J.— 2.

(b.) That the offices conferred upon your petitioner were only conferred upon him after a protracted negotiation with the late Ministry, and then only after the same offices had first been offered to another member of the Bar. '■?.•) That the appointment of your petitioner as a Judge of the Supreme Court of New Zealand was in strict conformity with every precedent in the colony, and that if it was a violation of the law the same violation had occurred upon the appointments of Mr. Justice Johnston in 1858, Mr. Justice Eichmond in 1862, Mr. Justice Chapman in 1863, and Mr. Justice Gillies and Mr. Justice Williams in 1875. (d.) That your petitioner was informed that his Honour the Chief Justice had been consulted as to your petitioner's appointment, and that he had approved of the same, and your petitioner believed that his Honour the Chief Justice had full knowledge of the nature of the appointments proposed to be conferred upon your petitioner and of all the circumstances connected therewith. (c.) That your petitioner entered upon the duties of a Judge of the Supreme Court prior to the consideration of his position by Parliament, at the express request in writing of his Honour the Chief Justice, and also of the Ministry for the time being in office, and in order that the public service might not suffer; and that your petitioner, during the time when he performed the duties of a Judge of the Supreme Court, so performed the same that every judgment, decree, and order given, made, and pronounced by him now remains wholly unreversed and unimpeached by appeal or otherwise. (/.) That the power of the Governor upon the advice of the late Ministry to appoint your petitioner to be a Commissioner under " The Native Land Court Acts Amendment Act, 1889," was indisputable, and that at the time when your petitioner was removed from the said office of Commissioner there was then pending a large amount of business before the said Commission. ((/.) That your petitioner was removed from his said office of Commissioner solely upon the ground that Parliament had not made any provision for the expenses of the • Commission after the 31st March, 1891, and that such ground, if good, would have applied to every public service in the colony, since no provision had been made for any of them after the 31st March, 1891. [h.) That your petitioner has in every way in his power urged the necessity of amending the powers given by "The Native Land Court Acts Amendment Act, 1889," so as to render the same more effective. (i.) That if the same powers had been, or should now be, so amended, there would have been, and still would be, ample work of the character to perform to which your petitioner was specially appointed to occupy the whole of his time. (j.) That the necessity for amending the same powers is recognised by the Bill relating to the validation of Native titles now under consideration of Parliament. (k.) That if from motives of policy it is deemed expedient by Parliament to confer the said extended powers upon another tribunal, it is not just that your petitioner should suffer from such alteration in policy. (I.) That your petitioner has given up a large and lucrative practice, built up during a period of nearly fourteen years, to accept high office under the Crown in accordance with every existing precedent in the colony since the year 1858, and that in consequence of the course which has been taken your petitioner, without any fault of his own, has been reduced from affluence to beggary, and that the public faith of the colony requires either that the contract entered into by the late Ministry with your petitioner should be strictly adhered to, or that your petitioner should be indemnified out of the public funds for all losses which he has sustained and may sustain by reason of his retirement from practice to accept the offices aforesaid. Wherefore your petitioner prays that your honourable House will be pleased to enact that it be referred to a Eoyal Commission, to be appointed by His Excellency the Governor, and approved of by your petitioner, or to arbitration, or to some other competent and impartial tribunal, to inquire into the circumstances under which your petitioner relinquished his practice and accepted the offices aforesaid, and that if it be found that your petitioner accepted the offices aforesaid in good faith, and believing them to be lawfully conferred upon your petitioner, then to ascertain and assess the amount which your petitionsr has lost and will lose by reason of his having relinquished practice in order to accept the said offices; and that your honourable House will make provision for payment to your petitioner of the amount (if any) so ascertained and assessed ; and that your petitioner may be heard at the bar of your honourable House in support of the prayer of this his petition. And your petitioner will ever pray, &c. W. B. Edwards. Approximate Cost of Paper. —Preparation, nil; printing (1,300 copies), £?i l7s. 6d.

By Authority: Geoege Didsbuby, Government Printer, Wellington.—lB92. Price 6d.}

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