THE TAUPO SCHEME.

Dominion, Volume 5, Issue 1261, 17 October 1911, Page 2

THE TAUPO SCHEME.

ANGRY ROTORUANS. AND INDIGNANT M.P.'S. Statements which were regarded as a reduction upon members of tlio Taupo lnqiiii-y GomiuiltcG and others were referred to in the House of Representatives last evening. Mr. T. }1. Davpy, chiirinan. of (Die Taupo Committee, produced a copy of-(.he "RoUirua Times," of October 13, and rend a rsp-j-rt of n speech made at a mcutin;; 0 tlio liotoriia Chamber of Coiuiiutoj by Mr. Haw, who gave evidence! boloro Ihu committee ns oiiu of the delegates of tlio Chamber. The railway and laud proposals oi tlio Tanpo IViara Timber Company, as yet out iu its petition, are ttajimly by the R, tenia Chnnil.or oi Commerce. Mr. Raw, in (lie t'J.opeh read by Mr. Da-vcy, taid ho fouiwi tliat in Uolliiijjton liotonia had very few mentis, and in regard to the 'iiinlor f-oimxiny's proposals none at all. *Mr. .M'Uan and himself hnd interviewed tlio 1 nmo Minister, "who summed up (ho whole case against them, his stato.ncnl.s ami uttorancss Iwing echoed by tliow with whom tho delep-ks came into contact. Mr. Kaw iurtJicT stated that Mr. il acdonnld, momber tor tlio district, was also against (hem, and strongly in favour of the company's schomo. Mr. Davcv told them it would bo against tlio ordinary procedure for them to bo present during the taking oi ovidence. let 11 r. iJataell, as managing director of tiio petitioning company, was present, and was permitted to crotjs-examine them. He also "followed the usual Parliamentary proceduro of interrupting, but was ovor-ruloj by the chairman." Mr. Itajv aL=o said that "Mr. Macdonald, who asked for the committee, had previous.y called a meeting of members to consider the matter, and was thus able to choose his oommiKco." Ho and Mr. 31 Lonn (the other delegate) came to the conclusion that it was a foregone conchi-' sion that the committee would report in favour of the company's scheme. Commenting on this report, Mr. Davey said that ho wished to flatly deny many of the statements in it. Ho had told Mr. Kaw that the mere fact that ho and another man were witnesses did not give them a right to be present during the hearing of evidence. Mr. Macdonald never asked j '; r ; . Davc - T ) n question, or said a word to him about the raihvav scheme-, lho statement that Mr. Macdonnld called a meeting of members, and sounded them so as to got a committee favourabio to the scheme was untrue. He (Mr. Davcy) did not know that Mr. M'Lean, as we'll nA Mr. Raw, rtpressnted the Rotorua Chamber, until he came in to give his evidence, and he then told him fo, and paid that had ho known this earlier, he could liavo mliowcd them both to appear together. He would not suggest that this was a question of privilege, but it cnmo very noar it. Mr. DaUiell hnd treated the witnesses very fairly, and had only been once called to order for interruntSir Joseph Ward raid he was very much surprised at Hie statements that had bc»n inndfl. _ Mr. Raw, Mr. M'Lcan, and Mr. Vaile interviewed him, and risked what chance, there was of the Government building a railway from Rotorua to Jaiipo, and on to tho Main Trunk line. He replied that there was no chance of any Government building such a line fir very many years. It would cest .£BOO,OOO. ftTid would not pay through that claw of country. The Government had not discu.wl or considered the company's petition in any way, and would not do ro until Uie committee reported How Mr. Raw f"u!d go away, and make the reflections he had was incomprehensible. The Government had Iven the best friend liotoru.i had over had. Mr. Macdonald paid he had only acted in the mat-tor as member for the district. Ho had called a meeting of all tho northern members to hear a statement by the chairman of the company, but only three or four members attended that meeting, and not one of them was on the committee. All he did in regard to tho formation of the committee was to ask several members whether they were prepared to act on it, He did not comment-on''the sch'emo, nor seek to influence them in any way, nor discuss the scheme with them. He looked upon Mr. Raw's statements ns a reflection on tho whole committee, but the House knew that all the members of the committee were men above suspicion. Messrs. Guthrie, Myers, Fraser, and Greenslade (members of tho committee) mid Mr. Poole corroborated the stote- • ments of Mr. Davey and Mr. Macdonald. Tho Taupo Committee consists of Messrs. Davey, Forbes, Grconslado, Reed, Macdonald, Myers, Mandcr, Fraser, Guthrie, and Newman. It was set up on the motion of Mr. Macilonald.