WESTPORT HARBOUR BOARD.

Wairarapa Age, Volume XXV, Issue 10713, 11 July 1913, Page 5

WESTPORT HARBOUR BOARD.

THE REGENT APPOINTMENTS. MR FISHER SEEKS AN INQUIRY. , (By Tele^ai^.—i'rew d»oeiaifon.) WELLINGTON, L»st Night.,. In the House of Representatives this afternoon, the Hon. F. M. B. •Fisher moved to set tip a comittitt.c to inquire and report upon his action in .appointing Messrs' Gillen and ; Simpson to. the Westport' Harbour Board, the committee. to/consist _ of* Messrs Colvin, Laurehsoh, leitrt, Scott', R. Bollard, Stathaiji, Lee, Bradney,"and the mover.v the prder; of reference. . What h© wanted wtto a committer to inquire into the affairs of £he Westport Harbour Board —into the way the accounts had been kept, and why, certain officers had been dismissed. _ * The Hon Mr. Fisher said the committee had nothing todo yith.'the Harbour Board's matters,- .nfrr- would thg, commission he proposed to set ulTdeaL with that matter. Mr Colvin: I will not sit on. the committee. I do not want that committee! ... The Hon. Mr Fisher said he would go oh trial, whether the Opposition": wanted it or -not. Mr Witty said neither Mr Fisher, nor Messrs" Colvin and Atmore should sit on the committee, which was really come; to sit to try M*. Fisher,. ' Mr T. M. Wilford said the GoVernment was side-tracking Messrs Colvin j I and Atmore's charges. The complain- : ant and the defendant were acting as their own judges. ■ The Hon.. J. Allen justified the setting; up of a committee, as. promised by Mr Fisher. Insinuations had been uiade. and' thefee' sßould "be cleared. UP Mr Atmore: I didn't insinuate; I made a direct] charge, and am prepared to prove; it up to the hilt. The -Hon. A\ L. Herdman contended that the Minister',,of Marine had acted unwittingly in .the matter. It was quite proper to set up the committee proposed. Mr R. McCallum hoped the order of reference would be widened, eo as to allow of the whole -matters of the Westport Harbour Board being investigated. Mr G. W. Forbes protested against the Minister , sitting on his own committee, adjudicating upon his own case, and voting upon his own verdict. The Hon. F. M. B. Fisher, in r§ply, said an impression had been created outside the House, and was so intended, that he had made an ap-. pointment to the Westport Harbour Board, knowing, the appointee to lmye been convicted of offences which discredited him as a public map. He considered it a fair thing that the members for Nelson and Buller should be on one side, and himself on the other. He desired the committee to show that he did not knowingly appoint a member to the Westport Harbour Board whose character was not what it should be. The question was then put, and the committee set.up, after which Mr Atmore asked that his name be removed.