THE HINE CHARGES.

Manawatu Herald, Volume XXXII, Issue 911, 29 October 1910, Page 3

THE HINE CHARGES.

The Hine Committee of the lower House met yesterday morning.

Mr M. Myers, legal council for Mr Hine was allowed to appear. Messrs Kaihau and Symes, who are involved iu the charges, wrote asking for an adjournment to allow of their attendance. It was decided that the committee should meet next Tuesday, Thursday and Friday, when the parties interested and their witnesses must be in attendance.

Mr Myers said he proposed first to deal with the charges against Mr Symes. Mr Hine now made the further charge against the Hou. T. K. Macdonald concerning the acquistion of the Flaxbourne Estate in 1904. The charge was that as Mr Macdonald as an M.L.C., could not be paid any remuneration for acting as assessor, he sent his then partner, Alexander Lorimer Wilson, to make a casual inspection of the property and paid him an exceptional and wholly extravagant fee, to the benefit ot Mr Macdonald or his firm. Mr Hine preferred this as a charge against the Government, not against Mr Macdonald. He also said the charges of accepting payment, running into four figures, was being made against Kaihau, and that the paper mentioned iu the charge was the Stratford Post. Mr Myers asked that Parliament should summon witnesses and pay their expenses, and that witnesses be sworn.

Sir Joseph Ward agreed to this. Mr Myers asked permission to peruse departmental vouchers relating to purchases mentioned iu charges, and said he would intimate what files he required. The committee then adjourned.