NATIVE LAND TRANSACTIONS.

Globe, Volume XXII, Issue 1981, 30 June 1880, Page 3

NATIVE LAND TRANSACTIONS.

[By Telegraph.] ' fFXtOK OUB OWN CORRESPONDENT.] WELLINGTON, June 29, The eagerly looked for papers alluded to by the Native Minister relative to the transactions of Messrs Young and Warbriok as officers of the Land Purchase Department were laid on the table to-day by Mr Bryce. Mr Fitz Gerald, Auditor-General, remarks “ that it is much to be regretted that so groat a failure of justice should have occurred, and that the fraudulent proceeding of Mr Young in dealing with public monies should have escaped punishment,” Mr Batkin, Assistant-Controller, reports “ that moneys alleged to have been paid to Natives in many cases have never been paid at all; that moneys charged as paid to Natives were paid to Mr Young’s private account and not to the Natives ; that moneys alleged to have been paid to Natives wore in reality paid to certain No. 2 accounts by Messrs Young and Warbriok at the National Bank and the Bank of Now Zsaland ; but'that either of these sums ever reached the Natives, to whom they were charged, is in some cases at least a matter of grave uncertainty ; that in innumerable cases moneys charged as paid to the Natives wore paid, in fact, to storekeepers for goods supplied. ”Iu all the instances alluded to above Young had furnished voucher receipted by the Native to whom the money was charged, such receipts being attested by Warbrick as witness to the payment and signature. It is, however, certain that in some cases the signature of the Native was a forgery; in many others, though the signature was genuine, the form to which it was attached had originally been signed by the Native in blank, and in connection with a wholly different transaction, but had been used by Young to substantiate the false entry in his cash book. Warbriok has stated in writing that it was his practice under Young’s directions to fill up those blank but receipted vouchers by the hundred, as occasion required, and to use them in support of the cash accounts. Upwards of 170 of these blank voucher forms receipted by Natives were found in the office. Mr Batkin then proceeds to describe in detail the irregularities referred to, and adds “ there can bo no doubt that a large number of Young’s transactions have every appearance of being fraudulent, and his attempt immediately before my arrival in Tauranga to assign this property in trust to his wife was the act of a self-condemned man.” The report is not yet printed, but is looked for with groat interest. A report was also laid on the table as to the expenditure relative to the Patere block. The respective annual sums were as follows:—£sl49 in 1874, £7O in 1875, £5 in 187-5, £7B in 1877, £2630 in 1878, £2804 in 1879, £3 in 1880 ; total, £10,732, of which more than half was, therefore, paid during the two years of the Grey Ministry.