MR STOUT'S CHARGES.

Temuka Leader, Issue 1231, 23 August 1884, Page 3

MR STOUT'S CHARGES.

In hi* speech during the no-confidence dabste, the Hon. Mr Stout made several charge* against the late Government, stating that it was to hide their deficiency that the (Stout- Yogel) Ministry was not to be allowed to remain on the Government Benches. In its issue yesterday the Timaru Herald, which has com* out in a new character—that of special pleader for the Atkinson Ministry—give* the following explanation:— . M He (Mr Stout) pretended to have discovered all sorts of enormities during the three days he bad been in office, and h* roundly charged Major Atkinson with having misappropriated gr*at sums of public money, and Mr Rolleaton with having suppressed and made away with important official correspondence. The plain fact is that Major Atkinson's alleged misappropriations are fnlly and perfectly, and candidly accounted for in the last financial statement. They amount to neither more nor less than this: The cost of renewing the lines of railway and obtaining rolling stock exceeded the earlier estimates by about £410,000, and the Government wisely ©r unwisely spent that amount on those purpose* and informed Parliament of the fact, and obtained the necessary sanction in the ordinary course. As for Mr Rollesion’s abstraction of official documents, it is an open secret that the AgentGenera] forwarded to the Government for information copies of a long and acrimonious private correspondence between the New Zealand Shipping and the Shaw-Savill Albion Company about the direct steam service, and asked that it might not be published. This correspondence was detached from the official despatches and placed in charge of tbe Secretary of the Cabinet fer the information of any Ministry who might be in office. This is the iniquitious abstraction of public documents which MrStout charges Mr Rolleaton with being guilty of. It is satisfactory to find these accusations bad no effect on tbe House, but were received with incredibility and indignation.”