THE MINISTER OF LANDS AND JUDGE KETTLE.

Wanganui Chronicle, Volume XXIX, Issue 12287, 23 December 1897, Page 2

THE MINISTER OF LANDS AND JUDGE KETTLE.

Mr Pirani Speaks OutAnd the Premier Threatens. (N.Z. Time?.) When the item Justica Department, .£240, wa3 reached in the discussion of the Supplementary Estimates on Tuesday night, Mr Pirani renewed his attack un (he Ministry, observing thit'auumb;r of Magistrates in the colony Had had \ their salaries raised, and that Distiict Jad^e Kstfcle's remained unaltered. This, j ha eaid, was grossly unfair, and in a heated spaecb nfwred to it a3 baiog ac tutted by rejengp. This brought the Premier to his feet. He denied th it either he or his colleagues had any feeling of spite agaicat Judge Kettle, who had been offered a rse in eakry tn'coma to Wellington, but for some inacrafcablo reason he refused the offer, being seemingly infatuated with Wanganui. He (the Premier) didn't know why. Ha expressed hiimelf tired of hearing Judge Kettla'e nama in that House, and thought that officer's friends were very badly advieed in drjggiup it In time after time. They had aleo offered him the position of Judge of the Validation Court at- tJisbarne. (Mr Pirani tbsolubely denied that statement, and 'the Premier repeatad it time after time.being met each time with a point-blank denial from fche member for Palmerston, who chal'enged proof in writing) The Premier said be could prgduce telegrams j 1 support of his asseriion that Judge Kettle had baen offered a iJgOO rise to go to Gisborne, but as the understanding was tb,at if judge Jfrttle took tho posi* tion Judge But on would have to go. the former hid absolutely refused the off-tr, He (the Premier) admitted that Judge Settle bad been actuated by highspirited motives in his refusal. He objected to Judge Kettle being made a pjlitiol shuttlecock, however, an! if the Minister of Justice, toot his advice he would offer him the Wellington p isitiou, and if he lef used he would say, " You can go." This agitation was ill-advised on the part of the friends of Judge Kettle, as instead of doing him good it would da him a lot of harm, Subsequently Mr Seddon expressed tbe opinion that two Magistrates at Wanganui were unnecessary, and that he intended to move in the direction of abolishing the District Court Judges, Several officers in the Government servioe had been championed by the member toe Palmerston, and it had done them no good, He had done Jud?e Kettle more hatm that day than he would be Pble to do him good if he arrived at the ago of Methuselah, Further argument of a tv quoque character took place, and the Premier announced that they did not intend to lay the Kettle corraspoudence on the tfabK but the Cabinet bad decided that an enquiry ehould b 3 held ia accordance wifch the wiahea of Judge Kettle, Mr Pirani said Judge Kettle had not asked for an enquiry, but that the correspondence should bo laid on the t»Ue, and that the Minister oE Lands should withdraw hiß allegations and apologise. The Premier : Do you make that statement on the authority of Judge Kettle ? Mr Firani :■ Address the chair. The'Prgmter repeated the question and got the same answer. He thereupon said if the member toi Pa'.merstda North made such a statement ha would confute him with Judge Kettle's latter asking (l) That the correspondence should be laid on the table, or (2) that an enquiry should be held. '