2
I.—l
No. 29, Sess. I.—Petition of James Coeley, Auckland. The petitioner states that he is a baker in Auckland; that J. C. McCormick was indebted to him in the sum of £31 ss. 2d. ; that he proceeded against Mr. McCormick in the Eesident Magistrate s Court Auckland; that judgment was confessed but unpaid; that he then seized and sold some cattle'belonging to defendant under legal distraint, through the Bailiff of the Eesident Magistrate s Court at Coromandel; that he has not received the proceeds of such sale ; that he has applied to the Hon. the Minister of justice for the said sum of £31 ss. 2d. and costs, and was referred to a solicitor. He now prays for relief. , I am directed to report that the Committee are of opinion that there has been gross neglect on the part of certain officers of the Justice Department, and that the petitioner has thereby been deprived of his just rights. The Committee therefore recommend that the Government should at onco pay to the petitioner the amount of judgment in his favour, with his costs, and proceed to recover the sum paid from the officials through whose negligence the loss occurred. 11th September, 1884.
No. 109, Sess. I.—Petition of John Mabie Geace (No.l), Auckland. The petitioner states that he is a son of the late Peter Grace of Auckland ; that his father, in the year 1865, entered into a contract to construct the first section of the Auckland and Drury Railway, and carried on the contract for one year, but was delayed through the inability of the Commissioners to hand over to him a portion of the section, whereby he sustained great loss; that on the 16th February 1866 the Commissioners took the contract out of the hands of petitioner's father and seized his plant; that his father was obliged to accept the sum of £3,600 from the Provincial Government, and to sign a deed acknowledging receipt of the above sum free of all demands, which he did through pecuniary embarrassments occasioned by the action of the Commissioners; that the petitioner's father petitioned the Provincial Council, and, although the Council passed a resolution partly in his favour, the Superintendent pleaded the aforesaid deed. The works were not completed until taken over by the Public Works Department. That his late father again petitioned the Provincial Council in 1868-69, when the Committee suggested that, provided the sum of £3,600, less the sum of £755 19s. 2d., amount due for work performed in February, be returned to the Government, the Government should permit the deed to be cancelled ; that his late father was never ma position to do this, therefore no compensation has been received for his plant; that the action of the Provincial Government brought ruin on the estate of his late father. He claims the sum of £3,078 2s. as duo to his father's estate, and prays for relief. • I am directed to report that the case of the late Mr.- Grace having been considered by two Committees of the Provincial Council of Auckland, the circumstances having taken place nearly twenty years ago, and no evidence having been adduced that was not before the Committees referred to, this Committee do not consider they are in a position to make any recommendation m regard to it. 11th September, 1884.
No. 60, Sess. I.—Petition of Wellington Cakeington, Now Plymouth. The petitioner states that in 1839 he was appointed by the New Zealand Company as Chief Assistant Surveyor ; that he was employed in laying out the City of Wellington and country lands until September, 1841, and was surveying in and around New Plymouth until 1850, when^ he returned Home ; that he returned to New Zealand in 1852, and carried out surveying operations until 1860 under the Provincial Government of Taranaki, when he joined the Native Department; that in 1863 he was appointed captain, and for three years he was engaged upon outpost duty; that he was again employed in the Native Department from 1873 to end of 1876, and from July, 1879, to the 30th June, 1880, when his services were dispensed with. He now prays for compensation. I am directed to report that the petitioner's case having been considered by the Committee m 1880 and, he not having produced any further evidence on the present occasion, the Committee are of opinion that the report of 1880 should be confirmed, and that the petitioner has no special claim for compensation. 11th September, 1884.
No. 97, Sess. I.—Petition of Malcolm McGeuee, Dunedin. The petitioner states that his father was appointed Curator of the Botanic Gardens, Dunedin, in 1868 and held the appointment until his death in 1884, a period of about sixteen years; that from ill-health he applied to resign, and made application for compensation, and was informed that the Government had no power to satisfy the claim, and was advised to petition Parliament; that the petitioner's father died in February, 1884, and his mother's death since has prevented the application being made in her name; the petitioner acts in her stead as representative of the tamily. He now prays for relief. ■ . . , , . I am directed to report that the Committee are of opinion that the petitioner has no claim against the colony. 11th September, 1884. '__
No. 128, Scss. EL — Petition of Ceosby Kidd, Coromandel. The petitioner states that he was lately a sergeant of police, stationed at Auckland; that he was discharged from the police force of the colony for a breach of the regulations. He claims that he is entitled to three months' pay, as he received no notice whatever. He now prays for relief. I am directed to report that, no further evidence having been produced, the Committee see no reason to alter the previous decision of the Committee in 1882. 12th September, 1884.