A Grave Political Scandal

Tuapeka Times, Volume XLV, Issue 6136, 11 February 1914, Page 1

A Grave Political Scandal

PUKCHASE OF TITLES. PEERAGES AND KNIGHTHOODS. LONDN, February 4. The sensational statement made by Sir George Kekewich in October last| that titles were sold to political and other favourites has been corroborated b v Mr 1). A. Thomas, ex-member for Merthyr Burghs. In the course oi a recent speech Mr Thomas said that ot ton men who hud changed their political leanings siueu 1906 he was the only one who had not received either office or honours or title. One gentleman had agreed to ,imy for his knighthood in three instalments, but, unfortunately for the party funds, ho discontinued the payments after the first one. Mr Thomas instanced the case of a whole family who had changed their politics, and said that two peerages had gone to that family (the Wimbornesj. Under the present system a member of Parliament had to go the whole hog or be ostracised.

,MR BOWLES'S DISCLOSURES. THE COST OF A PEERAGE. i BAKOiYETCIIiS HAWKED BV BROKERS. Februury o. Mr Gibson Bowles, who has sat both with the Liberals and the Conservatives, has supplied u cundid review oi the alleged purchase of titles. Ho usserts that the Conservative party fund which in lbjtt totalled £i!0,000, rose to £BO,OOO in the nineties, and that the Liberal funds, which were very low in IS7C, reached £7OOO in 1877, and stood at half a million in PJOI. It is now estimated at £4,000,<J00. Ho declares that £jSo,UOO has been paid for a baronetcy, and anything from £.150 - 000 to £400,000 for a peerage. Mr Bowles further says that on one ooousion some correspondence passed between the Chief Party Whip and a w#uia-be peer. The latter refused pay tho required contribution for th» honour. The Whip thereupon wrote expressing- a fear that bis claim to a peerage would not be considered. The disappointed applicant, fj however, threatened to publish the correspondence if his name was not included in the next list of birthday, honours. When the list was finally published his name duly appeared. Mr Bowles also usserts that Citybrokers tout for baronetcy honours, their terms being £,IOOO down, with £,t)000 to be lodged in a specified hank if the honour is given, besides 10 percent, commission for the man who introduces the businese.