The Nelson Evening Mail. FRIDAY, AUGUST 31, 1877.

Nelson Evening Mail, Volume XII, Issue 206, 31 August 1877, Page 2

The Nelson Evening Mail. FRIDAY, AUGUST 31, 1877.

We have heard a great deal during the last few days of Mr George Jones, the proprietor of the Oamaru Evening Mail, and tbe breach of privilege to answer for which he waa summoned before the bar of the House. The precise nature of the charges made agaiust Arr Whitaker in the article which has caused all this stir is explained by the Wellington Post, aud there can be no doubt whatever tbat the Attorney-General is either a foully libelled man or he is totally unfit to retain his position either in the House or in society. There being but these two alternatives Mr Whitaker was compelled to take notice of the article, not only as a member of Parliament but as a man, and hence have arisen tha action that has been and that which is yet to be taken. Mr Whitaker, it is scarcely necessary to say, gives the flattest contradiction to every statement made iu the article, which is thus summarised by our contemporary:—" It purports to give an account of the circumstances which gave birth to the Native Lands Bill. It alleges that a Pakeha-Maori named Moon, in 1870, acquired a block of land of 8000 acres near Cambridge, in the Waikato, from the natives, and afterwards sold it for £400. With thissmall capital Moon is then described as trying to acquire a block of 200,000 acres. Then, through the sale of some land belonging to his wife, a Maori woman, he obtained some additional capital, aud resumed negotiations for the big block. Tbe article goes on to say that wheu Moon's scheme was likely to be successful, Mr Whitaker, who was not then iu the Ministry, attempted, through an agent, to go in as a partner with Moon iu the speculation. With great circumstantiality of detail— giving names, dates, and places— the article describes how Mr Whitaker's agent checkmated Moon, and brought the negotiations up to a certain poiut, when further proceedings were found to be impracticable under the existing Act. The graver portion of the charges contained in the article consist in what follows. Having sketched this supposed Moon-cum-Whitaker transaction thus far, the article then, in so many words, charges Mr Whitaker, in his capacity of Attorney-General, with trying to get the Native Lands Bill passed so that he might acquire for himself this huge estate of 200,000 acres. In various forms this accusation is repeated, and the general impression produced by the article is that the writer deliberately charges the Attoruey-General with prostituting his public position to serve his personal and private interests."