CALL FOR RESIGNATION

Chronicle (Levin), 19 July 1946, Page 5

CALL FOR RESIGNATION

-Press Association

Land Committee Chairman REQUEST BY MINISTER

By Telegraph-

HAMILTON, July 18. Alleging that Mr. S. Lewis, of Cambridge, the chairman of the Hamilton Land Saies Committee, "is not rightly disposed to nor has a true appreciation of the priiiciples which the Aet seeks to apply,C the Minister of Lands (Major S. E. Skinner) has requested Mr. I.ewis to resign. Mr. Skinner, in his original letter to j Mr. Lewis, dated May 7, said that ou j several oceasions his attention had been drawn to Press reports of a meeting I and the decisions of the Hamilton Land j Saies Committee. j "I asked for the official feports, ahd, j after considering them very carefuliy, j have reluctantly come to the conclusion ; that you are not rightly disposed to nor ; have a true appreciation of the prin- 1 ciples which the Act seeks to apply, ' ' j wrote the Minister. "Moreover, on j several oceasions it would appear that | your dealings with the Crown officers ! and the witnesses have "been hiased ana j unduly harsh. ' In view of these facts j neither I nor the Administration can 1 have the necessary confidence in your j chairmanship that is necessary for the effective operation of the Act. As I do not wish to create a situation that may cause you the slightest puhlic emharrassment I respectf.ully suggest thax you tender your resignation from the office of chairman of the Hamilton Lana { Saies Committee." Stating that Jie was greatlv shor-keu by the implications of the Minister 's letter, Mr. Lewis, in replv, said he hau previously been under the impression that the committee had got through us work quite well and it seemed to iinn that this was conilrmed by the depart- | .ment 's offer to place the members on i an annual retainer instead of pavinenL - per day. j "As to the complaints against me, | of which and by whom made I am \ iguorant," said Alr. Lewis, "I can; safely say I am in sympathy with tue : Act, especiaily that part dealing witn ; the settlement of servicemen; and x ■ thought I had lieen co-operative as re- 1 quired by the Act. I made the neees- ; sary declaration to act judiciallv, j and my attitude has been in conform- . i ty therewith. . * ' ' To adopt the Crown valuation in ali : cases would have reduced the commir- 1 tee to the position of a rubher stamp," I added Mr. Lewis. "I deny I have heen i hiased against Crown witnesses, ana treated them harshly and unjustty. , There is always the right of appeal, ana i to date there has heen only one snc- ; cessful appeal against the decisions oi j this committee, and in that case tne ; committee wrongly reduced the price j below that of the Crown valuer, and no opposition was tendered at the hearing. • A tender of resignation as suggestea would he an admission of failure, ro which I cannot suhscrihe." t In a further letter to the Minister, j Mr. Lewis wrote: "The fact thar i officers of the Registrv and witnesses, '

in the persons of Crown values, have been consulted and encouraged to cnri- : cise me in my jndicial position is some- j thing novel in my conc.eption of the* administration of justice in this country, and I cannot see it happening, , say, witli the Department of Justice." ) Legal Opinions r. Lewis added that in view of the allegations made at a protracted inter- j view with the Minister and the various | officers that it was comtnon talk' in Ihe J legal profession that he (Mr. Lewis) had a bias against the Crown and a bias i in favour of vendors, he had asked a numlier of prominent solicitors to meet I and go fully into the matter aua i intimate to him frankly their opinion. i The Hamilton Distrieti Law Society ! had inquh'ed ihto the .aHegations ahqtook' jaffidavit^ fronb jla w ipracfit ioners" in>.khCf|h^i;'ie.f,^ar|d tff| society has suiimitfetHa ffiiemdritmluirtvjo Jhe Minister in whicb'dt' ,stafes 'inter ali'a: "Iiavmg given-full consideration to all matenai | jmt liefore it, my rouncil has concludcn j that both as to the mannor in whicti j A1 r. Lewis was -attacked and as to ttie fact he was called upon to tender 1ns resignation, two important and vitai principles of natural justice have been eontravened. As- to the first, the chairman has been in trust and condemnea without being informed of any speciiic charges against him, and, therefo/e, without knowing and being given an op portunity of refuting them, while as to the second there was unjusti/ied oflhmi intorference with an officer exercising a judicial function. These niatters can for redress, and my rouncil requests you to remedv the wrong eomplained of, and to do what is just and riglit in the premises. ' ' . . * ' ' "■ I 1 ■■IMMIIWWIUL