MOKAU CLAIMS.

Dominion, Volume 6, Issue 1592, 8 November 1912, Page 7

MOKAU CLAIMS.

DISCUSSED IN!; PARLIAMENTi

REPORT OF,' COMMITTEE ADOPTED,

■The adjourned,:debate on the' question, that the report of; the: joint Joshua Jones Claims Committee -do lie- on, the table and be referred to the Government for consideration was vesiiriied by the House of Representatives "yesterday, forenoon. • Mr. E. M'Calluni (Wairau)' saidj he regretted having : to ■; dissent from the • report of his fellbw-committeemen, but he

did disagree. He said;that Joshua Jones was, in fact,.n'o.-ihoreHhnn aland speculator, doing his best. for himself. 'It Avould lie supposed from the report that the, payment', of ,£3ooO"'was paid. partly on'account of the repeal of, the''obsolete legislation,',nnd'.'the'rest'was a purely- ex gratia payment., 1 As a matter of fact, the compensation to -which Jones was entitled in .respect', of the,repeal' of the ■Acts- was '.hil.'.sp.'ttiat.'.tlio whole sum was an e;: gratia payment. He had really lost ill claims lindev-his leases, but not by ' the. action of the' Government, and ,ii ! moneys'were:to L he paid-by.the Goyern- . ment in.' such cases',- then it would open the Treasury to very many heavy claims. He' was' sorry) that he had to oppose Mr. Jones, because:he was a game fighter, although, from another point of view, an unfortunate adventurer., ■. .... : ,\ Mr. C. E.' Stathani; (Hunedin. Central) 'defended the recomrf£ndatio.nX6fr'the:..Coinmittee! ' It had been "acknowledged "that Mr. Jones . deserved a reward at, the hands of the Government, but the reward' promised/was-.never:iactnally-given:- -Jn. London he "had -.fallen, into the hands of an ''unscrupulous solicitor. He detailed all tho subseciucnt. dealings, and litigation between Wickham Flower and Mr. Jones. \ Jjater the ".Government, by an Order-in-Council, allowed speculators, to purchase the property* and to make huge profits. : The grant 'of. the freehold to Herrman Lewis came' as a ' surprise to Jones, and affected; his interests in the.land. The-right was'.granted-., sud-. denlv, with certain little irregularities; of which he did'not like the look.- He be-

lieved ■ the action of' the Government in granting the Order-in-Council, to Lewis, extinguished all .Jones's chances 1 of- ever getting his land back-. Jt had never been shown to his satisfaction that that Order was ever, issued- 'in -the public internet. Mr. T. M. Wilfofd (Hult) said that supposing Jones-had a claim, against the Government,. the .proposal to grant him riC3OOO was a much,more liberal one than had made concerning, a man- whose .losses-..had', teen gi^eater—Captaiai Attwood.■■:.- ;■'■':.:• V•' -' - : " Mr. G. Witty (Eiccarton) said he didnot;'wish to. say anything,' about. Mokau Jones,.but hei thought the facts.of the case were how being brought up with the bbiect of thrashing the-late Government. .Mr.' W. D.:.S. Macdonald,. (Bay of. Plenty) said the statement made by Mr. Statham. was' without doubt . the most' onesided ever delivered to Parliament oh the 'case.'.. He regretted to say ' that Joshua Jones had no, legal and no moral claim against the. land* and no claim against the Government for consideration. Nothing unfair had.-been.attempted',in: connection with the' case, --,'-... 'The Hon. D. Btfddo (Kaiapoi) • said, he felt sorry, for -Mr. "Jones, for ,if he had taken up other, land instead of tho -Mokau land, he'would have been a' pi'eat deal better:,off. He defended, the late Government for its action in. connection with Mokauland, and it was-time that ;the. tirade of abuse against the late Government should cease. ■' , • Mr.. G. J. Anderson appealed to the House to cease .wasting time over this case. ' The motion that the report'lie on the', table'was agreed to on the voices. ; •■-.,'