AN UNSATISFACTORY SITUATION.

Dominion, Volume 3, Issue 673, 25 November 1909, Page 6

AN UNSATISFACTORY SITUATION.

The announcement made by the Prime Minister ia the House yesterday respecting the inquiry by two Judges of the , Supreme Court into certain alleged irregularities in the State taxation Department; is likely to cause widespread uneasiness. Sir Joseph Ward, it seems to us, disclosed too little,and explained too much. * What he disclosed regarding the inquiry showed no justification for the extreme step taken of relieving the head of the Department from hia duties for a period of three months. Indeed, his explanation of the findings of the Judges went rather in the opposite direction. His attitude, then, may cause suspicions which may be quite unfounded. It is hardly necessary to point out how im-port-ant, how vital, it is that the public should have no reason to suspect in the slightest degree tho absolute integrity of this great Department of the State. There should not bo a shadow of suspicion of personal or political partisanship in its dealings with the public. Private individuals, business houses, all the large commercial undertakings of the country are forced by law to disclose their affairs to tho scrutiny of l the taxing Department, but this is done under an assurance of secrecy, and with a clear understanding that the strictest, impartiality is observed. ' In these circumstances it was incumbent on the Prime Minister when bringing the 'matter of the recent inquiry before Parliament to leave no room for doubt as to the naturo of the allegations made and investigated. So far as we arc aware, the charges did not suggest any improper disclosure of the private concerns of anyone, but wero of quite a different nature. Why, then, did the Prime Minister leave any room for "doubt on the subject? Wo respect his refusal to diuclose' the private business of any of the persons whose affairs may bo involved in the allegations made —no one wishes that their names should be published—but Sir Joseph Ward docs not appear to realise the gravity of tho occasion, and the danger of-giving any reason to suspect that there is a desire to hush up the matter. It was suggested to him by a member yesterday that the report of the Judges should bo laid before the House, omitting the names of private individuals whose affairs arc involved, and substituting letters of the alphabet'for the names. This was a reasonable suggestion, and we are surprised that the Prime Minister did not see the wisdom of adopting it. Tho matter aas been so widely discussed by the public that it is eminently desirable that the findings of the two Judges who investigated the charges should be disclosed, care of course being taken to prevent any exposure of tho affairs of private individuals having dealings with the Department. Unless, v -Sir , Joseph Ward takes the House and the country into his confidence in this most important matter, members, if they do their duty to their constituencies, will see that it is very fully gono into when tho Estimates of the Department in question come up for consideration. It is a little surprising that no word of commendation was passed by the Prime Minister on those public sorvants who voluntarily unucrtook the unenviable task of exposing ■what they considered to bo lapses in the conduct of the affairs of the Department in which they are employed. Their task could not have'been a pleasant one, but, so far as we know, it was taken in the public interest, and, there can bo no doubt at all, after Sir Joseph Ward's statement to the' House, that it has beeiv productive of good results.