The Press. THURSDAY, JANUARY 2, 1896. MR. SEDDON'S APPOINTMENT

Press, Volume LIII, Issue 9303, 2 January 1896, Page 4

The Press. THURSDAY, JANUARY 2, 1896. MR. SEDDON'S APPOINTMENT

There has a good deal of adverse comment, not altogether confined to Opposition circles, upon the Premier's action in appointing himself a member of the Assets Realisation Board. Before joining in the chorus of condemnation which has been raised we should like to know the circumstances of the appointment. It is quite possible, on the: one hand, that the Premier is discharging an important service to the public, for which he deserves thanks instead of blame. It is equally possible, on the other, that he has" been guilty of a very unconstitutional and improper act, on which Parliament ought to set its strongest disapproval. Everything depends upon the terms upon which Mr, Seddon has taken the post, and these at present are undisclosed.

The appointment, it may be. explained, is made under section 28 of the Act/which provides that the assets of the Bank of New ' Zealand Estates Company shall be administered, sold, and realised by an Assets Realisation Board of three members, of whom two are to. be appointed by the Governor—that is to say, by the Government —and the third by the Directors of the Bank. The appointment is made for a term of three years, but the members ara eligible for re-appointment. One of the members nominated by the Government is to he the Chairman of of the Board, and this post has been given to Mr. Todd, Assistant-Manager of the Mutual Agency Company of Otago. Mr. Seddon has appointed himself as the other representative of the Government on the Board, and the Bank of New Zealand have appointed Mr. Feaser, M.H.B. for Wakatipu, a3 representing the Bank. The members of the Board are to be paid for their services, such sum not exceeding £1500 per annum, to be divided among them in such proportions as shall be from time to time fixed by the Govemor-in-Council. As the Chairman is to devote his whole

time to the Board, it is not unreason- | able to assume that ho will get the lion's share of the salary—probably £800 or £1000 a year. This would leave about £500 to bo divided among tho other two members. Now, considering the'nmgnitude of the public interests involved in the realisation of the Bank of New Zealand assets, we think it i 3 an eminently desirable thing that a member of the Ministry, and preferably the Premier, should occupy a seat on the Board. But we do not tbink he should receive any salary, and his appointment should be strictly qua Minister, and terminate when he gives up Ministerial office. Tho impropriety of a Minister appointing himself to an office of profit must be manifest upon a moment's consideration. Mr. Seddon, for example, is voted a salary by Parliament for the discharge of his duties to the Crown. If he can better fulfil those duties by taking a seat on the Assets Board it is obviously his place to do so. He is bound to look after the interests of the j colony to the best of his ability, but he ought not to expect additional pay for what is really a part of his duty. Apart from thi3, it is a most dangerous principle to introduce into our constitutional practice, that a Minister should have the power to appoint himself to a lucrative billet outside his ordinary office. If "pickings" of this kind are to be allowed, there is no telling where the system will end in the case of a Ministry which openly advocates " the spoils to the victors" theory, Already there has been an unseemly scramble among members of the Ministry for the paid appointments which are recognised as coming within the lines of constitutional propriety. We hope it will be found that Mr. Seddon has not set a bad example by appointing himself to an office of pay and profit in a manner quite at variance with the principles of the constitution. We hope it will prove that he has merely taken the seat on the Board without pay, and for the term of his Ministerial office, with the object of looking after the important interests of the colony. If he has done this, he will have discharged a patriotic and publicspirited act for which he deserves every credit instead of blame.