POLITICAL APPOINTMENTS.

Otago Daily Times, Issue 10900, 6 September 1897, Page 4

POLITICAL APPOINTMENTS.

TO THE EDITOR. Sic,—A note in your issue of August 31 exposes some of the appointments under tha Government Valuation Act, the fasts being taken from the Nelson Evening Mail. Now, as I take it, no one should be appointed who i« nob compatent to value without the assistance of existing valuations to guide him. I bslieve nearly the whole of the vninets will- be guided and aesisted by the valuations now in existence, and some go ao far as to say that instructions zee given to the valuers to raise the presentl values so much per cent. Now, I would ask what is the value of a valuation arrived at on those lines ? The answer must be—useless. There is oue tbing I do know, which is that one of the appointments was made or promised before the tenders were due, and this was generally known among a certain clas.', for when a certain individual stated that he intended tendering he was told that he might save ■■ himself the trouble, as & certain person would be certain to get it, and this proved to be correct. Now, I do not think this individual is a good Liberal, but he wears a bit of tartan. I will ' not say thai; he does nob know anything about land, but I do say he is not competent to make a valuation tinder the Government Vsluation Act without the assistance of the valuation on which the ratas are struck to guide him. Butwho .would expect anything fair and above board from the present Ministry, and more particularly tho Hon. the Minister for Lands, who makes every appointment himself (this I hava from the highest authority). 'We have on!r to look at his conduct re Sir Walter Buller. Was there ever a more shameful piece of busia>s3 enacted by a Minister of the Grown? Again, look at his last appointment to the Otago Wasta Lands Board, and, again, at his conduct in the lobby of the House in shaping to fight Mr G. Hutchison, H.E.R., also the piokla bottle incident. I firmly believe that when the history of New Zealaud is written that the present Ministry wiil be styled the most corrupt that New Zealand ever had. I know one thing, I am almost ashamed to writs myself a September 2. Libebal.