THE MOKAU CASE.

Taranaki Daily News, Volume LIV, Issue 16, 13 July 1911, Page 8

THE MOKAU CASE.

SPIRITED CORRESPONDENCE. "TRUTH" AND SIR JOSEPH WARD. London, June 2. 1 • Truth's article dealing with the advenI tures of Mr. Joshua Jones in New Zealand has called forth the following letter from Sir Joseph Ward:— "Hotel Cecil, Strand, W.C., May 22, 1011.—Sir,—The statements made In your issue of May 17, concerning the Mokau Jones Estate, in which reflections , are made on the New Zealand Government, have been brought under my notice. ,1. do not propose to discuss the various statements in the article jn question, but I feel it my duty to myself and colleagues to say that the writer of the article has obviously been misinformed regarding both the 'facts and the legal position of this matter. I must add that the inferences and imputations contained in the article against my Government,, and particularly against the AttorneyGeneral, are absolutely without foundation, as reference to the shorthand record of evidence taken bv the last Parliamentary Committee of the House of Representatives, who fully investigated this matter, abundantly proves.—Yours faithfully, Joseph 0. Ward." "Scrutator," who has the matter in hand for Truth, comments as follows on this letter:—-"Sir Joseph Ward is among i us as a distinguished visitor and an honored guest, and I should be sorry to appear to come into conflict with him on statements of fact at such a time; but I must repudiate politely but emphatically his observation .that I have been misinformed regarding 'the facts and the legal position of this matter.' As regards the legal position, up to the time of Mr. Jones's arrival in New Zealand, I think I can claim to know as much about it as any man living—probably a good deal more than Sir Joseph Ward docs. As to what legal proceedings have since taken place in New Zealand, I have authentic records of them, and the effect of them was certainly correctly stated in my last week's article. 1 do not see what room there can bo for controversy about the legal position, for the opinion was pretty clearly indicated in the article that Mr. Jones's legal remedies had been exhausted before he left this country, and that lie failed to find any further rem- | Pdy >m the New Zealand courts. Sir Joseph Ward can hardly mean to contradict this. As regards the facts stated in the article, they are derived from authentic reports of Parliamentary proceedings and the latest newspaper re- • ports of the dealings with tile Mokau lands that have recently taken plitce. I cannot admit that these sources of information are seriously impugned by Sir Joseph Ward's general statement that 1 have been misinformed about facts. As for 'inferences and imputations' against Sir Joseph Ward's Government and against the Attornev-Gen-fi'al, 1 limited .myself to saying that the , connection of Dr. Fimllay. the Attorneylieneral. with the firm of lawyers wjio are acting for the original purdiaser of Mokau and Air the company to which he is transferring the property as unfor-

tunate in view of Iho attitude of the Government in tms case and its failure up to the present time to carry out the recommendation of two' successive Parliamentary Committees. This is a matter of opinion, lmt it is an opinion held not only by myself, but bv a great many people in New Zealand." "My view of the Mokau case, so far as it is necessary to state it at the moment, is that the New Zealand Government ought to have taken some steps to prevent what has now happened to Mr. Joshua Jones and this big property in New Zealand. The fate of the prop- N erty appears to have been de«ide(f already; further evidence on that point has come to hand during the past week. Mr. Jones remains, and one 01 the principal objects of the last Truth article was to elicit from Sir Joseph Ward, if possible, some intimation that Mr. Jones's fate is not settled also. Sir Joseph seems primarily concerned about himself and the Attorney-General. I am primarily concerned about Mr. Jones."