MOKAU ESTATE.

Dominion, Volume 6, Issue 1568, 11 October 1912, Page 3

MOKAU ESTATE.

JOSHUA JONES' CLAIMS,

MORE EVIDENCE BEFORE THE 'COMMITTEE.

The Parliamentary Committee set up to investigate .the. petition of Mr. Joshua Jones, in respect of certain lands in the Mokau. district, resumed its inquiry yesterday. '..'■• The petitioner, Joshua Jones, continued his evidence. Referring again to the Stout-Paluier report, he said tliat Sir Robert Stout had maintained in it that he (Jones) had never had any statutory powers. conferred upon him to acquire rights over more than half of the Mokau lands. In all, some 28,000 acres were excluded. He read the Gazette, notico defining the boundaries of the land which was excluded from the operation of the Native Laud's Alienation .Restriction Act, and which he hail a right to lease from the Native owners for a term of fifty-six years. This defined the whole area of land. At this time, Mr. J. Ballance was Minister in charge of -the Lands Department, and he was at Wanganui ill. "Sir 'Robert Stout," he said,''signed that document (the Gazette notice), and yet he says in his report that I had no rights over part of the land. Sir Robert Stout—l think he was Mr. Stout then—signed tho document in my presence." Mr.' 'M'C'aUum-;. What is tho signature to the document? Mr. Jones: It is'signed "J. Ballance." Mr. MGalium: Lot mc soe the notice. (And after perusing it): Sir Eobert Stout i never signed that in liis life. Mr. Jones: .1 am on my oath. I was shown into, the presence of Sir Robert Stout by the.Secretary for Lands.at the time. He had the plans before liim, and he said "This is 'all right," and lie signed the document'. •-". ..■ Mr. Anstey:' Where was Ballance at tho' time? -";.. /^- : -, .' Mr. Jones: He was at Wanganm. Sir Robert Stout, signed as Prime Minister. Mr. Bell suggested that the original document could, ba obtained from the reMr.' Jones -repeated that Sir Eobert Stout had signed the document. _ Mr Louisson: Whose name did ho sign f Mr.' Jones:'-.I •think he signed his owu name. .-.•.- .-" . '.- ~.,,' • Mr. iKiuisson: Oh, yon think?. Mr. Jones offered the explanation that he believed this was a Departmental document, and that .it-: had, therefore to be over the : name of- the. Departmental JimMr. Loiiissoh.'(to'tho chairman): This is a very'.-hazy statement. - Mr. Bell pointed out again that this - point could be settled by reference to the records. . . , , , Mr. Jones said he had asked Sir Joseph Ward for- an inquiry into' his case, in October, 1908. No inquiry was granted, and it was afterwards said by' Dr. Imdlay that, tho inquiry was. refused owing to a recent decision in what was-known as the Ohinemuri case. \That decision (Mr. Jones said) : was not given until nine months after the inquiry was refused. He wished to complain, he said, of the issue of-the Order-in-Council. It was assented to by' Cabinet on December 5, 1910, but the issue of it did not take, place until' March 15, 1911. The.issueljof that order had been kept very sacred from. him. After his petition had been reported upon in 1907 by the Select Committeo of the ■ Legislative Council his Solicitor -(Mr. Trcadw'ell) several times • saw- Dr. Fi'ndlay, the Attorney-General, and Dr. I'indlay gavo him a very plain intimation • that the Government would not either appoint a Commission to deal with or investigate the allegations in the petition. .He.had already, however, been promised a-' settlement of his claims on terms satisfactory to him by. Sir Joseph Ward. ' He was sorry to say that Sir Joseph Ward had contradicted this statement. Referring again to the Stout-Palmer report he said that the Native Affairs Committee had last year declined to allow Mm to refer to it on the» ground that it was an "illegal document. He spent some time searching for the record among his papers, but failed to find it. He repeated, however, that the Committee had declared the document to. be illegal, and had done so. on the opinion of Messrs. H. D. Bell, C. P. Skerrett, and J. H. Hpsking, (ill King's Counsel. He undertook to produce the .record. The Committee adjourned until 10.30 a.m. to-day.