EXPLANATION BY MR RHODES.

Temuka Leader, Issue 2386, 23 July 1892, Page 4

EXPLANATION BY MR RHODES.

The following is a rerort of what Mr Khodes, the member for Geraldine, said in the House on Tuesday afternoon when calling the attention of the Speaker to an alleged breach of the privileges of the House on the part of Mr Meredith, in placing the following question on the Order Paper :—" Whether an honourable member of the House, as agent for another person, has exercised valueless forest land scrip to a large amount in lieu of cash, and if the answer be m the affirmative what steps have the Government taken in the matter." Mr Rhodes said it was generally believed this question referred to himself, and that was the reason he had brought it up as one of privilege. Certain land scrip, as he said, was used by Mrs Jessie Rhodes in February 1891, and no question as to it was raised till a demand was made for the payment of £498 14s on 16th May last. Mr Rhodes at once, as he insisted on the utmost publicity, put the whole of his books and papers before Mr 0 Hara Smith, on the understanding that the Government correspondence should be shown to him, as he wished the matter cleared up. Mr Smith showed hint a copy of his report on the case, but he had been denied access to the Government correspondence. He (Mr Rhodes) did not believe Mr Smith was responsible for this, but in his whole experience he had never known such a mean action as after undertaking to show these papers to refuse to do it. He hoped the Government would explain the matter. Mr O'Hara Smith's report concluded as follows: "In conclusion, I would state it appears quite clear that Mr Rhodes acted in good faith in tendering the scrip for cash, and the receiver acted in good faith in receiving it in lieu of cash. Nevertheless the scrip wa« only good for ;£SOO, and not for £998 145," When access to the correspondence was refrjsed he (Mr Rhodes) wrote to the AuditorGeneral on the matter, and stated that land orders were used by iVJrs Jessie Rhodes as paymeiu for land in South Canterbury, and were accepted by the Crown Lands Department as good ; but that Mr Williams, Receiver of Land Revenue at Christchurch, had written to the effect that the Auditor-General declined to admit they were legal tenders, and that he was surcharged by the AuditorGeneral £498 14s. Mr Williams had also applied to him (Mr Rhodes) to collect this sum from Mrs Rhodes, although he (Mr Rhodes) knew of no legal or uioral obligation under which it was incumbent on him to pay this sum. He wished to state that these land orders were bought on condition that they would be accepted by the Lands Department and payment ■would be refused for them on Mr» Rhodes' behalf until they had been handed ovby to Mr Baker, Commissioner of Crown Lands at Christchurch. He had given his assurance that they were good, and could be legally vised by Mrs Rhodes. After this the land orders were paid for and handed in with other cheques to Mr Williams, who accepted them, and gave his receipt for them in the ordinary provisional title. The letter further stated that the land order and balance of money were handed to Mr Williams on 14th February, 1891, the cheque cashed by Mr Williams on lfith February, and it -was not till May, 1892, that Mrs Jessie Rhodes or her solicitor had any intimation that the Government took any objection to' the land orders being used. The letter to the Auditor-General concluded with a request that this case should be thoroughly investigated. Mr Rhodes concluded hits remarks by calling upon the Government to have fclw whole

question of the scrip used during their adminstration enquired into, and charged them not to call upon opponents to payup when they themselves were illegally paying cash for scrip to their supporters in various parts of the colony.