The Taranaki Herald. PUBLISHED ON WEDNESDAYS AND SATURDAYS. WEDNESDAY, APRIL 28, 1876.

Taranaki Herald, Volume XXIII, Issue 2301, 28 April 1875, Page 2

The Taranaki Herald. PUBLISHED ON WEDNESDAYS AND SATURDAYS. WEDNESDAY, APRIL 28, 1876.

A Very Serious Chabge has been brought against a Government official at the Waikato, which, if true, shows that a very loose state of things exist there. A person signing himself "James S.JSmall," who was formerly a Sergeant-Major iv the Engineer Volunteer Corps, sends to the Southern Cross the following extraordinary statement. He writes: — " In the event of undoubted frauds in the appropriation of public moneys being committed by a person in the public service, and such felony becoming known to a subordinate, together with abundant conclusive evidcuco to prove the commission of the same, and such subordinate, after ceasing to be so, sends a written report to the Minister at the head of the department to which he belonged, preferring said charges, at the same time acknowledging the possession of certain papers which he retained for the purpose of producing to the proper authorities, the said documents being complete evidence that a felony had been perpetrated, and the destruction of which documents would destroy all evidence of the aocused on one charge. The Government grants an inquiry into the charges, sending for that purpose one individual who holds his court, the persons present at any one timo during the investigation being only the accused, the accuser, a witness, and the president. While the case is proceeding the accuser feels convinced that the president is acting as if he were advocate for tho accused, inasmuch as together with a transparent leaning towards the accused, he, the president, will not permit the accuser to cross-examine an important wituess, also refuses to take note of certain questions and answers which the accuser requests the president to write down. About this stage the accuser then states to the effect that us he considers that the president is prejudiced against him, as he is not receiving fair play, being treated more as if ho were a criminal himself than a man doing a public service, such being the case he will not bring the remaining cases before that Court, not being inclined after what he had already seen to trust the documents out of bis possession into the hands of those before him, because if those papers were destroyed the proof of the guilt of. the accused would be blotted out. Under the circumstances ho would proceed to Auckland and lay a criminnl information, upon which he leaves the Court. The president then calls, out in a loud voice that the accuser (naming him) is not to be allowed near the building. Shortly after this all the witnesses about are called in en masse and informed by the president that the charges against the accused aro unfoundod and malicious ; that ho would write to the Government

to that effect. The accused then straightway I directed his steps to the local magistrate and charged his accuser with having stoleu certain Government documents. A warrant was at onco issued, aud tho accuser immediately arrested, marched to prison, and carefully searched, but without success, as far as regards the hungered-for documents. A search warrant is then issued to search a certain house, but tho weary hunters did not find the papers there. By some means they took to themselves wings and flew into the offices of the accuser's solicitors. But, to return to the accuser, he is lodged all night ns a felon in a common gaol. Next morning he is brought before tho magistrate and remanded; being admitted to bail, he proceeds to Auckland, and iv the course of time waits upon the chief of the police in that city and lays a criminal information against the person who has been spoken of in this letter as the accused. The chief of tho police makes a statement to the effect that he cannot take auy uction in the matter without instructions from the Government." Tho party referred to in the above as tho accused was a Corporal Craig, who was charged with stealing Government documents, but ou tho case coming before the Resident Magistrate at Ngaruawhia' it was dismissed. It appears that this Corporal Craig has private memoranda detailing discrepancies and errors aud general proceedings in connection with the military portion of tho Waikato railway making. Mr. Craig has evidently been a " Paul Pry " iv the office, and , if what he states be true some startling revelations will be brought to light.

Absenteeism is a great bane to any country. Those persons who are away from a Colony draw much of its life's blood from it and give but little in return. The Otago Guardian referring to tho subject says— "Some of tho absentees make a great merit of the farming operations they originated, and claim to have given an impetus to agriculture. The benefit was a benefit no doubt co long as it lastedThe farming is done now, and there are vast deserts of grass paddocks occasionally overlooked by a solitary horseman, travelling with a binocular. Another class of absentees are the merchants and foreign bankers, to whom properties of a similar character are hypothecated, and who in common with the other class, take every care that no more of their money than is absolutely necessary for the purpose of ' draining' remains in the countiy. Whilst this unrequited drain is going on, and vast tracts of land are monopolised, the Colony is improving itself. The State— that is, the people of the country — is making itself liable for vast sums spent upon developing its resources. As things are at present, the taxes are paid by the inhabitants alone. Thus the foreign merchants and bankers will come to enjoy an increased prosperity which-has been paid for by other people; and territorial absentees will become the owners of an unearned iucrcinent earned for them by somebody else.