THE New Zealand Times (PUBLISHED DAILY.) THURSDAY, SEPTEMBER 3, 1885.

New Zealand Times, Volume XLV, Issue 7570, 3 September 1885, Page 2

THE New Zealand Times (PUBLISHED DAILY.) THURSDAY, SEPTEMBER 3, 1885.

Another very nsottil aet of pruning was performed by the House of Eepredemtatives last night. One more of the measures brought down this session has been rendered innocuous by the excision of its objectionable i features. The Counties Act. Amend-; ment Bill contained two provisions of a most Undesirable character., It was proposed to enact feat fee Chairman of each County Council instead of being-chosen by the body over which he would have to preside, should be i elected by the ratepayers and Should become an extra Councillor, any outsider eligible for election as a Councillor to be eligible for this post, and the selection of any Councillor as Chairman to have the effect of vacating his previously-held seat in the; Council. No good reason was shown 1 for the adoption of this change, which would be entirely a Stop in the wrong direction. The idea seems to be that the mote elective offices we can create, and the more elections we can cause to be held, the more liberty and liberal institutions we are granting to the public. The frequency of elections for one thing and another is becoming a perfect nuisance to the unfortunate i electors, whose lives are made a burden to tbem by the pertinacious canvassing to which they ate forever being subjected, and even from this viewpoint it is not desirable to add needlessly another to the long list of these oft-recurring torments. Apart from that consideration, which we freely admit ought not to weigh against the public good, were the latter likely to be promoted by elections for County Chairmanships, there is a distinct anomaly in going outside a Council for its chairman. It is manifestly preferable, as it is also more usual, for such body to choose one of its own number to preside over its deliberations and to regulate the conduct of its business, just as the House of Representatives chooses its own Speaker and Chairman of Committees. A. proposal for the Speaker and Chairman of Committees to be publicly elected by the voters of the whole Colony would strike anybody at once as self-evidently absurd. Yet it would really be quite on all fours with this proposed plan of thus electing the County Chairmen. Such was manifestly the feeling of the House, and the clause providing the innovation was struck out by the very large majority of 52 votes against 24. Even more objectionable was the provision for the election of auditors. Of ail public officers an auditor is the one who should be the most thoroughly independent of all electioneering considerations. His functions are in no respect political. He has not to consider whether any given proceeding is or was desirable or not, or whether the .public interests can be better served in one way than another. Not at all. What an auditor has to do is to ascertain that the accounts are properly and accurately kept, and that the public money is only expended in the manner and upon the purposes sanctioned by the law. "Where is the sense of electing a man to determine this ? It would be just as rational to elect judges and magistrates. All we want is a clear-headed, capable accountant, uninfluenced by any considerations save the one of resolute determination to see that the accounts submitted to audit were as they should be, and that all the recorded transactions had been strictly in accordance with the law. An independent expert is what we need, whereas an elected auditor may be any popular incapable who cannot write his own name or add two and two together accurately. There is no question of electing auditors of the public accounts of the Colony. The Auditor-Generalship is a patent office not amenable to any interference. Tho analogous position of the auditor of local bodies’ accounts ought to be similarly independent of local influences. The elective character of municipal auditorships is a grave blot on our municipal law, and a change is urgently needed. It is altogether a retrograde step to extend this utterly wrong principle to other local bodies. Ear better would it be to amend the Municipal Corporations Act by abolishing elective auditorships and substituting audit by an officer permanently apppointed by the Governor. The mere fact that the Wellington burgesses have hitherto exercised their elective powers judiciously in this respect and have always chosen competent accountants, however creditable to their good sense, is no argument in favour of the plan, which is essentially a wrong one. Indeed, we would go further, and not only abolish elective auditors, but also make the permanent official auditors controllers as well, as in tho case of the Colonial exchequer. This is found to work very satisfactorily in Great Britain, where all local bodies’ accounts are subject to the most stringent audit, the auditors having the power of surcharging the members of such bodies with every item of illegal or irregular expenditure, and of compelling them to pay it out of their own pockets. No matter how popular or pardonable such irregular expenditure may have been, the auditors can only deal with it according to law. They are in the position of judges, and can exercise solely judicial functions, irrespective of considerations of policy or popularity. The House very properly refused to make such an office elective in the ease of County Councils, and threw out the clause, as well as that providing for the outside election of County Chairmen. These excisions have immensely improved the Bill, which so long as it included those provisions would have formed a very undesirable addition to the Statute Book.

Thb Wellington Harbor Board Act Amendment Bill, introduced by Mr Fisher, was recently referred to the Local Bills Committee. The Committee presented their report on that Bill yesterday. .The report is to the following effect The Committee find that it is a local Bill, and that the Standing Orders have be'On complied with. They recommend that it be allowed to proceed. ”

It was rumoured last 'fttgh't chat the, sittings of the Wellington Hospital Commission, which commence , this morning,; will not be closed to the Press, notwith- - standing various reports to the contrary ' which have been querent oh 'apparently goodauthofity, We Tif-pe’this latest rumour will turn oht 'to be well founded. Unless tne proceedings of the Commission i are open to publication, the desirable; result of inspiring confidence ..in the? future management will hot be attained. A h.olc-and-2orner inquiry ’la , ceclct conclave would entirely fail to satisfy the public, and there might just as well be no investigation at all so far as concerns any prospect of removing the well-merited distrust and Suspicion which now surround the Hospital and all transactions connected with it. Full and unrestrained publicity ought to be afforded, and this is the only safe and proper course to be taken. We feel warranted in believing that the chosen Commissioners, Mr Reeves, Mr Dodson, 1 and Mr Harper are much too sensible men to commit 80 grave a blunder as to exclude the 'representatives of the Press,

According to the general opinion in the lobbies last night, the Bast and West Coast Railway vote is certain to be negatived, and some proviso taSitanioUrit to Major AiklusonV, iptoftoaed resolution relative ifi Ine Worth Island trunk line will, in. nil probability, be insisted Upon by the House as the condition ot passing any vote foV that frdrk.

A ureat part of yesterday afternoon’s sitting of the House was devoted to a discussion of a Native Land Court matter, the question at isstle being whether a rehearing should be granted of a case in Which an assessor was said to Jiaf e been bribed. Hon members having exhausted their eloquence on this debatable point, proceeded to consider the Auckland Railway Land Compensation Bill, which was agreed to in committee without amendment. Thp Friendly Societies Act Amendment ,Bill., was discharged front the paper, and the House went into ’committee on the Counties Act Amendment Bill, which gave rise to many lengthy discussions. At midnight progress was reported, and leave obtained to sit again “ presently,” in order that the Property Assessment Bill might be taken. In accordance with a suggestion from Major Atkinson, the important clauses of the latter Bill were postponed, And the remaining portions did hot elicit much discussion. . . .

The public Works Act Amendment Bill, No. 2, introduced by Mr Richardson, consists of seventeen clauses. Clause 4 enacts that, except for the purpose of a railway or other public work to be made under the authority of a special Act, nothing in the Public Works Act shall authorise,—(l.) The taking of any stone or other material from any quarry, brickfield, or like place commonly used for the taking material therefrom for sale, without the Consent, in writing of the owner ; or (2.) The taking of any land occupied by any building, yard, garden, orchard, vineyard, plantation, or ornamental park, or pleasure ground, or the cutting of any ornamental tree or shrub without the previous consent of the Governor in Council. Further powers are given to the Minister of Public Works in respect of railways open for work, and further penalties ate imposed upon any person who ‘ ‘ knowingly and wilfully does, or causes, or procures to be done, any of the following things, not having lawful authority to do so : —(1) Moves any signal, points, or stop-blocks, or shows any signal likely to mislead ; (2) removes from the railway or railway premises any rolling-stock, tarpaulins, tools* appliances, or property of any kind j and upon any one who sells or transfers to any person a ticket, or any portion of a ticket, which has been used for the whole or any part of the journey for which such ticket is issued ; or travels, or attempts to travel, with any such ticket, or portion of a ticket, sold or transferred by any person.