"E. A. SMITH."

Dominion, Volume 3, Issue 727, 28 January 1910, Page 8

"E. A. SMITH."

: ONE WHO. HAD DEALINGS WITH X passenger n&o. cam© out from En?land by the . White. Star liner -lonic ,18 months, ago' casts : another glimmer 'of Jjßht.on tno transactions'.of the firm'of /E. A* Smith,": which -is,.understood to have' reaped. ,a : rich . harvest:' from a monopoly of commissions for.sending people but to New, Zealand.'. Our informant ,faie3 up the Prime Minister's point that ■'E.A. Smith" (sinco admitted to be a i soj- .of .Sir Walter ■ Kennaway) rented offices in. the same: biiilding' as tHose <if the High' Commissioner. ;-He states that no one, who, like, himself, had hiad connections with the firm.i' would ■ conclude that ;"Mr. Smith's" business ,was 1 ot.part of the High Commissioner's 'Department. The High Commissioner's offices' ; arc, on the first floor in the building- known as 18 Victoria' Street/ Westminster, S.W These opened off a corridor,, tho end .room of which was occupied by 'V. ASmith," . whose door , ! was only , a yard or two away frbin.thosd of the; High, Commissioner. W our informant made an inquiry about : 'New- Zealand. he was ushered; : into the office at tho end of the passage,and there' ■ learned all. he wished; to know.' He' wished', to forward, a draft to Now. Zealand—.'®.' A. Smith'.'', accepted the money, and gave him the receipt, and, : if his recollection served him right, the letter, paper issued from ■ the office of ,r E. A.. Smith". bore "the stamp of the ffigh office, t The. following, letter 'appeared in. the, "Lyttclton Times" of January 26:— ' Sir,—l would like to coiroborato "Hard Pacts'" statement regarding the above, being,a new. arrival myself. • When I:applied to'the.'High Commissioner 1 I received his compliments,; etc., but. the ap-plication-form; etc., I received from Smith' and Co., 'along with enough ; sailing-lists, etc., :to 'last .a life-time,"also with instructions as. to my*application,, saying that the ..firm had instructions' from the High Commissioner , to"look , through my application, Vand,;'if found .'satisfactory, the firm would; forward it a\ong to tho High Commissioner: But I was not "mooney" enough to let him get hold of my application, but sent it, straight to the - High Commissioner. , .I, gathered-from E. A., -Smith , and Co.'s correspondence . that it was! to their advantage to- book me an unassisted passage. They also stated that •they were shipping agents. appointed by the New Zealand Government.- However, my. application was granted, after passing a medical examination and forwarding - my capital. But'l was compelled'to pook through E. A. Smith, and Co., being given the opportunity'of three'lines of steamers. They- also treated me rather indifferently,, after passing them with my application. Butthe High Commissioner was . very .courteous ' and , business-like throughout.—l am, otc., . . CHARLES DTTNSTAN. Springburn, January 24