality of supplying Natives with liquor as a consideration for land. Frank Bee, for several yeai*s bookkeeper for Kinross, stated that he often received money from Kinross and Mr. Graham, then his manager, to give to the Natives. At other times he had been handed slips of paper, supposed to represent goods and cash obtained by Natives. The

money supplied to Natives afterwards came back for the purchase of spirits. He had never known spirits to be served to Natives on credit, and had never known spirits supplied to Natives being entered as cash advanced. George Davies, storekeeper, deposed he had been storeman for Mr. Kinross, and afterwards had been a party with Kinross to several mortgages of Natives lands. Kinross cautioned him, when supplying liquor to Natives to enter it as cash. This witness went into a great many details as to the dealings of Kinross and himself with the Natives regarding their lands. During this part of his evidence which occupied several hours, it was alleged there was an arrangement between witness and 1 Kinross, by which the former supplied liquor to Native land owners, taking as payment orders on Natives shares in a number of blocks of land. Kinross honored these orders, and with them bought up Native land. When cross-examined the witness acknowledged having witnessed two deeds of purchase, knowing them to be deeds which practised deceit upon owners of land. Mr. Rees wanted the natives' evidence taken down in Maori and English. The case was adjourned till Saturday.