THE New Zealand Times (PUBLISHED DAILY). THURSDAY, AUGUST 3, 1893. THE PUBLIC TRUST OFFICE.

New Zealand Times, Volume LV, Issue 9970, 3 August 1893, Page 2

THE New Zealand Times (PUBLISHED DAILY).

THURSDAY, AUGUST 3, 1893. THE PUBLIC TRUST OFFICE.

With which are incorporated the Wellington Independent, ettablithed 1815, and the New Zealander.

Mk Warbubton’s admirable report gives ua an excellent idea of the Public Trust Office as at present managed. The report of the Commission of 1891 coat the enormous sum of LSSVO, In return for that expenditure the office has to show reforms, which, by making a clean sweep of the book-keeping, giving the investments a State guarantee, and reducing business to the level of the Convenience enjoyed by all private business in every country-, has increased the useful power and attractiveness of the office probably beyond calculation. ‘ The quarterly balance of the accounts of the office may now be ascertained without effort on the day after the close of the quarter, and the annual balance which used to tiX the office severely tor weeks is now brought out more satisfactorily in so many uajis, and occasions no Concert! ’ HoW enormous a revolution that simple sentence tells us has been 'effected in the book -keeping of the office, those who remember the report cf the Commissioners will readily understand. They will see at a glance that regiments of books h’AVe been discarded, and the necessity for making thousands of entries removed ; in one department alone the report puts the number of the latter at 15,000, with a set of calculations in each Case to bring out a daily balsnite. One more sentence, which Wo. shall quote, shows the completeness of the reform-. ‘The officials Can now observe a course which has been so of checking the accounts, and the 'administration of the office, as to afford internally the comprehensive audit which is necessary to the conduct of the business on its presen j, basis.’ The accounts have not only it is clear, been Simplified ; they’ have likewise been improved so as to bo thoroughly in hand. As to payments in and out, the system has been made rational. It does not keep all the various sums of the Various accounts separate, and it does not Cart UiOrtey up and down the country, ah'd backwards and forwards. It is so arranged that when a man wants a sum of money due to him ho can get it when and where it is due, without even troubling to find someone to countersign a cheque—a very great boon in remote country districts. This is done by arrangement with the Post Office, which wo presume is properly paid for the work.

The saving in simplicity has not saved in number of employees. It has done bettor ; it has enabled the Trust Office to take up the vast business of the West Coast settlement reserves, after the Act of last year. The office has, so to speak, taken this business in is strife, being enabled to do so by the reforms which have followed in the wake of that terrible Commission. Nor is that all, for the Scope of that measure is to bo presently enlarged, even to enabling Native families to take up separate holdings of the tribal lands. That fs a stupendous proposal, fraught with more good to (he Native race, We bolieVe, than anything that has eVer been proposed since the time of Sir George Grey’s first governorship. The Public Trust Office is, We observe by this report, working out the details, and preparing the necessary book-keeping. The public, moreover, attracted by the State guarantee and the superior simplicity of the business, is increasing its use of the office. That is indicated by the increase In the value of the estates from L 1,240,000 (the amount in 1890) to the L 1,284,000 of the last return. The increase was LI 2,000 by the end of 1891, and was increased by L 32,000 in 1892. The progress is therefore likely to be at an accelerating rate. It is good to see the management to well prepared to cope with the growing business.

The expense to the public of all this, and the quality of the management, are naturally subjects of interest, on Which the accounts throw some light During the years between 1871 Wild, I§B9, Die Public Trust Ofliee made LIS,OOO profit, and its contributions] Vo the consolidated fund ! db.rirg the whole period of its eXisteUUe were L 58,000. It appears, then, that L 40,000 has been received from unclaimed estates. Now, the consolidated revenue is being naked for L6OOO to replace losses to existing estates. That fact, which by the way speaks well for the results of the cumbersome management of the past, shows that so fat the Colonial guarantee is not going to make the Trust Office a losing concern. As for the annual cost, there has been a loss in the working of the last two years of nearly L4OOO. But the Post of the commission was L3BOO, and incidentals, not likely to recur, ad led nearly L4OOO to the expenses. The normal rate of procedure, therefore, justifies us in expecting a profit of nearly L2OOO a year. The sum is not large enough to diminish charges as yet, but there is a good time coming evidently. One thing alone is wanting to make the Trust Office perfect. Let the consolidated revenue bo asked to refund the L 58.000 paid over, and let every copper of future profit be added to the L 58,000 as a fund for insurance against loss. The money may be lent to the Colony for works. But to give it to the Treasurers for the ordinary expenses of the Government is in our opinion not such good policy as the creaclon of a guarantee fund.

WASTED TIME. ft took the House an hour yesterday afternoon to plumb the depth of Opposition ignorance. Mr Allen, who is champion of the intellectual lightweights on that side, put a question which he ought to have recognised as a reflection on the late Atkinson Government, but did not. As a reflection it was not worth much, amounting only to thL, that in tho humble opinion of Mr Allen the late Government were wrong to have allowed a certain Mr Williams to be licensed as an interpreter after certain charges had been made against him. This cone out when Mr Ward replied that the Atkinson Government had appointed the man., Mr Fergus saw in this, what did not exist, viz , an intention on Mr Ward's part to speak slightingly of Sir Harry Atkinson. His too clear sightedness was due to his ignorance of plain English used in a plain way. Any number of members who denounced the rottenness and corruption of the Native Office were evidently not aware that the man was not in the employ of the Native Department at all None of the many who spoke had any recollection of the enquiry. Even Sir John Hall spoke as if ho had heard then for the first time of the charge against Williams. On the Opposition side Sir John was the one man who said that there ought to be enquiry to enable Williams to be beard in his defence. The rest of the party were determined to treat him as the worst of men, because they thought he was in the service of the Government. The man is not under the control of Ministers, nor was he appointed by them ; his work for which he was paid had no connection with the Native Department; the charge made egdnst him had been investigated by a committee, and reported upon. He was, moreover, a licensed Native interpreter, appointed After enquiry into character ; and there was about his case nothing new, nor secret, nor undivulged. What was the necessity for all this violent display of Opposition cant ? On the whole a more ridiculous, useless, absurd debate has never been placed on the records of the House.

GUILTY OR NOT GUILTY? We need be long in doubt. If the story told by Mr Taipua yesterday ‘ on the floor of the House,’ as Sir John Hall impressively described it, were true, Mr Williams would have been on the roadi long ago. Nothing in the world could have saved him. There are enough lawyers in the pay of the Maoris to have convicted him twenty times over, with the evidence of the fac'.a ns set out by Mr Taipua. The fact that he was not prosecuted criminally is very strong proof that the charge cannot bo proved, which means that this most circumstantial narrative is decidedly nn’rne. If the«*o Natives think hina guilty, why do they not bring Mr Williams before the Supreme Court ?

NATIVE LANDS. The following are the main features of the Native Land Purchase and Land Acquisition BillThe Natives get a f.dr value for the land a board is set up on the same lines as the board under the Land for Settlements Act. The Natives elect whether they will offer their lands through the Government for sain or base under the terms of ihe Lmd Act. The title to be given is to bo under the Land Transfer Act, so that ther.* can be no further disputes. The Government survej' the land and road it, taking from the Natives land sufficient to pay the cost of roa'ing and surveying. Reserves are retained in the proportion of 25 acres of hcst-claas land, «>r 50 teres seconder 100 pastoral for each Native. Up »□ any lands handed to the Government for sale or lease, the Government can advance at the rate of L 4 per centum on the value, so long as the same is unlet or unsold, the advance to be the first charge on the bond. Any land outside the pr'.c'aimed ac<>Hs Her Majesty has the first ruht to- purchase before all other person*, and if the bojfd declines the offer of any land submitted to the board by the Natives for s.tle or lease, the Native owners can offer the same for sale or lease to any person whatever. The title given will be in all cases under the Land Transfer Act, thus removing one of the great dangers which at present beset the purchase of Native lauds. An abridged analysis of the Bill

appears in another column. Thiai* the measure promised by the Premier during the financial debate. Its vast importance ia evident at a glance. Several experts have declared that it will be general!}* accepted by the Native race, on the ground that it offers them fair value tor thvir lands for the first time, and because they feel that they are being dealt with on the same footing as Europeans. If this prediction is fulfilled the measure will prove a great boon to the North Island, by making adequate pro* vision for settlement, which is the urgent requirement of the day.

THE DRINK BILL AND THE GOVERNMENT*

In this matter the history o! the Licensing Act of 1881 will be interesting. A Bill was brought in by Mr Saunders in 1880 5 the House was at sea ab.*nt its a great deal of pressure was brought to bear upon all parties; the situation was complicated in the extreme. The Government came forward and promised that, after taking the opinion of the House on the Bill, they would take up the question the next session. This they did, the result being the Licensing Act of 1881. Such is the history of that measure. The situation is very similar now, the only difference being that the Government has undertaken to take up the question this year, the matter calling for immediate settlement. The Government has followed precedent, and, to use an expressive phrase, ' gone one better.’