THE HINE CHARGES.

Stratford Evening Post, Volume XXIX, Issue 126, 20 July 1911, Page 7

THE HINE CHARGES.

.During the course of his speech at Inglewood on Tuesday night, Mr J. B. Hi no referred to the above matter as follows: —“Then there arc the ■'Hino charges,’ and in connection with this matter I desire to draw your attention to the remarkable change of front, on the part of the Government. When hist I made the statements in the House that ‘Tammany had a grip of the politics of the country,’ there was such a howl from the Government side of the House; they held up their hands in well-feigned horror, at the same time expressing their opinion that my

statement was a, slur and a slander on every member of Parliament. They talked—as they always talk—about inuondo and misrepresonattion, were anxious to have the names to bandy about, and hoped such a case of infamy would not go unpunished. But what a change took place after the Parliamentary Committee was sot up, and the Government was found to ho implicated in some cases! Then the whole endeavour of the Government Party was to belittle the charges, to burke the question, .and to' protect the offenders. But in spite of all intrigue the committee was compelled by weight of evidence

to bring down a report recommending legislation to be passed preventing such transactions in the future. I am not going into any lengthy quotations from the evidence, but I cannot Jot this address go by. without lotting you know the difficulties a private member has in attempting to traverse any wrong-doing on the part of the Government. Take for instance the Te Akau case. Strong influence was brought to bear on certain witnesses to try and prevent their giving evidence, and in some instances were very successful. In connection with the •Te Akau block, lot me say in spite of the way in which we pride ourselves of having dealt fairly with the natives, tire evidence before the committee showed that Ministers of the Crown had dealt unfairly wijli a certain tribe, with the object of securing the lands they held. Then, again, in the Flax bourne case, a man named Tattle, formerly a clerk in Dr. Findlay’s office, was engaged and received £631 for 200 days’ work,, and what the work was no one seemed to know. One witness said he helped the cook and groom sometimes. And Dr Findlay was counsel for the Crown in this case, and signed vouchers for payments. Then there was the Ntu Nai estate purchased by the Crown. In this case the valuer for the Land Purchase Board was instructed to make a report and valuation, his value being £BO per acre. Attempts wore made to obtain a hig! ler valuation, but no evidence was tendered to show any other valuer’s report. Ultimately, without any further valuation, the estate was purchased for £l5O per acre, and it is to-day being used as grazing land. I have not the slightest doubt but what my action in revealing the condition of things as existing in prominent places will have your most generous approval and support, and 1 believe the result of the inquiry' will be a determination on the part of the people of the Dominion to return men to Parliament who are determined at all costs to uphold tile dignity of Parliament and the maintenance of a high standard of public life, and who will insist upon the country knowing the true position of all public transactions.”