ALLEGED CORRUPTION.

Taranaki Daily News, Volume LI, Issue 257, 23 October 1908, Page 3

ALLEGED CORRUPTION.

ATTACK ON -Ml!. W. SYMES, M.P. AND HIS REPUTATION. llci'orc concluding his speech at Stratford on Wednesday evening, Ml'. \V. Symes. ■M.l'., said ho would like to stale tliiit he bad been informed that a lett -r from "him to a eertuin individual had been photographed and was bei»» shown round the electorate with a view to damaging his chances with the elcetois. He therefore challenged Hi.- man to re.i. tin- 1.-tter from lb,- platform to allo\ tin- right cousf ruction to be placed i„i it.

In response to tin- challenge, Mr. K. 1". Hemingway took U]i the gamitlel ,i'i I . asc.-nded the stage. The first letter ; read was a couimunicatiou marked "p.ivale and eonlidenliiil," with permission . to show tlie letter to certain peop e. sent In Mr. Semes shortly before the last general election. Mr. Hemingway expressed bis opinion thai Mr. Sy s shoiild-be ashamed ;>>" having written such a letter. Mr. Symes: I am ashamed of the man who handed you a communication marked "private and oouliilentiiil." The second document was a phol.i- ---| graphed copy of n letter and aecou it sent to Mr. B. Lysagbt by Mr. Symes, in which the latter claimed'live per" cent, commission on a sum of money recovered for the executors of J. J{. I.ysaghi's estate, through, a petition presented to Parliament by Mr. Symes. The letlci concluded: "Don't forget thai your own claim is not paid. I hold the key of th position. I hold all the iiifo'rniati.m and shall know bow to use. it. All the other lessees have paid cheerfully." ilr. Hemingway contended, 'amidst considerable uproar, that a member had no right to charge commission for a setvice such as this rendered to a constituent.

Air. Symes, in reply, expressed his ' pleasure at being able to meet the slander face to face. Mr. Hemingway evidently did not know the ABC of this I matter, whiclkdatcd back to 1874. Under the West Coast Settlement Act cerium lessees had been compelled to surrender their leases and appoint an arbitralo \ In connection with this matter the speaker had fought three .Supreme Court actions, the cost of which he had paid out of his own pocket. None of the other lessees had paid anything, but had got the value of the speaker's expenditure and knowledge for nothing. He had also gone over the Act word for word with the Public Trustee, and had paid all expenses out of his own pocket. Mr. George Hutchison, though A clever lawyer, had been unsuccessful in presenting the petition, a, he had not possessed the requisite knowledge of the matter, which knowledge had been gamed by him (Mr. Symes) at great cost of time and money. It was not likely that he was going to give aw:vy his dearly-bought knowledge for nothiif" to outsiders, but he had never received one 'farthing commission on any sum recovered for any one of his constituents. He had not presented the petition as a member of Parliament, and Mr. B. Lysagbt was not, and never bad be.-n, one of Jii s constituents, nor were any of those who had paid commission on sums obtained for them. Mr. F. Lysagbt had himself expressed regret at the .discourteous way in which" his brother, Mr. B. Lysagbt, had treated the speaker, and had offered to make the payment himself, but the speaker had refused the offer, notwithstanding that Mr. F. Lysagbt had expressed bis conviction that the claim on his brother was an equitable and just one. The speaker again reiterated that he had

never received any commission from any one of his constituents i n connection with this matter, nor had he ever received a copper..for anything he had (lone for any constituent "i n his position as their member. Surely -.Mr. Hemingway knew that lie was a commission agent and that lie would be pleased to insure Mr. Hemingway's life on the morrow, or to sell him some sheep-dip or any other thing. (Laughter and applause.) As to the West Coast leases, he could tell them what, his knowledge had cost him. Owing lo' litigation and the expense he was under he had con" out of the property after nineteen years' work without a shilling, while ail the other lessees benefited by his action. Mr. Symes spoke i u scathing terms of . •such of fighting, and expressed his regret that Mr. Hemingway had not come to him for a personal explanation before using the letter sent to Mr. and ventured the opinion that Mr. Hemingway, having been made aware of the facts of the ease, would now admit his mistake--Stratford Po-t.