The New Zealand Times (PUBLISHED DAILY). THURSDAY, JUNE 19, 1879.

New Zealand Times, Volume XXXIV, Issue 5685, 19 June 1879, Page 2

The New Zealand Times (PUBLISHED DAILY). THURSDAY, JUNE 19, 1879.

The inquiry into certain matters connected with the electoral roll of the Mongonui and Bay of Islands District has been completed, and the report drawn up by Mr. Bryce is now before us. The public will bo able to see for themselves that it is a model of conciseness, expressed in the clearest possible language, and bearing the impress of a sound and impartial judgment, which has been exercised without fear or favor. The result of the inquiry more than substantiates the facts*'which have been constantly brought before the public in our columns. . The Say of Islands scandal has proved to be even more scandalous than was anticipated, and vthe roll-stuffing has been shown to have r been carried out by a shameful system of forgery, and to have been legalised by the appointment of a revising officer whose decision is said by tho Commissioner to have been “ grotesque in its absurdity,” aided by a

registration officer, who is described in the report as ‘ ‘utterly incompetent to perform “ his duties, and, in my opinion, quite incapable of learning them.” The Commissioner explains that political feeling in the district had been aroused during the general election in 1871; that in 1873, when Mr. J. Williams, the present member, was returned, he was opposed by a Mr. Lcndon, and that the latter, with a view of securing his return at a future date, during 18/4 filled tho electoral roll of the district with the names of Maori supporters. These claims were disputed, and in 1876 a test case was decided by Mr. Lawlor against the Maori votes placed upon the roll by Mr. London. The claims were again made, but in 1877 objections were again sustained; but during the registration period of 1878 no less than 373 native claims were once more placed on the roll at Mr. London’s instance. Legal assistance in support of them was procured by Mr. London ; the Registration and Revising Officer, Mr. E. M. Williams, was called upon to resign by the Government the day before the Revision Court had to sit, and Captain or Mr. Baker was appointed in his place. What happened we will allow Mr. Bryce to explain — On the claims being called on for revision Mr. Tole raised the preliminary technical objection that Edward Marsh Williams, Registration Officer for the Mongouui and Bay of Islands Electoral District, had then no legal existence, and that consequently the objections made by him fell to the ground. Mr. Lawlor, the Revising Officer, at once ruled that Mr. Tole’s objection was fatal, and ordered the whole of the names objected to, including, as they did, dead, absent, and disqualified persons, to be placed on the roll for 1878 and 1879. The ,new Registration Officer, Mr. Baker, it may be remarked, remained in the Court inert and speechless during the short discussion between Mr. Tole and the Revising Officer.

Reviewing the decision, Mr. Bryce points out that both it, and consequently the objections founded upon it were unsound. Only those natives holding land under Crown grant of more than a certain value, had a legal claim to be classed as electors; of this class there were about 70 all told, and of these the report says—- “ That when the mode is considered in “ which the claims were got up or pre- “ pared, it will be seen that the number “ of valid claims must be still further re- “ duced indefinitely.” Our readers will now have an opportunity of judging for themselves what sort of a man Mr. London is, of whom Sir George Grey himself wrote to the Maori electors in the district, saying that he ’ desired him for a companion in the House of Representatives. Mr. Bryce describes Mr. London ,as follows : I have already pointed out that Mr. London’s apparent object in getting up the Maori claims was to render the electoral roll more favorable to himself. With this object in view, it is clear from his own evidence that the questions of whether the claimants were qualified, or whether they signed the claims, or whether the claims were duly attested, were matters of complete indifference to him so long as the supreme object was gained. Mr. London has himself permitted a native in his presence to sign the names of twenty absent persona to electoral claims, and has caused the forms so prepared to be taken away to a distance to be signed by another person as attesting witness. Very many of the claims preferred were certainly never signed ‘by the persons purporting to have signed them, and false attestation has been the rule; not the exception.

We agree with Mr, Bryce that the brother of a sitting member should not have continued to hold the position of Registration Officer, and that Mr. E. Williams’ conception of hisduty was quite erroneous; but we question whether many men would have been able to preserve the purity of their character when pitted against an opponent who, by Mr. Bryce’s own showing, thought himself at liberty to use forgery as a means to secure his return. The political atmosphere was full of poison, and it is no wonder if all those who were compelled to breathe it, became more or less tainted. In a manner which shows that Mr. Bryce has a full and comprehensive grasp of the whole subject, he summarises his report as follows :

I think, then, that Mr. John Lundon has for years past deliberately endeavored to place persons on the electoral roll for the Mongonui and Bay of Islands District with the view of rendering it more favorable to himself, and without caring whether such persons were qualified or not. It is my opinion that of the 373 claims which he caused to be preferred in 1878 four-fifths had no legal qualification, and that of the remaining fifth many were vicious and invalid by reason of the mode in which the claims were prepared. I think that the late Registration Officer, Mr. Williams, permitted, perhaps unconsciously, his political sympathies and dislikes to influence him in the discharge of his official duties as Registration Officer—that he made his objections on insufficient information, and thus became an instrument to forward the objects of a local party or faction. I think that both of Mr. Lawlor’s celebrated, or notorious, decisions were anunsound in law, and that his capacity is not equal to the performance of the duties of Revising Officer in a district where difficult questions may arise. I think that Mr. Baker, the new Registration Officer at Russell, is altogether unfit for that position. I think that the conduct of the Government in removing Mr. Williams from the position of Registration Officer at so unfortunate a time was inconsiderate, injudicious, and objectionable; but I do not believe that the Government, or any member of it, had any intention by that means of preventing due inquiry into the merits or demerits of the claims objected to by Mr. Williams.

We have but little to add in the way of comment upon what Mr. Bryce has reported. When his appointment was first mooted we supported the proposal strongly ; we stated that in our opinion no other man in the whole House could be named on whose judgment and impar. tiality all parties could so thoroughly rely, and the report contains internal evidence of the perfect good faith of the Commissioner, The importance of the 373 votes will be readily admitted when we state that according to the last census there were only 509 European electors in the whole of the Mongonui district. Had this enquiry not taken place, in the event of an election, Sir G. Grey would no doubt have been able to welcome his friend Mr. London as a companion to share his Parliamentary labors; but, the House would have been unfortunately saddled with a member who, in order to secure his seat, had countenanced the forgery of the names of twenty absent persons to electoral claims. By the very opportune assistance of the Government, whose conduct the Commissionerdesoribes as inconsiderate, injudicious, and objectionable, Mr. Lundon was able to stuff the roll with more than 300 bogus electors, and thereby command the suffrages of the district. The character of the appointments made to the Revision Court are such as to utterly destroy any spark of confidence in the present Ministry which may still linger in the breasts of their staunchest supporters. It would be interesting to know who recommended Mr.

Baker for the appointment. Pressure on our space compels us to hold over the report for publication in full in a future issue.