THAT VOUCHER.

Wanganui Herald, Volume XXXIX, Issue 11724, 27 November 1905, Page 4

THAT VOUCHER.

*' v o ■ ■ ■- '.' 1. They have either knowingly stated what was untrue; 2. Or have been hoaxed by someone in some way lodging a bogus voucher in the Christchurch Pobt Office; 3. Or have, deceived themselves into the belief that some voucher, possibly a "Sneddon" voucher, seen by them Wai the voucher in respect of which they have given evidence. Such is the finding of Judges 'Denniston,' Edwards, and Cooper, who were appointed a Royal Commission mainly for the purpose of inquiring into tho aspersions cast ' upon the Audit Department by Messrs Fisher and Taylor, the questions submitted being whether a Government voucher could disappear without any record of its existence or payment being left in" the departmental books of records; whether in "the years 1903-4 a voucher was issued in'--favour of Captain Seddon;.fpr v any surn^ for any purpose; and did: Captain Seddoi ever claim or receive auy such', payment or sign any such voucher? Th© inquiry was complete and exhaustive—all the parties to th« inquiry were allowed, and exercised, full opportunity to examine and cross-examine witnesses upon matters in any way relevant to the questions at

issue. The finding of the three Supreme Court Judges completely disproves the allegations that the Audit Office is liable to be deceived or corrupted, and while it bears testimony 'to the efficiency of the < Department,:.,^, also completely exonerates Captain Seddon from the scurrilous attacks on his reputation and honor. Our readers are by this time thoroughly conversant -with the history of the voucher business leading up to the appointment of the Commission. Not satisfied with the denial of Captain Seddon and with the refutal of the allegatidns by the officers of the various Government Departments, the Fisher-Taylor coterie persisted in their extraordinary conduct, and reiterated the charges! Even when the Board of Inquiry was appointed to inquire into the conduct of the Post Office, clerks the "Now Liberals" had the effrontery to assert that the Board arranged its questions so as to make the investigation serve political purposes. This was bad enough in all conscience, but Messrs Taylor and Fisher went further, and wanted to dictate to the Judges ac to the methods of conducting the- Commission. They evidently desired the country ";to believe that even the Supreme Court Judges had joined in the infamous plot which, according to the their methods and ' manner of reasoning, had been concocted between the Treasury, the Auditor-Gene-ral, and the Premier to prevent the truth from coming to light. As the Auckland Star recently remarked, "according- to the < ethical, code of tne enlightened 'New Liberals,' all that is necessary to damn .' an enemy's public reputation is to accuse him of theft or fraud, demand. that documentary evidence of his crimes shall be produced, and wlien no such- evidence can be discovered, denounce the Government, ' arid Ministry, and Civil Service, and Supreme Court for baulking public inquiry." The fact is Messrs Taylor and Fisher would never have bean satisfied with' anything - elss than the production of the very evidence which the various tribunals have de- , clared Fi does not exist, and they made up ■their minds to brazen the voucher .inei- ! 'dent out in spite of the immense accumulation of evidence against them. It is quite unnecessary for us to emphasise the miserable failure of the men who' have so miserably failed to substantiate their insolent, imputations, which have been proved to be absolutely without foundation. The country is sick and tired of the ' contemptible tactics and tirades of Mr Seddon's opponents, and the abuse levelled by them at those who are houestly trying" to do their duty to their fellows, and $here will be a very general fealing oi satisfaction that the honor of the Public Service, as also the integrity of Captain Seddon, has once again been demonstrated. Messrs Fisher and Taylor may be left to their own reflections; they must account for their actions to their constituents.