The New Zealand Times (PUBLISHED DAILY.) TUESDAY, MAY 21, 1878.

New Zealand Times, Volume XXXIII, Issue 5350, 21 May 1878, Page 2

The New Zealand Times (PUBLISHED DAILY.) TUESDAY, MAY 21, 1878.

In our issue of the 14th instant wo reprinted from the Canterbury. “ Press ” an article on certain claims' which , throe members of the, late Ministry have against the colony, in ! which our contemporary, .withindignation in which every honest man must join, denounces the actions of public journals under the control of Miuisters in respect to those claims, and cites the Wanganui “Herald, ” Mr. Ballance’s newspaper, as the originator of “ the • pitiful attempt to bring odium upon people who only ask for whatever recognition of their claims the law entitles them to.” Tho ex-Ministers in question are Mr. Ricuakuson; ■ Mr.'' WhjtaKek,: and Dr. Pollen. The claim of each of those gentlemen originated before their' accession to the Ministry ; .from the fact that they are still unsatisfied, political opponents of ordinary fairness would have inferred that these Ministers had abstained from using the power which their official position gave them: to servo their individual purposes, and would have had the manliness to acknowledge the fact. The rabid desire to traduce public men, which has recently grown out of the unfortunate example sot by the Prime Minister, is a calamity the full consequences of which will only be evident hereafter. As so much political capital has been made out of those claims, it may be worth while on public grounds, and not on behalf of the, gentlemen named, who we have reasonto believe are indifferent iu the matter, to state the facts of the respective ; cases. Mr. Ricuakdso.v’s claim, which is of old

date, arises out of the contract for the construction of the railway from Lyttelton to Christchurch,- and is against tho Provincial Government of Canterbury, and not against: j the colony. All that Mr. Richardson - desired, was that he.’ - -might ; be? permitted 'ter prosecute his claim before tho ■ Supreme ! Court of the colony, - from which he ;was debarred by some technical obstacle. During the whole period of his i administration of the Public Works Department no word of this personal claim was heard, nor was any "action r taken by him-, in regard to it. Only after ho had ceased to° bo a Minister and the Provincial Government of Canterbury had ceased to exist was this claim brought before the House of Representatives by petition in the proper constitutional mode. - Dr. Pollen wo believe claims the retiring allowance under the provisions of the Civil Service Act to which the official labor of twenty years entitles him according to law. Mr. ; Whitaker’s -claim, which is represented “ as being not precisely of a pecuniary character,” but one “involving large public interests,” differs in character from the others before mentioned, and has been investigated minutely by a committee of tho House of Representatives appointed on the motion of Mr. Murray on 'the 20th September last. Mr. Whitaker ,is the lete noir of Sir George Grey, and in his eyes the incarnation of “land hunger ” and territorial monopoly. His claim is one for compensation arising out of a breach of agreement by the Government for an exchange of laud in the Thames District. The report of the - committee and the evidence taken in the case, is printed as a Parliamentary-paper, I. No. 15-of the last session. To any one who has the curiosity to refer to 'this document, we recommend a perusal r of the evidence given by Mr. Whitaker himself, and that given by Sir F. Dillon Bell, who formerly held the office of Land Claims Commissioner,- and was familiar: with all the circumstances of the case. We reprint the report of the select committee:—

The select committee appointed .to inquire Into certain laud transactions In connection with the purchase of the Puninga Blochs 1,2, S, and 4, and other lauds in the Waltoa District, by Mr. Whitaker and by Mr. James Mackay, and also any proposed exchanges between Government and Mr. Whitaker; and, further, to Inquire into and report upon the claim of Mr. Whitaker to compensation for breach of an agreement made between him and the Government on the 22iid September, 1874, in reference to the land referred to, have tho honor to report,—Thai the exchange of the lands at Puninga, proposed to be given to Mr. Whitaker for his claims to the land mentioned in his evidence under the head ** Plato Purchases.” appears to have been a judicious transaction on the part 1 of the Government, and should bo completed without loss of time. -That, in consequence-of-the failure of the Government to complete thoir undertaking to provide a good title to the lands proposed 1 6 bo given to Mr. Whitaker by way of exchange, Mr. Whitaker has been subjected to loss; and that the Government should take immediate stops to ascertain and settle such loss. Your committee have not had the means of examining the natives interested, but have taken all available evidence,' copy of which, together with the minut s of their proceedings, is attached, and they recommend that the same be printed. W. A. Mubiuy, Chairman.

November 27, 1877, No action Has been taken by Mr. Whitaker or by the Government upon the report of this committee.. What there is that can properly be called “monstrous” in the facts we have stated, our Wanganui contemporary may be able to, say, if with a better knowledge it should think fit to recur to the subject. It is time that this base kind of party warfare should cease ; no good can possibly come of it; no one whose opinion is of any worth can be long deceived by it; the inventors :and progagatora -of such falsehoods will bo themselves in the end tho real sufferers. It is, wo think, fortunate that, where retaliation is so easy, and could be made so effective, the Opposition have not stooped to the use of the weapons with whichthey have been assailed by Ministers and -Ministers’ newspapers.