THE HON. R. McNAB.

Timaru Herald, Volume XIIIC, Issue 13736, 28 October 1908, Page 7

THE HON. R. McNAB.

I XTEBVIEW WITH THE MINISTER. j Tlie Hod. R. McXab, Minuter of Lan<L«, ja.-sol through Tiniaiu by the tiiM trxj.ress for the south yester<Uy, en routo lor hi* electorate. He went a--> far as I tuned in yesterday, but- broke hU joumey at Waitaki to insect the Steward settlement. »hen the train on which the Miui>U-r travelled, arrived at Tiniaru, tlw Mayor iMr t'raigie) wet uuil welconu-d Mr McXab. The Minister of I-ands invite.! a ■* Herald" reporter to aecuinpany hint on hi* vL*it to tlie Steward settU-inent, anjl lha invitation wxs acivped. Chatting in the Ministerial car on the run down to Waitaki. tin* reporter pleanfd souk- item* ~f information worthy of b~in«r recorded in l.lack and white, but with charact.-riMß-prudence- Mr McN'ab was very guarded in the statements hj«» made for publication, and wan caivful to say nothing of a sensational naturv. ELECTION'S. Speaking of the elrt'tiiiw first. tin* topic which i< uppermost in the mind« of im»t peojdf at th.' pre*>nr time, the M.n----i-ter ivprtiNwl th<» optimistic predh turn* of hi" chief, who on Saturday la«t t»'d a "Herald" representative that tit— propert* «o far a* tb>* < lovrrnment- *»< »<n-cern-d. borv a iKcidedly hue. '1 he (Invernnienf vra* confident of suoce** at the |j.lN. said Mr McN'ab. particularly in the S.uth I-dand. "I think" lw said. "that, we have "-very reason to !»• pl-.vs.-d with th- (xcition in the South l*l.md, and we liiv.- no rra«nn to complain of the j»»-iiioii in the Xorth Island. "Hi* n»nti'>n*d that th«re *a very little - cnnijietif ion for " ,mc of the *-nt* in tlie south. and that m hi» ■ >wn elector.*!*' In* w.i« spjurvntly. to Jiave a "walk over." THE TIM AM* SKAT. " Ve«" lie "aid. in ropiy to a .iite<t ijoe'tion. "I think that tin- <;ov«-tn;nriit will win :!>•- lim.iru »■-at : i" ill «-\en!« I h<i|* he will." " Have you read tli** *!*♦** *>f ?*<*■ n r . f«-r *!»♦• iini.uu «• «* < t Mr McN J» tii it h- -. lu-n: f Miurf*. .iii-l i? him th.u» it JiL* Iti* u\\n tii** ii*'* nell - A f«»r tin* !:nn- \* !iaM- *'» -< v '* f ft lUU< It J-'omiUtl' •• Nt f»r:f Hihj. .'I;! )«M\> o(li»-n f.jtnllr im |»rt.*xtf. j: »> (it.illv rmtotii !»♦*«}. H«* *♦ in v*-:y §tr*»n,; "ft fhin;:* h n» —nwiv M a* Um» flm-* M- ..*'r "! \-t • r.iMfi. I Lrmr r* «!m; I <IM »h,y. f «**»* :n t!f •!*? :■ »! U"*'-'. ,vnil Mr e.iiiij.bfll. m.- « fh»» «.mf lsu» !?!*• i« r... T . »•* r- rv j«efi<.u« .m J h i » ::i * - :'v

be remedied after a little experience." THE MEIKLE FLASCO. Passing from local matters, to a qttesrion which has exercised the mind of a good many people, the .reporter asked Mr JlcNab it he could say why it was that lb*? Government proposed to give J. J. Meikle a further £SOOO after all be had been paid, and after he had given a receipt in full disc-hat ge of any obligation the country might have been under to him. The Ministers reply was as follows: "Tho Seddon Government- referred the whole question to a tribunal consisting of two fudges. They brought, in a finding which was perhaps rot the clearest, but so far as it could be interpreted, it indicated a pardon and compensation. The Meikle Acquittal Hill was to give effect to the first portion of this finding. In regard to the latter portion of it, a proposal was made to pay Meikle £SOOO. th>> sum being named to give tha House an opportunity of carrying the latter portion of the finding into effect if they thought fit. I know that exception has been taken to tlie form of the Bill and to the amount of the compensation, but it was as near an approach as the Government 'could se»% to give effect to the proposal of their own tribunal. It- would In? difficult for the Government to ignore the tribunal alter they liail set It Up. ilie Jruu.-c liaU ti»e rigUt, to act, at* ii pleased. It uuglit ue argued lii.ic Meikle stiouid have got nothing mole alter liaviiig given a cuui itveJpv. But that «;cs eluJlciy a d.tfciilil question to tile one as. to t\ bet tier £SUAI wa» i'« Jaige a MUil. Tlk- lelemicc ot thj case to a ComuiLssioti was a tltclaiation by the then Ministiy that the iccvipt in lull >ati-faction baa not absolved theui trom paying him mote. Tile Govenimeiil i-4iould give effect to the levomuicndauuiis of a Commission it sets up, as soon as possible, especially when Hie Commission is in the nature of a judicial tribunal. When tho Ward Ministry took office, ih.-y fouud thir* Commission silting and they did what they could to give etteci to n hat they coiisideied was its decision."

Hut dou'i you think that tin.- .sum pio |m«*i|. was excessive? "The Minister of Lands lias nothing to say on that i»>int. I exprexj in. opinion as to what I would have done had I bci-n, on the Commission." NO LICENSE AND POLITICS. Mr McXab said he liad been .struck with tin.- fact that in the South Island, in m. license electorates in the extucrne .south of the island thera was practically in. ..oiliest, and thete w;u* a great lack of interest in |xtlitu-al matters. He hardly knewwhy this «a.s »u, but he suggested that it was owing to the no license question having been Mettled iu these particular elec-U.iat-s, and having been Mrttlcd the Jeopie seemed to take little or no interest in the election without it. The-- remarks ap-plie-l to cletfolates wh-re Opposition candidates as well as Government stippiwteiswer c standing, >o that the lack of inU-rei*. could nt>t lie attributed to political "col our." If his suggestion was right, il.at th- settlement of tlie licensing ijnr.siioii took all fiom the election, it indicated the necessity of taking away licensing matters from the geiicial election, uf soon as jio.»-ible. LAND SALES. Asked concerning the n<tht that hail been given to Crown l.i.p. tenants t - acqutre the freehold, the .Minister said ii:al a. statement had lion made by Mr .' I't-n. in the south, touching this matter, widch was quite .iioneou*. The same jioint as Mr Alb-n raised, was brought up V.l.cn the Bill was going through ('oiniiiitt. e la-t year. Mr Allen had Muted ai t-tiiluii; that those Crown tenants who «t—Ji»— I to purchase the fieehold of their holdings eould only do so w hell til- pies, lit Value u.i« louer than tlie original value, ami that would mean a 10-s to the State. Mr Mi Nub said experience had proved that this was a eieat fallacy. As a matter of fa,-, th-te had b--en\>p to October V'. -ixt.en purchase* by l.i.p. t<nam« ab»i»'.titelv completed, and 91 woe in pn> :ir«. 11l ll"t a Mll-le ..-.• had the pur < be. n at a lower pri.•■• than that p.,id originally for lie land by the CoreimiH'iu. In four ...•« oil' of tlns sit. trcn compi-tcd puicba-es. the -lies had !.«■«■ n a! the same pri.e a- "as origin illy |siid. and in the fiici- the -ales «•:- ~t < hifher price than that nlli'llullv paid l.v (he Go.cinm-'iit. In v..in- on the in. r..i~- tan up 50 per ••ii* V-v install-r. oi»- -eition for uh:. h tin* (o.v. imnen: paid £2~ was v.1.l to the 'el,an: f..r £'.'•', and ill another the i.'i.-in.d j : i. ■• «..- r.-rm «h-i.- the x-ii,,,- p:,..- »..> £;■-•.? lhi« .'.."«• d t:.,.t t: ~:..-; M ...--ed t.v t!i- Oppoxjtion -a hen the I'.ill ••>>- m th.' Mr \a.-i: m .- -nti:.-:. •.;':..:■. • Mr M..Vat. nuttier v,i!i- -..a- ;* ■ r.\ ■■ ■t.,- -i, •:.. ':..!.!. •- in :!... 11..u- ■ -..!..; -.e r.:lt "!. : !: /..-.•• I .• r •■>. ■ ■■ •■- .-..11.r tie V M T.te.| :■..■• t:.;a- -o '- ,:•.->: • -'u- ..ri-.--i->! \ our V..-a- i\ -v '«.« •!..- f-1, i r.' -• n i lie. j •hrn.-r'c- ..' - !i- •■)! '

tunitv—to the extent.he had n<entioned—and no doubt ihev would have done so in greater but for the stringency of the money, marfat. REStBIED'ESTATES. Asked if there -weTe. any more estates sr.on to ba-Tesumed-for closer settlement puiDoser.. Mr McNab said the two nert to lie settled Vere Karroo, near Oamam, and the Carrington estate near Carterton in the XoTih Island. There -was no likelihood of the Land Purchase Board recommend'iris the Hakataramea estate for pnrrhase'bv the Government for close settlement. " Had . The Government boueht it when it m« first offered, the settlers who would in that- ra.e have been on id by now. would all have, been ruined by the disastrous snowstorm of last w' ,ter. He> could not sav how many sections th«re would V on the Knuroo estate, nor when the ballot would take plac.