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Session I. 1912. NEW ZEALAND.

PRIVILEGE COMMITTEES Nos. 1, 2, AND 3 (REPORTS OF THE) ON ALLEGATIONS AGAINST THE MEMBER FOR GREY LYNN (MR. PAYNE), THE MEMBER FOR NAPIER (MR. VIGOR BROWN), AND THE RIGHT HON. THE PRIME MINISTER (SIR J. G. WARD, Bart.), AND ONE CHARLES McMASTER, OF AUCKLAND; TOGETHER WITH MINUTES OF PROCEEDINGS AND EVIDENCE.

Reports brought up on Thursday, the 29th February, 1912, and ordered to be printed.

OEDEES OF REFERENCE. PRIVILEGE COMMITTEE No. 1. Extract from the Journals of the House of Representatives. Friday, the 23rd Day of February, 1912. Ordered, " That a Committee of Privilege be appointed to take into full consideration the writing and publishing of a letter, admitted to be written to and received by the honourable member for Franklin, an extract from which letter was to-day read in the House by the honourable member, and a copy of which extract is as follows : ' You may remember my introducing you to young , son of , one of my young Catholic party who do not follow Ward. He worked hard and loyally for us in Parnell, Ponsonby, and especially in Grey Lynn. He now assures me that Payne has been squared (£1,000) to support Ward on a confidence motion. So sure is he of the correctness of the information that his dad is offering level money up to £100 on Payne voting against you on such motion, and does not waste any money on bets without some reason.' That, as the writing and publishing of the said extract has been declared by the House to be a breach of its privileges, the writing and publishing of such letter and such extract, also the question of the truth or otherwise of the charge or charges alleged in such extract or letter, be referred to the following Committee to inquire into, and to report their proceedings with their opinions thereon to|the House ; the Committee to have power to call for persons, papers, and records, and to report within three days : \ the Committee to consist of Mr. Allen, Mr.] Fraser, Mr. Hanan, Mr. Lee, Hon. Mr. Millar, Mr. Nosworthy, Mr. Reed, Mr. Robertson, Mr. Russell, Mr. G. M. Thomson, and Mr. Veitch : seven to form a quorum."—(Right Hon. Sir J. G. Ward.) PRIVILEGE COMMITTEE No. 2. Extract from the Journals of the House of Representatives. Friday, the 23bd Day of February, 1912. Ordered, " That the following words used in debate in the House on the 23rd day of February, 1912, by the member for Franklin—' Then he said something about whether he was supposed to have been squared, and I said, " What was stated in Auckland at the present moment was this: that he had been squared by Mr. Vigor Brown and Sir Joseph Ward at Napier." Now, that was the statement that was made quite openly in Auckland. I think Mr. Payne had begun to see the serious position he proposed to take up, and he said, " Just let me think this over " ' —and the portion of the letter read by Mr. Massey in debate, and ordered to lie on the table, of which the following is a copy : ' You may remember my introducing you to young , son of , one of my young Catholic party who do not follow Ward. He worked hard and loyally for us in Parnell, Ponsonby, and especially in Grey Lynn. He now assures me that Payne has been squared (£1,000) to support Ward on a confidence motion. So sure is he of the correctness of the information that his dad is offering level money up to £100 on Payne voting against you on such motion, and does not waste any money on bets without some reason ' —be referred to a Committee of Privilege to take such words into consideration, and to report to the House whether a breach of privilege has been committed, and by whom, and to inquire as to the truth or otherwise of the alleged charge made against the member for Napier and the Right Hon. the Prime Minister ; the Committee to have power to call fop»persons, papers, and records, and to report within three days ; seven to be a quorum : the Committee to consist of j Mr. Allen, Mr. Fraser, Mr. Hanan, Mr. Lee, Hon. Mr. Millar, Mr. Nosworthy, Mr. Reed, Mr. Robertson, Mr. Russell, Mr. G. M. Thomson, and Mr. Veitch."—(Mr. Bbown.) PRIVILEGE COMMITTEE No. 3. Extract from the Journals of the House of Representatives. Friday, the 23rd Day of February, 1912. Ordered, " That the statement made this day by Mr. John Payne, member for Grey Lynn, to the effect that one McMaster, of Auckland, had been authorized to give the member for Grey Lynn anything between £500 and £1,000 if he, the member for Grey Lynn, would go in the direction of the Ward party, having been declared by the House to be a breach of its privileges, a Committee of Privilege be appointed to take such statement into consideration, to inquire into the truth or otherwise of the alleged charge, and report to the House its opinion thereon ; the Committee to have power to call for persons, papers, and records ; |seven to be a quorum ; the Committee to report within three days : the Committee to consist of Mr. Allen, Mr. Fraser, Mr. Hanan, Mr. Lee, Hon. Mr. Millar, ! Mr. Nosworthy, Mr. Reed, Mr. Robertson, Mr. Russell, Mr. G. M. Thomson, and Mr. Veiteh."—(Right Hon. Sir J. G. Ward.)

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