i.—3a.

140

[JOSHUA JONES.

The Chairman: My contention is that 1 wats nut in Wellington on the 3ist March. 1 asked you, "On what date was that?' , and you answered, "31st March, L 908." 1 then said, "1 do not think 1 was in Wellington then "; and you said, " You interviewed Mr. Macdonald with me at that time." II ilncss: No, not on that date. The Chairman : There is your sworn evidence in this printed copy. Witness: No, no. 1 will not permit you to put that down my throat. The Chairman: Do you adhere to your statement? Witness: Ido not. 1 never signed that. The Chairman : You are quibbling again. II ilncss: 1 have not signed that evidence, and 1 will correct it before 1 do sign it. The Chairman: Well, then, do you wish to retract that date! ll i/ness: 1 will not retract anything I said. « Hon. Mr. Ngata: You are agreed, .Mr. Jones, that when you interviewed Mr. McNab on the • list March Mr. Jennings was not in Wellington. il itness": Yes, lie had gone. Tht Chairman : That is my contention. Witness: I say so; Mr. Jennings was not there, because lie had gone away. The Chairman : Very well. It is cleared up. Witness: What 1 understood Mr. Jennings to say was this: He said at the Committee that lie was not in Wellington in March, 1908 The Chairman: No, no; 1 said 1 was not in Wellington on the 31st March, 1908. II itness: Here is my memorandum. I will stand to what 1 say. Tiie Chairman: Then you are stating what is deliberately incorrect. Mr. Greenslade: Ido not think you should say that. He may be under a misapprehension. The Chairman: 1 understand it quite well. 1 put a specific question to Mr. Jones. You said, Mr. Jones, it was the 3 Ist March, 1908; and 1 immediately said —and the verbatim report of the proceedings bears me out —that 1 was not in Wellington on that date Witness: 1 say so too. The Chairman: No, you do not. lion. Mr. Ngata: You say now that on the 31s1 March, when the interview with Mr. McNab took place, Mi , . Jennings was not in AYellington? Witness: Yes. The Chairman: That is all I want. Witness: 1 say so still. 1 did not say that Mr. Jennings was there. It is wrong to tell me that what I say is absolutely untrue, and 1 will not submit to it. 1 will deal with you outside. The Chairman: Go on with your statement. Witness: You are not tree here. Let me warn you of that. The Chait man : 1 will not stay here and listen to that. Mr. Parata: Mi. Jones is supposed to be here to make a statement, and not to argue the point. 1. itness: It is hard to be told that a man is stating what is not true. lion. Mr. Syata: I think the incident ought to be considered closed. The Committee fully understand that on the 31st March Mr. Jennings was not in Wellington. The Chairman: That is so. 2. Hon. Mr. Ngata.] Will you proceed with some other point, Mr. Jones?—lt' you please, Mr. Chairman, 1 would ask you to direct your clerk to produce letters from myself to the Com mittee, dated the 21st August of this year, 26th August, 29th August, 9th September, 21st September, 22nd September; and one dated the 19th September, if you have it, addressed to Mr. Speaker. 3. What point is it you wish to make? —I wish the letters put in to speak for themselves. 4. The letters have been received by the Committee? —But they are not in evidence. 5. 1 take it, it is for us to decide whether they shall go in as evidence, and to enable us to arrive at a decision you should tell us the particular point you wish to emphasize in connection with that correspondence? —It will take a good while to do that. 6. What is your point 'about it? —There are various points about the whole matter. Here is one of the letters, dated the 26th August, addressed to the Chairman of the Native Afiairs Committee : " The Committee are aware that at present I am only a witness in the premises, merely to answer questions, and although largely interested in the inquiry I have not the right to submit evidence of my own position or claims. What recommendations have been made by the two Committees of 1908 and 1910 have been entirely ignored by the Government. I therefore beg leave to request that I have leave to appear as a principal in the inquiry and place my own facts through counsel for consideration of the Committee. My attendance by this course will, I believe, be of assistance to the Committee, as well as secure a measure of justice to myself. I submit there can be no legitimate reason why this request should not be granted, and would mention that at the A to L Committee of 1910, where neither the claim nor assumed right to be heard existed, as in this instance the Natives and the alleged purchaser of the leases were permitted, without leave or consultation of me, whose petition only was being considered, to both appear and with counsel apply that the Committee would recommend the Government to issue an Order in Council enabling the alleged purchaser of the leases to obtain the freehold of the estate without competition or the expenditure of a farthing or the performance of any public service entitling him to such consideration from the State, which request was granted and acquiesced in without hesitation by the Committee. I should be glad of an early reply in order to prepare for the inquiry.—■ Joshua Jones." I got no reply for a while, and on the 9th September I wrote again :" On the