THE NORTHERN TERRITORY.

Taranaki Daily News, 4 October 1920, Page 5

THE NORTHERN TERRITORY.

A BIASSBK JUDGE. EXTRAORDINARY BEHAVIOUR. It would, seem as if tie Taamanian judge, Mr. Justice Ewing, who, aa a Royal Commission appointed by the Federal Government, conducted the enquiry into administrative, conditions in the Northern Territory, was coming in ror a good deal of discus? ion that is not altogether favorable. According to recent Australian files his conduct of that enquiry and his ultimate findings were brought up in the Federal Senate. The first speaker, Senator Elliott, said he held no Brief for the officer? affected, who should be punished if they had not been dealt with very fairly, and were being largely sacrificed to prejudice. When the Commission was set up, the Senator continued, it was essential that an impartial and just man should be appointed to it. But the Government, he thought, could not deny that Mr. Justice Ewing had button-holed Ministers in order to secure the appointment and practically appointed himself on his own terms. The only conclusion was that it was done to obtain notoriety. So far as he could see ,I'rom the papers laid before the Senate, if Mr. Justice Ewing had not been guilty of embezzlement,. he had been of the conversion of public moneys. He had expended, it was stated, £470 above the travelling allowance granted, and was compelled to admit that part of that money had been expended in curios for himself. Jn connection with this latter statement a letter was read from Mr. Justice Ewing, in which he mentioned the purchase of these "curios" out of • Government moneys, but assumed that he would not be asked to make up any refund, seeing that he had given up his Christmas and Easter vacations to the work of the Commission. His application to the Treasury for funds seem to have been fairly frequent, and in all £4030 was furnished to him. In spite of this, Mr. Justice Ewing opened as follows one of his letters to the Prime Minister: —"What sort of a bird is this Shepherd you have got down there who runs you and your department, apparently in his own estimation? . . This secretary of yours has already cost the Government a few hundred pounds by not sending money when he was asked to. I really don't know what to make of the fellow/' This is scarcely the language one would expect from a Supreme Court Judge, further dignified as a Royal Commissioner, and addressing himself to the Prime Minister, of the Australian Commonwealth. The Minister of Repatriation (Senator Millen), in the course of his reply, said that the Government did not accept all of Mr. Justice Ewing's findings as being justified by the evidence. He also ventured to say that "if to-day the Government had to find a Royal Commissioner, it would not be inclined to throw additional responsibility upon the shoulders of Mr. Justice Ewing." It will be remembered that it was Mr. Justice Ewing who constituted' the tribunal set up by,the Labor Government in New South Wales to re-open tjie wises of the I.W.W. prisoners, and who, sitting alone, reversed the decisions of the New South Wales juries and judges before whom they had been tried and by whom they hacl been convicted and sentenced.