Evening Post. MONDAY, JULY 29, 1895 WHY THE RETURNS WERE NOT FURNISHED.

Evening Post, Volume L, Issue 25, 29 July 1895, Page 2

Evening Post. MONDAY, JULY 29, 1895 WHY THE RETURNS WERE NOT FURNISHED.

There ia nothing like f ranknosE . At last, after many shufflings, the Premier has declared that the Ministry has wilfully kept back returns that the law provides should bo famished to the House. The excuse given on Friday afternoon waa that the publication of the returns might injure the credit of the colony and destroy the reputation of tho Ministry. The returns specially referred to were, the account of tho securities hold iv London, the yearly abstracts of revenue and expenditure, and the Customs returns for the last quarter. Regarding the first ho had to admit that the account was received from the A gent-General in May. It was deliberately held baok, so that during the discussion of tho motions regarding the Agent-General's loan circular and Mr. Ward's speech bofore tho London Chamber of Commeroo, the House and tho country might not know tho truth. The law is clear on the subject ; the account must be laid before Parliament within 30 days of the meeting of the House Though tho House did not assemble till tho 20ch June, and though the aocount was in tho Treasury in May, it has not yet been laid before Pariiainant. This is now tho 39th day tinoe Parliament met. Tho law has boon delied, and defied for Party pnrpoaos. Then the othor account — the abstract of the yearly revenue and expenditure — is oxactly iv the same position. This abstract was certiQod to in May —we think the Premier said the 10th May. The Act says that on its beintf certified ifc shall forthwith be published in the Government Gazette, and laid before Parliament. Though certified in May, it has not yet been gazotted, and it has not been laid before Parliament. Again there has been a violation of the law. And tho same exouso is offered— the co - called Liberal Party might be injured by the truth about our finances being known. Tho third return referred to in the dobats was that showing the diatoms returns for tho Juno quarter. Iv other colonies weekly returns of the Cuatoma dutios received are given, and in this oolony they also used to bo published rogularly. The present Commissioner of Cnstoms (Mr. Ward) stopped that practice It was simply carrying out the policy the Government has adopted in every Department of declining to give any information that can possibly bo kept back. A promise was made last year that quarterly returns would bo given ; bat this promise, like many others made, has been violated. It is now the end of July, and the return fur the quarter oudiug 30Lh June has not yet been published. No excuse was given, but we expoct the real reason is that tho returns for the June quarter are not up to the amount collected for the 1891 Jnne quarter. It was below tho same quarter in 1893. If there has been a farther drop this year, then indoed our outlook is not very encouraging. It shows that the purchasing power of the people has boon still furthor lessened. And our progress has boen crab-like —it has gone backwards. Tho keeping baok of awkward returns shows to what lengths tho Party in power is prepared to go. We feel sure that no one can have any oonfidence in the management of our affairs whero thero is so much secrecy and open defiance and viel&tion of the law. Until a new Government gets into office the truth will never be known. That there has been much political corruption is believed by all who tako any interost in politics : but thi3 has been carefully covered up by tho denial of all information. And the majority of tho House oares nothing for puro government Some' members talk about morality and purity out of the House, but in the House they aro " dumb dogs," not daring to disobey tho voice of thoir masters— the members of the present Ministry.