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remark that it is not necessary for Mr. Dargaville, in establishing his allegations, to prove that throughout their administration the present Government have been guilty of political corruption: it would be sufficient to prove an instance or instances of such corruption. The Chairman: But it seems to me more convenient that Mr. Dargaville should put all the charges before us, and that he should proceed with them on the understanding on which the Committee parted the other day. Mr. Dargaville : That would be unfair to the Government and unfair to myself, because I should then have made certain specific charges, the inquiry into many of which weald-aet-kaTO kees-ethefwise could not be entered upon at all this session. I presume the time at your disposal would not enable you to go into them all. Already it is alleged that lam epiftfiiag-eut protracting this inquiry with a view of preventing the Committee from arriving at a decision this session. Mr. Driver: The Committee has not said so., has it ? Mr. Dargaville-: No; but the friends of some of them have. Mr. Driver: Then Ido not think you have any right to take any notice of outside opinion. Mr. Dargaville : I am telling you what has been said, and I wish to state that it is not my intention to do anything of the kind. That is why, in fact, that I propose to go on with one charge at a time. As I have already said, it would be tanfair to myself as well as unfair to the Government were I to specify a large number of charges, which could not possibly be disposed of within the time at your disposal, and which would be therefore left in an unsupported or uncontradicted state ; it would be unfair to everybody concerned. The best way is to go on in a business-like manner and take the charges one by one. Mr. Driver: In my opinion this matter has now assumed the position not as between Mr. Dargaville and the Government, but as between Mr. Dargaville and the House, although I grant that the Government are affected by it. This Committee, I would point out, has been appointed by the House, which has given it certain instructions, and we are bound by the House to do certain things, keeping in mind the necessity of doing everybody justice. Therefore it is our duty to treat Mr. Dargaville fairly, and to base our report on the evidence that comes before us. You (Mr. Dargaville) have made certain charges, and we are asked to say whether these chaiges are made and whether they are true. We have simply to hear what yoii have got to say and to give you every latitude in proving them, if you choose to do so. Mr. Steward : Then the position I understand Mr. Dargaville asks us to put him in is this: that he may be allowed to proceed with the general indictment, first on a count which he will now disclose, and afterwards, if necessary, on a presently-undisclosed count. Mr. J. G. Wilson: Surely we can only go into those charges which are down on the minutes. The Chairman: I think you will find that Mr. Dargarville said in his evidence that he did not confine himself to these particular parts of his speech. Mr. J. E. Brown : But the Committee decided that the only thing we could see in the shape of alleged political corruption was in the quotations that we have furnished to Mr. Dargaville, no matter what he wishes to prove outside of these. The Chairman: I should like to ask you, Mr. Dargaville, whether, supposing the Committee does not choose to give a decision on the first charge, you will then proceed with the second or third, as the case may be ? Mr. Dargaville: I think the Committee ought to come to a decision on each charge as it is exhausted. The Chairman : But are you prepared, in case the Committee refuses to consider number one charge, to go on with number two. Mr. Dargaville : Not if the Committee declines to consider it at present. lam not going to be entrapped in that way. The obvious intention of that would be to get me to formulate the whole ©^-jHy-ebargee-at-Uie-pFeeeHt-tHHe several charges at a time. Mr. J. E. Brown: That is what you promised to do. Mr. Macandrew : Mr. Dargaville has said in his former evidence, " I did, impute political corruption, and I impute political corruption." What is political corruption? Mr. Driver: We are not asked to decide what political corruption is. Mr. Montgomery : It is now for Mr. Dargaville, if ho thinks proper, to justify the allegations he made in the House. Mr. J. E. Brown : From our findings. Mr. Dargaville : I await the convenience of the Committee to begin. Mr. J. E. Brown : Then I ask, Mr. Chairman, that we deliberate on this point. Mr. Driver : Ido not think any deliberation is necessary. It would be the wiser course, and we should get on with the business of the Committee faster, if we intimate to Mr. Dargaville that to-morrow we shall expect him, if he is not prepared with the whole of his charges to-day, he shall have them ready for the Committee as a whole by a certain date. This question of deliberation, however, is taking up almost the whole of our time. The Chairman : I was going to suggest that, after hearing the first charge, we could consider whether we should decide at once upon it, and then determine whether we should give Mr. Dargaville an answer upon that, and proceed. Mr. Sfcivard ' Mr. Dargaville has already said that he is ready to proceed with his first charge. Mr. Dargaville: Yes ;-dt is this, I have it in writing: " That the Government lent a sum of £225,000 of trust funds, over which the Treasurer has control, to the Bank of New Zealand, without security, for a-term of years, in a manner not contemplated by the law, thereby giving undue advantages to one banking establishment closely allied with the present Administration. Further, that Parliament has not yet been informed of the transaction." Mr. Driver: What date ? Mr. Dargaville : My witnesses and the records will give you that. I now ask the Committee to

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