OTAGO.

Colonist, Issue 17, 18 December 1857, Page 4

OTAGO.

There has been considerable excitement in Dunedin for the last few days in consequence of the money belonging to the Treasury Department of the Waste Land Board not being in the chest when it was opened on Saturday last. Immediately upon the appointment of the Treasurer being gazetted, that officer applied by letter, to Mr. Macandrew for the key of the chest of the department, which demand not having been iComplied with, another letter was forwarded on Monday, threatening to bring the matter under the .attention of the Government. This produced an immediate interview between the Treasurer and Mr. Macandrew. Some demur was made by the latter to deliver up the key because he was the executor and surety of the late Mr. Proudfoot, and the key was not delivered until the following day, when, upon examination of the chest, it was found to contain only £705, whilst it ought to have contained £1929 14s. 5d., making a deficiency of £1224 14s. sd. Mr. Macandrew stated that there was upwards of one thousand pounds in . Mr. Proudfoot's house at the time of his death, which Mr. Macandrew took possession of as executor. This sum has not, however, yet come into the hands of the Treasurer. We refrain from making further remarks upon this subject, because the whole matter has been referred to a select committee of the Provincial Council, whose report, we presume, will be published.—Otago Witness, Nov. 14. In the Provincial Council, on Monday the 15th, the report referred to above was brought up and read, when a somewhat stormy debate ensued upon a motion for going into committee for its consideration. Sufficient of the particulars of this casu may be gathered from the following extracts of the debate, as reported in the Otago Colonist, of November 20:— ■Mr. Macandrew said that as he was considered to be the lion on the occasion, he would at once address the committee very briefly. The circumstances of the case were in a nutshell. Mr. Proudfoot, the late Treasurer} died, leaving' him as chief executor. It so happened also that he was one of Mr. Proudfoot's securities, and was under a joint bond to the General Government for £2000. After the funeral the executors in regular form took possession of all his effects, which were duly inventoried. Among other things there was a large sum of money, besides a considerable amount in available documents tantamount to money, being immediately realisable. The executors had no means of knowing whence this money was derived, as Mr. Proudfoot had been the depositary, of moneys belonging to various parties; in fact, he himself had deposited with him not long since £100 on account of another party. As executor he was not justified in parting with any of the money until the accounts were made up hand parties sent in their claims, and as surety he did not feel warranted in giving up even the key of the public chest excepting to an officer duly authorised and appointed by the General Government, which held the bond. A great deal had been said in deprecation of the course he had pursued; he felt satisfied, however, that he had acted in a business-way. When the public chest was opened, he then and there stated publicly that he believed the amount in Mr. Proudfoot's private house belonged partly to the Government, and that if their

claim were sent,in to the executors it-would be settled in due course,.provided it was found correct: But no, that did not suit his friends, and Within, twenty minutes of the time ;of his making the statement a message was sent down to the Council, in hot haste, requesting.a Select Committee to find out the mare's nest, The matter, said his Honor, wais urgent and immediate, and consequently not a moment was lost in setting to work, not to procure the money, for they knew that was all safe enough, and would be produced when wanted, but to get up a cry which would have the effect of distracting the public mind, and diverting it from their own political delinquencies. The whole proceeding was an unworthy and unscrupulous attempt to make political capital. (No, no, from Mr. Cutten and Dr. Williams.) He said yes, yes, and if hon. members provoked him to it he could state reasons in justification of his own conduct which would not redound to the credit of the leading parties to this enquiry. (Dr. Williams—name, name; out with it.) He would not out with it, but, perhaps, if they got his monkey up, it would come soon enough for their digestion. He could not find language to express his reprobation of the whole object and aim of the report, and of the committee frylwhich, it had" been ■framed. Never had a legislative majority been so prostituted to the purposes of party: the whole and sole object was to damage the character of a political opponent. A mere glance at the names of the committee sufficed to show any impartial observer that the object was not so much to conservate the public interests as to crush a political foe. Taken almost exclusively from one side of the Council, and composed of the keenest political partisans in. the House, it was clear that such was the aim of the leading spirits of the committee, including also the Superintendent, by whom its appointment has been instigated. " 'Tis true, 'tis pity, pity 'tis 'tis true," to see the Superintendent of the Province, who ought to be above and beyond all such miserable and petty jealousies and party spirit, lending himself to such an object. At the present moment the most darling object to his Honor's heart, aided and abetted by the whole fraternity, was to crush a man who not only had never injured him, but to whom, he (Mr. Macandrew) blushed not to say it, he was more indebted for his present position than to any other single individual in the Province. His Honor's dearest aim was to crush him (Mr. Macandrew) —to plant his heel upon his neck, and to humble him in the dust. However legitimate it might be to cherish and act upon such feelings towards a political opponent in a political sense, and in a political point of view, he maintained that when, in order to the accomplishment of such ends, men allowed themselves, as in the present case, to gloat over the prospects of fallen fortune, of ruined credit, and of blasted reputation, they were unworthy of the name of Englishmen (pointing to Mr. Cutten). " He who robs me ofnvy purse, ; Steals trash, which I can c'en despise; ' But he who robs me of my good name, Robs me of that which not enrichetli him, But makes me poor indeed." The hon. gentleman then, with considerable warmth, said that the hon. member for the Tokomariro (Mr. J. Cargill) had dared to insinuate that he (Mr. Macandrew) had robbed the public chest—that, like the midnight thief, he had lurked about the strong room and abstracted the money. He threw back the foul imputation upon its author, with all the scorn of which he was capable, and said it was well for the hon. gentleman that he had breathed such an imputation shielded by the privileges of that Council. Had it been otherwise he should have suffered for it, had it cost him (Mr. Macandrew) every sixpence he possessed. Yet the hon. member was an honourable man; so were they, all, all honourable men! What had he done to bring down upon himself such fiendish hate and diabolical rage ? From force of circumstances he had allowed himself for years back to be dragged through the mire to serve the interests of his Honor the Superintendeet, and now that he had shaken himself free—now that he had left the ricketty vehicle to its fate— a fate which it required no prophetic vision to see would very soon land it in the quagmire of confusion, he was branded as a young aspirant after office, a light horseman, and such like. All he could say was, that if all the public men of Otago at this moment were as independent of office and as indifferent to its emoluments as he (Mr. Macandrew) was, the Government would then, he hesitated not to say, be conducted with much greater efficiency, and much less expensively. He would venture to say further, that in the whole affair the gentlemen opposite had calculated without their host,—that they wofild'find'they'iiad to deal with a tougher "subject than their philosophy had conceived of, and that their machinations would recoil upon their own heads. He thought it must be plain to every man not steeped to the neck in party spirit, that the whole drift of the enquiry was to crush a political opponent. He hoped the Council, for its own credit, would not lend itself to such an object by such means. The thing was a matter with which they had really nothing to do. Mr. Proudfoot, than whom an honester man never stepped, had left ample means, and had it been otherwise, his sureties were quite in a position to fulfil their bonds. Had all these means failed, then was the time to expose the affair and make an outcry upon the subject. But this would not have answered the end, and such a favourable opportunity of making political capital, at a time when it was so much needed, did not occur every day. Mr. Cutten said the course he had pursued in merely moving the adoption of the report pro forma, had afforded him no opportunity of offering any remarks. He | thought the report was only too mild, exj cept perhaps, that part which conveyed a censure upon Mr. M'Glashan, and that scarcely any portion-could be objected to by any member of the Council. That portion

wliich censured the practice of executors taking possession of public funds on the death of the 'officer in charge of them would be concurred in by all, for such a practice would tend to destroy public credit. Ifa j banker died who had been in the Habit of keeping his funds in his private house, the executors would not refuse to satisfy the demands of the creditors of .that bank. In this case a large portion of the amount ill question consisted of deposits oh runs, many demands for the return of which had already been made, and which would now greatly increase in number. The report contained only an analysis of the facts brought out in evidence, and the hon. gentleman had not rejected to the report itself, but to the whole proceeding. The Government were, however, bound to make the inquiry, for a more monstrous case had ridver existed. The report was then adopted, and the House adjourned until eight o'clock. On re-assembling, his Honor proceeded tb prorogue the Council, and in the course of his address said—"The report you have adopted on the Treasury of the Waste Land Office shall be vigorously followed out, and I am happy to believe there will be no ultimate loss. It presents the third case that has occurred in pur'boundaries of a tampering with public property, and I trust it will be the last. The-..best safeguard in such matters is a sound public opinion, and that opinion decidedly expressed, as now done, by the Provincial Council, and for which I most sincerely thank you." The Council was then prorogued until the 3rd of November, 1858.