THE MEIKLE CLAIM.

Dominion, Volume 3, Issue 659, 9 November 1909, Page 6

THE MEIKLE CLAIM.

J [ REPRESENTATIONS TO THE PRIME *» MfNISTER. " PROPOSALS TO BE CONSIDERED. With a view of urginj tho Government to again bring forward a measure providing that t,* c6mp6flsab6n should be paid to Mr. J. J. l - lleikle on account of wrongful imprisonment, a deputation, consisting of members of the - Ifeikle Committee, waited < upon the > Pnmo , I'mister (Sir Joseph Ward) yesterday Mr < ( Fisher, MP, intfodnced the deputation, and i Messrs M'Laren ana Wright, M P 's, wero also ' present , Mr. Jamicson (seotelary to the committee) I' elated that the. deputation represented all shades of political opinion Its members deaired to thank the Government for having . passed the Meikle Acquittal Bill and having „ tried to 6ecure a grant of money for Meikle Whon the matter was last before the House there was hostility towards Moikle which, it *as hoped, had now disappeared II was trusted that the Government would again en- " dtavour to secure for Meikle adequate compen Babon. ; Mr A K Atkinson remarked that oven the Prime Minister's most bitter political oppon ents freely declared that he was a very humane man Tho Meikle Committee felt that compensation should follow now that Meikle had been declared to have been innocent of the crime of hp was convicted If the matter were left to a fan statement by (say) the- Attorney General, on ivhat had been agreed «03 the crux of tho case, he had no doubt that as a result the llonsp would agree to vote compensation > 4s an alternative ha would suggest that the case should again be heard " beforo a judge and jury From the point of view of tho credit ot the country, tho matter must not be allowed to stand in its present , pcßition , Mr John Hutcheson contended that the an tagomsni slioitu bv certain members of the House to the Meikle claim was due to the fact that they had not found sufficient time si to study tho case properly If Meikle be came a millionaire to morrow, no member of tho <-committee would nccppt one pennj of recompense from him for what they had do « , on his behalf ,Mr W M'lean declared thnt he would not , have continued a member of the Meikle Com nuttee if. ho had not been firmlj convinced 4 that Mmkle was entitled to compensation V , had td bo remembered that Mrs Meiklo nm 1 fLmilv vvere also entitled to consideration i i Kgard to tho matter Mr \ Wright, MP, rcnarked that .he ■ tagomsm towards Meiklo's claim was duo i > projudico « , Mr D M'Laren,- MP, ana Mr D Blackie also made a fpu remarks ' Tho Prime Minister said that ho was fannhar -/ with the circumstances of tho case and recog- ' nised that it to bo f dealt with, and wanted to sco m what direction steps could bo ' taken to end it (Hear,' hear ) Tho Government had beon perfectly sincere in its efforts _ to secure for Meikle compensation which was , a logical corollary to tho Acquittal Bill Ho had never attached any importance to the suggestion that thore was a syndicate running - Meikle, nor had he supposed that the Meiklo Committee, which was composed of respectable citizens,, was prompted by other than tho best ,* of" motives in .placing tho matter ibeforo the Government With the suggestion by Mr Atkinson that the Attorney-General should prepare a judicial statement, he would lay the matter before his colleagues with a view of ascertaining whether, if such a statement were placed before the House, it would have tho ef ' feet which the committeo desired He hnd endeavoured to ascertain what was tho feeling of the present Hbu6o on the matter, but ho had not yet got it definitely, to say that he knew therfe wns a good deal of antapornsm towards tho claim from tho causes, referred to by tho various speakers During the coming week he intended to ascertain defimtelj what was tne feeling, for if the niSjonty were against a vote thb sooner it was known the better It seemed to him that the alternative suggested by Mr Atkinson provided a course which would give Meikle before a judge and jury the op portnnity to clear himself which ho desired /' There could be no doubt but that the altcrna- ' hve'had much to „ recommend it He would not delay in going into the matter with his colleagues to see which course should "bo adopted, and in due course he would advise the secretary to the committee 1 i >