Our Wellington Letter.

Opunake Times, Volume VII, Issue 333, 16 November 1897, Page 2

Our Wellington Letter.

Wellington, November 10. FLAGRANT SWEATING. On paying my usual morning visit to Parliament this morning I found the House sitting. It had been at it all night, and the two dozen members who were keeping the business going were dull eyed, pallid, and with their hair in a tangled condition, which merely told of occasional snatches of rest, if not sleep. From 7.30 on the previous evening members of the Opposition and the Left Wing-Rad been endeavoring, by every means under the rules of debate, to obtain information regarding the items in class II of the Estimates, which relates to the Colonial Secretary’s office. The very first one, Mr Carroll’s own salary, kept the House going until 9.30, not because of the amount £4OO but for a variety of reasons. The vote is set down as 11 Salary of a member of the Execu live Council representing the native race, £400,” And when the Act was passed in 1873 it was intended that the natives should have a representative on the Executive at £3OO a year (in fact, provision was made for two), but this provision related to a member representing a native constituency, which Mr Carroll does not. He is member for the European district of Waiapu. He is ActingColonial Secretary and Acting-Native Minister, and the objection to his position was mainly that he is really a seventh Minister, and the law only provides for six. Prior to 1887 the House consisted of 94 members with seven Ministers, but the Atkinson Government, in a spirit of economy, reduced member? by twenty and struck out a Minister, and the Liberal Government has evaded the law by the appointment of Mr Carroll. The vote was retained by 35 to 19. So matters went ou throughout the night, and Ministers refused any information whatever as to how they had used the moneys entrusted to them to administer for the welfare of the colony. Sometimes the refusals were made in an off-hand blustering fashiou, sometimes sulkily, and often offensively. The item, £578, for Mr Seddon’s holiday to Australia, was reached about 10.30 this morning, and he, rather than stop to explain, or refuse to explain, left the chamber with Mr Hall-Jones in charge of the Estimates and the Minister for Bushy Park as a stand by. Captain Russell said the House and the country were being treated very badly in not being informed how the expenses had been incurred, As an instance haw circumstances altered cases he referred to the most improper manner in which the expenses of himself and others, when ou a visit through the North Island, had been referred to, and all the items of expenditure published by the present Government; also of another return pnblishd since they came into office, which showed that the personal expenses of himself and Sir Harry Atkinson had been £22 each for eight weeks and Sir George Grey’s £44, the total cost being £3lB, and including cost of printing, cablegrams, secretary, aud other charges, £6OO 7s lid, and the present Government had published the return to show how extravagant the Conservatives had been with a view of discrediting them. Now, one man had spent £l2 per day for 48 days, and no information was given whether this included the cost of the two secretaries who accompanied him, or the cables and telegrams, or whether he also drew the 30s per day allowed to Ministers when travelling. There was no doubt he drew his salary during his absence. Mr Hali-Jones bad such a limp, dejected look about him that Minister McKenzie rose to explain, and his first effort was an appeal to “ members who support Government not to take any part in this debate.” That, of course, their function is to sit tight when questions of plunder come on and vote to order, and seeing that the great statesman who pocketed the £5lB made himself scarce and left his pals to wriggle out of it the best way they could, it is difficult to imagine what any Government supporter could have said to shield the grabbing of £l2 to £l4 per day besides £IOOO a year. But Jock hectored the Opposition by telling them that “ anyone who knows what it costs a Premier to travel will know the amount is not excessive.” Seeing that it has only fallen to the lot of the Right Honorable Seddou to peform the feat, no one else can speak with authority on such a subject, but people not Premiers manage very well- indeed on from £1 to £1 10s per day, Jock finished a very ill tempered harangue by alleging that Russell and Co did not give details of the champagne they shouted and the whisky they drank. No one has asked Mr Seddon for such details ; what Parliament and the country want to know are the heads of expenditure, such as secretaries, cables, travelling expenses, printing, 1%c., for there is more than a suspicion that some of these are not in the £5lB, but hidden away in contingency votes. Member after member rose and said they had no desire to vote against this or any other item, provided satisfactory explanation were given ; it was the refusal which caused suspicion; either the Minister in charge of tiie estimates did not know whether the Treasury had the details or there was something to disguise, Mr Allen asked two specific questions : —“ Has the account been submitted to the Treasury in detail; and was the 30s per day drawn ? ’’ The Minister for Bushy Park consulted with a Treasury official and said “ The accounts were submitted to the Treasury in exactly the same form as those of Bit' G. Grey, Sir H. Atkinson and C.apt. Russell. Mr "Allen: “ Then why not produce them and end this disagreeable debate? ” Mr J. McKenzie : “ In neither case were details given, only the heads of expenditure. “ That’s all we want.” Mr J. McKenzie : “ On my word of honor as a Minister, I give an assurance that no details were given, and that all the money was spent for the good of the country. Mr Pirani, as is usual with him, was extremely candid in his expressions. He drew a parallel between the Liberal scale on which Minister travelled themselves as compared with others in the public service. There was a regulation by which telegraph linesmen, many of whom were quite as worthy members of society as Ministers, had to travel in the steerage in coasting steamers. The contingent was sent Home as steerage passengers and had the meanest fare on the steamer aud when they arrived Home (here Jock rose in protest) “ I know all this is unpalatable,’’ continued the little member, “ but I am iu orde r and all the interruptions will not stop me. The contingent was not allowed one penny for expenses in England although they had to uphold the credit of the colony while there, nothing but their steerage fare while the Premier grabbed £IOO a week and 30s a day on top of that. If Ministers do not bring down this account to the House and give the details, it is within the legal rights of any member to demand the particulars from the AuditorGeneral. It is of no use for them to say that it is mean and ungenerous to demand an account from the Premier of his expenditure. How much moaner it is to place this sum on the Estimates and ask the House to pass it without question ” And with such expressions were the Ministerial benches pelted from those who were allies, and supporters until the rank dishonesty of the men they helped to raise to high estate, and kept there compelled them to abandon the camp and abjure Seddonism, They are now stigmatized as “traitors, turncoats, renegades and reptiles” by the more faithful Seddouites of the Graham, Hogg aud Morrison pattern. However, Pirani’s threat of a visit to the Auditor-General or some other reason not so apparent, brought Jock to his bearing, and ho said that if he had known at first that the House was so anxious for the particulars lie would have had them ready, and he was quite willing to send for the Premier and to advise him to furnish the information. This climb down was worth all the fighting tiie Opposition and its Left wing allies had done, and the once blustering King Dick was a pleasant and even sycophantic object when he, in a meek voice, explained that the reason lie hail absented himself during the discussion was because members of his own Party might talk more freely during his absence. Perhaps he did not know that his big colleague had implored the party not to speak at all ; perhaps, Mr Mokeuzie did this of his own mo-

tion, but, still, Mr Seddon’s excuse was marvellously fhin one. He then informed the House that his personal charges on the Australian tour had only been L2II out of the £4lB, He went on to explain that LOO had been drawn for the expenses of his two secretaries, L6O for cablegrams and LSO for passages, the balance going in rents and cab hire, and L3O 7s for oppossum he had presented to Westland. Curiously enough exactly L3O 17s also appears in the public account, which is a curious coincidence. He meekly said that he now recognised that he had made a mistake in not giving the information before he left the Chamber and trusted that in future members woo; i look to their honor and not endeavor to bring discredit on other members After a few remarks and compliments on both sides, Mr T. Taylor, referring to Mr Graham as a pitiable object, the House adjourned for lunch. On resuming the other item, L 1750 for expenses for the jubilee trip, came under notice. Taught by better experience the Ilight Hon. made a virtue of necessity, and with a great parade of virtues candour heat once took the House into his confidence about this matter. His railway and steamer fares and transport of luggage for self and family cost L 790; travelling expenses and gratuities, £170; postages, sitting-rooms and L2O to Col. Pitt Ll2O ; miscellaneous expenses, entertaining, &c., L 550 ; and he was absent 149 days. This makes the average about Ll2 per day, the same as the Australian trip. In a burst of unwonted artlessness he said he was prepared to produce his cash book to prove the correctnsss of the statement he had made. Not a single member expressed any curiosity in that direction, but the significant way in which they winked at each other implied the Budget was quite enough of that sort of evidence for them. Of course, the House had to be content and the vote passed on the voices. At 5.30 the House adjourned’for a couple of hours and will probably keep on sitting all the week till the estimates are through. It says something for Parliament that only two members, so far, are thoroughly drunk —both Seddonites.