THE HINE CHARGES

Wairarapa Age, Volume XXXII, Issue 10696, 17 August 1912, Page 5

THE HINE CHARGES

AN INTERESTING SEQUEL

PAYMENT OF AIR SKKHKJ-TP3 FEES. BY THE WARD GOVERNMENT. , (By Telegraph—Press Association.J . WELLINGTON, Last Night In the House of Representative;:. ( this afternoon, Mr J. B. Hine presorted the report of the Public Amounts Committee -on the Estimates. Speaking on an item of £504, "Hine Char gee law expenses," Mr Hine =uid a<n i idea had got abroad that he had «;■ ceived from the Government an amount f«r the payment of his expenses in connection with the charges made by him two years ago. H 0 h;:d, he said, received nothing at all J'-om the Government for his costs. Apparently there had been an understanding between the Ward Government and those charged that if the latter dii' not pay their legal costs the Government would foot the bill. The payment of the money was sanctioned by the Ward Government on the day before they left office, and the money was paid by the Mackenzie Government.

SIR JOSEPH WARD EXPLAINS., I Sir Joseph Ward said th e Public Accounts Committee, took no exception to the amount of the account. | Mr Hine: I stated that it was an improper payment. j Sir Joseph Ward said Mr Hine simply took objection to the whole procedure. He (Sir Joseph) had been approached by Mr Hine's and asked to pay Mr Hine's costs, and ou the spur of the moment he hf,d refused. Mr Skerrett had been approached by some of those against whom the charges had been levelled, and asked' to conduct the caceg fVr them. Mr Skerrett had approached I the late Attorney-Oeneral and nformed him that he was not -are that he could get his expenses from the men. He said he could cot take up the case unless he could be sure <-.f getting his fees. The then Attorney j General consulted Cabinet, who camp to the conclusion that in> the event of •Mr Skerret's costs not being paid, the Government would be responsible. Though the charges were not laid against the Government, it was indirectly concerned. At a later period Mr Skerrett had informed him that his j costs had not been paid, and as a matter of honour the Government had paid them. He had sent for MiMyers, counsel for Mr Hine, and told him he was prepared to pay a port tion of the cost? on the other side, but i'Mr Myers refused. Mr Skerrett had not employed by the Government at all. Ho wished to make that quite clear. . The Government did not ' stand in the way of the fullest in-' formation being obtained in connection with the Hine charges.

MR MASSEY'S OPINION

Mr Massey said the matter had net been brought up for political capital to be made out of it. It was not a question of whether the payment should bo made, but whether Mr Hine, and not the Chairman of the i'ublic Accounts Committee, should bo able to clear himself. It had been published in the papers that Mr Hine had had part of h:,> expenses past! by the Government.

Sir Joseph Ward: I could have contradicted that on the first day of the session, if I had been asked. Mr "Massey said it was an improper and an iniquitous payment. Why had they waited nonrly two years before paying the money ? Sir Joseph Ward: "I had not been asked before!" .Mr Massey said that if the money had not been paid up to the present, it would not be paid now. The' Government should not have given the guarantee. He regretted that tlu l payment had been made, ar.d the Government had done a very wrong thing liD paying it. ANOTHER A~POLOCIST. Mr G. W. Russell said the Government had every right to guarantee the amount to Mr Skcrrctt. It was a function of Parliament to protect it's members.

FURTHER CRITICISM. Mr Lee held that as the Government had paid MivSkgrrett's account, they should certainly have done the same with Mr Hine's counsel. Mr Hindmarsli said that as Sir Joseph Ward knew Mr Skerrett's costs would be paid by the Government, it was his duty to go at once to Mr Hine's counsel and inform him that the Government would pay ■ his too. Had Mr Hine known that his costwould have been paid, it might have completely changed his case. Sir Joseph. Ward «aid that whan MiMyers approached him. he had no idea what the costs would be, nor whether they would be paid by tho r o concerned. Mr Hine, replying, slid ho nppr elated the remarks of Mr Hindmarsh. His costs for the inquiry had anion ..+- ed to £32-5.

The yeport was laid on the toblp