MR. FISHER DOES THE RIGHT THING.

Wanganui Chronicle, Volume XLIX, Issue 12593, 6 September 1905, Page 8

MR. FISHER DOES THE RIGHT THING.

EXPRESSES HIS REGRET TO THE PREMIER AND CAPTAIN SEDDON. BUT, IN .THE INTERESTS OF JUSTICE, DEMANDS A PUBLIC INQUIRE.

Pci p Press Association. "WELLINGTON, September 5. Lato this afternoon Mr. Fisher, M.H.H., forwarded the following letter to the Premier:— Sir, —In reference to the report of tho Auditor and Controller General upon a charge made by me of a payment to Captain It. J. S. Seddon at Christchurch last year, I wish now to inform you that I have very carefully weighed tho evidence attached thereto, and aa a result I am desirous ox I carrying out my expi essed intention by taking that course which would seem reasonable and honourable under the perplexing circumstances. First, I desire therefore to express to you and to your son my deep and sincero regret at the unfortunate position in which you have been placed, and I wish to assure you that I freely and frankly accept tho decision of the Auditor-General, so far as the charge of a payment to Captain Seddon is concerned. Second, I wish to assure you that at no stage in the proceedings was I actuated by persona! motive, either against yourself oi" Captain Seddon. I had in my possession evidence such as no public man would disregard, and I believed then 1., and continue to believe that I acted ir. accordance with the trust reposed in me by my constituents. Third, tho evidence taken by the Auditor-General still, however* leaves ground for a public inquiry. Whilst it completely exonerates Captain Seddon, it leaves us icbnfronte'd with the fact that tho document handled by Messrs. Willis, I/arconibe, West, and Lundon was in existence, and, accepting the denial of Captain Seddon, must havo been signed "R. J. S. Seddon" by some person who, in the interests of common justice, should be tfnrrarere'l. Fourth, I submit, fur-

ther, that we have a right to presucuto a most searching investigation, m order to discover tho origin of the document handled by my witnesses, and if it still exists, ascertain its present whereabouts. Fifth, that accepting tho certificates of the departmental heads as being accurate, does not tho evidence of my witnesses provo conclusively that a duly certified voucher has been in existence, has been handled by four competent men, was signed by one "R. J. S. Seddon,." and apparently paid, and all without tho knowledge of those in authority. Sixth—Does all this not point most conclusively to the fact that an illegal document has been in existence, and that on that docuriient there was signature which, in tho face of tho evidence, must have been a forgery? Seventh—l have unbounded faith in tho testimony of Messrs. Willis, Larcombe, West, and Lundon, and it ia now due to them (an you recently held it was due to Messrs. Hey wood, Collins, and Grey) that this matter should be effectually cleai'ed up', and this I submit can only bo done by an exhaustive , public inquiry. I sincerely trust that this letter will remove the matter entirely from that sphere of personality with which it has, unfortunately, beebmo associated, and I go further and suggest that it has now become your duty, as Prime Minister, to sift this matter to the bottom. I may add that I am handing this, letter to the newspaper Press for publication.