L—l 4.

dealing with the newspaper in Stratford—and I want a witness to be called. I think we ought to have the whole of the distant witnesses here, and it ought to be their business to stay here till we have done with them. Mr Massey The meetings of the Committee depend very much on the time the House rises. Right Hon. Sir J G Ward But if we fix on Tuesday, Thursday, and Friday, we can go right on. I want the witnesses to be summoned to appear here on Tuesday, Thursday, and Friday, and the other men ought to be here to attend as required. Mr Massey Do you propose to ask Mr Hine what charge he proposes to take first I Right Hon. Sir J G Ward I think Mr Hine ought to have the settling of the sequence of the charges. . . Mr Fraser: Do you want the three parties to be here on Tuesday with all their witnesses 1 Right Hon. Sir J G Ward We want the three principals Messrs. Major, Symes, and Kaihau. Mr Fraser With their witnesses? Right Hon. Sir J G Ward Well, that is their business: it is for them to say whether they want any witnesses. Mr Fraser If you say nothing about the witnesses, they will come here on iuesday and say they did not know anything was going to be gone on with, and that they did not arrange to have t* to] *t* n^TC Mr A. M Myers: When they are summoned to attend the Committee, if they are informed that should they desire to bring witnesses they can do so, that would be sufficient. Right Hon Sir J G Ward I have no objection to that. I move, that the Committee sit next week on Tuesday, Thursday, and Friday, and that the parties be informed, and be requested to be in attendance with any witnesses if necessary. Motion agreed to. (Mr M. Myers, counsel for Mr Hine, was then called in.) The Chairman: Mr Myers, what charges does your client desire to proceed with first I Mr Myers: I propose first of all to take the evidence on the charges against Mr bymes, No. 3 and No. 4. The Chairman Do you wish those charges to be heard together or separately I _ Mr Myers No. My idea is that I should be ready to go on with the fourth immediately after having finished the third. The Chairman: Can you give us the order in which you desire to take the charges J Mr Myers First No. 3 and then No. 4, and then it is quite immaterial about the others. Right Hon Sir J G Ward It is only for the purpose of having the necessary people here._ Mr Myers Of course, I will help the Committee in every possible way by giving the Chairman a list'of the witnesses whom I suggest should be called, but there is another charge which M? ne //i e rae re %he m Cotnm.ittee will remember that I reserved the right to make further charges if necessary, and I wish to place this further charge before the Committee this morning Probably here will be further charges before the Committee has finished its work. This is charge No. 7 : " That in or about the year 1904 the Government, having taken steps to acquire compulsorily the property known as the "Flaxbourne Estate, and appointed a member of the Legislature-to wit, Thomas"Kennedy Macdonald, a member of the Legislative Council—as their assessor, and knowing o believing that by reason of his being a member of the Legislature the said Thomas Kennedy Macdonald could not be paid any remuneration for so acting as assessor, sent the then partner of the said Thomas Kennedy Macdonald, one Alexander Lorimer Wilson, to make a casual inspection of the said property, and paid him an exceptional and wholly extravagant fee therefor, with the intent or object of indirectly remunerating the said Thomas Kennedy Macdonald or his partner or firm for the services of the said Thomas Kennedy Macdonald as such assessor as aforesaid. The Chairman You want that charge also added to the list. Mr Hine Yes. The Chairman- Have you any other charge? Mr Hine Not at present. Right Hon Sir J G Ward That involves sending the matter to the Upper House again. _ The Chairman Yes. It is a question whether it is a charge against the Government or against Mr Macdonald. If it is a charge against Mr Macdonald I should then have to rule that we could not hear it. Mr Hine: I look upon it as a charge against the Government. The Chairman You prefer it as a charge against the Government? Rioht7/on Sir J G Ward I should like Mr Hine to state for the information of the Committee in connection with the charges he has already made, who the member of the House is Tgainst whom he is going to make the charge of having accepted an amount of money running into four figures? Mr Mners Mr Henare Kaihau. Riaht Hon Sir J G Ward I should also like to ask Mr Hme the name of the newspaper to which he referred in connection with the charge against the ex-member for Stratford. Mr Myers Had we not better lead out evidence in due course about that * Riaht Hon Sir J G Ward I want to know for the purpose of calling a witness. Mr Hine ' The Egmont Post It is now called the Stratford Evening Post._ Right Hon. Sir J G Ward Would Mr Hine have any objection to stating who the editor was then? Mr Myers \.At Mr Chairman, that, as nearly all the witnesses in regard to these charges have to S come from a distance, I should hand in a list during the day, and ask you to cause summonses to be sent to them.

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