Manawatu Herald. SATURDAY, JAN. 7, 1893. Some new J's P.

Manawatu Herald, 7 January 1893, Page 2

Manawatu Herald. SATURDAY, JAN. 7, 1893. Some new J's P.

A short time ago the Liberal Government nominated certain gentlemen residing in Palmerston to the Commission of the Peace, among them being Messrs Woo;l and Welch. Owing to some trouble in connection with the Forest Reserve Special Settlement Association, the Commissioner of Crown Lands held an inquiry, and the Land Board has dealt with the matter. It appear*) that Mr W-'jlch is Chairman and Mr Woods is Treasurer of the Association. From the evidence published by the Pout Mr Wood in formed the Commissioner that wi h rpgard to the declaration witness d by him, "'Malcolm called upon him •• Ute one night aa he was going to "-bed, and asked him to witness his " signature, as he was goin? away " early next morning. Did nVt •♦ read the paper. Could not siy " whether it was properly filed up. Mr Welsh was more explicit when when pressed by the Commissioner as to his part in the transaction to which the declaration referred, Mr Welch said h? did not Un>w ; f he had received certain raon -y fr »in Gowper and Malcolm, and continued in thp.se remarkable tenm : — " I " could explain. I wink-d at it. " I would not see it. The man " Malcolm was starving, and his " wife and children were actually " wanting bread, and knowing he 11 wanted this mnn *y, I would not " know it, but still at the same tinv j " it was put in my way, though I " would not see it myself." And " again— Knew that transfers could " not be made for money con udera- " tion. but was going to w ; nk at " it. ... Should think it was " likely Malcolm's name was on the 11 declaration when Cowper s : gnf<d " it. Did not take the d >c'aration " himself, because he knew about "th * payment by Cowper. Did mt " warn Cowper that the signing of " the declaration might get him into 11 serious trouble. He ' winked his " other eye' over the thing. The Post concludes a very strong article thus : —If, as the Board asserts, Wood and Welch' instigated and abetted the proposed transfers for money consideration, contrary to law, it is a self-evident deduction from the facts given in evidence that i they also, as Magistrates, aided and ! abetted the making of a declaration | which was a misdemeanour, as being false and intended in fraud of the regulations affecting the land referred tr. If their action had be?n limited to merely taking a declaration in blank in ignorance of ito purpose, it would have been bad enough, and could scarcely have been excused on the plea of ignorance of magisterial duty and inexperience arising from recent appointment. Oommon "ens<* should tell any man that he should not certify to tho contents of a paper as having been declared to bft true when the paper is really in blank at the time, but in thfc case the action of the two magistrates concerned was mu-.rh more blamable, as from their position as officers of the Association they were evidently familiar with all the circumstancps, and with thp deceptive purpose for which the document was requirpd and intended to be us^d. Mr Welch said he winkpd at tho legal fraud proposed f o be perpetrated, and he seem* to have at the enqn'py treated the whole affair as a joke, introducing as he did the reference to the popular song about " winking the other eye" We shall wait with some curiosity to see whether the Minister of Justice will also wink at the transactions disclosed in theevid?nce, to which the L™d Roard has j directpd his special attention. Justice 1* AU#dMi fc" ta bltudi If it valuta