LOST AND FOUND.

Dominion, Volume 5, Issue 1551, 21 September 1912, Page 6

LOST AND FOUND.

THAT DEPARTMENTAL FILE. A MINISTER'S ASSERTION. Sill JOSEPH WARD'S DENIAL. - Sir Joseph Ward directed attention in tho Houfo of Representatives last evening to the following statement jniule by the Hon. F. M. 13. Fisher in the House on August 3 last in reference to the lcgnl business of the. Government Insurance Department at Invcrcargill. "When I asked for the documents containing tho Cabinet'minute'they could not bo produced and I ought to tell the lion, gentleman that the file was lost in tho Piemicr's office in December, ISIO. 1 do not know what has happened to. it. Tho hon. gentleman asked for information and now ho lias got it. That sort of thing must be stopped." Sir Joseph Ward said that he had been unable to deal with the mntter on tho spur of tho moment at tile tune because, naturally, ho could not Say what had happened. Ho had since made inquiries and had seen the moot papers. Mr,• Fisher's statement about a tilo being lost in the Premier's oihco was not correct. It was contrary to fnct. Tho file was intact. What the Minister hnd referred to—and he believed that Mr. Fisher had been misled— was a letter which tho head of the.Department had addressed to tho irimu Minister. A copy, of this letter was on the ale. The letter sent to him was not returned, with tho Cabinet minute, but this was an entirely dittertnt matter from stating that a file oi papers was lost in the I'rimo Minister softce. Tho head of the Department had informed him that tho file of papers was not lost in the Prime Minister's office i a /! y x? e ' He ,vould ask the Minister whether tins was so. Ihe Hon. F. M. H. Fisher eaid' that' hie statement, which had' been' referred to nad been based upon a communication received irom the head of tho Department on July 26, to the effect that tho original - papers wero. missing, and that (hero was ?° i. c^- of them having been returned to the Department after they hnd been referred to the Government. Upon receipt '°i i ~ .communication, tho Minister stated, he asked the secretary to the Primo Minister to search for the papers. He was iinaMo to hnd them, as was also Mr. Andrews, Clerk to the Executive Council. Subsequently the papers came to light. • At the timo when he made his statement he was absolutely bona fide. The statement was based on official information which had been since proved to be incorrect. The Cabinet minutes had not been found. As to tho merits of the question, he still proposed to maintain that the principle for which he had stood on the. night m question was a sound one. The lion, gentleman would ngree with him that tho whole thing was due to the fuct that tho Umler-Secrctary for Justice tied up the business of tho Insurance Department without consulting this Department. The head of the-Insurance Department was unaware of tho position at tho timo when the Caliuet minute was passed. Mr. Fisher contended that this was an improper thing; ■ ■ Sir Joseph Ward said he wished it to be affirmed beyond doubt that the file was not lost in the Prime Minister's office at any time. He wished to say a word.about the appointment, because he had no opportunity to do so befbre. He had spoken before Mr. Fisher in tho Financial Debate.- .■''..

Mr. Fisher: Did you speak in the Financial Debate? Sir Joseph Ward: Yes, you followed me.•..■•■.■■ ■■•..■•■.■■ [Sir Joseph Word did-not speakin the Financial Debate, and Mr.-Fisher was the second speaker, Mr.' Russ<?ll having been the first.] ' Sir.Joseph Ward eaid that Mr.- Macalistcr was a man of the Irishes!; standing in his character against whom no ono could say one word of reproach. He read a letter from Mr. Macalister to tlio effect that if h« were not placed in the same position as his predecessor, he could not afford to hold the position. He had been given !to''understand' tl)af'if fl he accepted the ''position "' of ; : ■' Crov.-n : Solicitor all the Crown work which had gono to his predecessor's office would come to his. The position of Crown Solicitor involved certain disabilities, and shut off certain sources of income. In view of this ho;could not afford to retain the position unless all the. Crown work came through his office.. The Hon. F. M. B. Fisher said lie wished to put the case from his point - of • view. Mr. Macdonald (who preceded Mr. MacaJistcrJ never had all tho Government lifo business, nor had he had it for thirteen years previously to his death. This was the only- instance of a similar appointment being made, and this was the only Cabinet minute of its kind that had 'ever beon in existence. The business of a big -State Department was being tied down to one firm of ■ lawyers, , and none of the officers knew anything about it.' He said , nothing about Mr. JUacnlister. He believed, him 'to bo-a very estimable gentleman and a capable lawyer. But after tho appointment was made, the-Prime- Minister had been approached by the head of the-Department on tho tving up of the Government Insurance Department's business to one legal firm, and it was still,tied upivheu the present Ministry took' office. The eXEjct of the arrangement was that any legal firm-taking business to the Government Life. Insurance Department was put into the position of having to hand oVer their business to Mr.Jlaoalister. No legal firm could work on theso lines. ■-.':'

the discussion was carried on for some time, but. in. its-latter part it consisted mainly '.pi-a.' repetition. of 'statements previously made. ■ .