OTHER PAPERS’ OPINIONS

Putaruru Press, Volume V, Issue 175, 10 March 1927, Page 4

OTHER PAPERS’ OPINIONS

PUBLIC WORKS EXPENDITURE. It would be pleasant to think that the rebuke administered to an Auckland deputation will not need to be repeated during the life of the present Government. Whatever anyone may say about the Reform Party, or may think, the one thing that cannot be said or thought about it is that its distribution of public money has been political. The leaders of the Labour and Liberal Parties have indeed admitted this in such plain terms that to deny it is merely- ab-

surd, as absurd as it would be to I pretend that the Liberal Party in office did not do this. But there are unfortunately very many absurd people in every country, and very . many malicious and unscrupulous ones, and the most the Minister’s rebuke will do will be to silence those tongues which are least dangerous. It is still the case that there are North and South Islands, and that the Minister must listen to Parliament and Parliament 'to the man in the street. In other words, no Government can invariably do what is right, or even what it believes to be right. However honest it may be and however fearless, situations will arise in connection with public works in which sectional or provincial or insular pressure will modify its programme. We might indeed say that so long as the development of the country (in the matter of public works) is entrusted to Cabinet, and by Cabinet to a single Minister, public opinion ought to be able to affect programmes to a reasonable extent, since ft was public opinion in the first place that inspired them. But the trouble is that public opinion under the present system can, and often does, confuse programmes, and sometimes, and not less if the Government is honest and firm, confuses national politics. In Mr. Williams’ case, for example, everybody knows that he meant precisely what he said when he told the Takahue deputation that he did not care whether he remained in Parliament or not. But men like Mr. V/illiams are not available every day in any party, and when they are found their honesty and courage are not in themselves a sure defence against malignancy. The only defence where public works are concerned is a non-political body in charge of expenditure—subject of course to Parliament in respect to the gross vote, and it would be a defence, not only against ignorant, selfish and malicious criticism, but against honest blunders. For as matters stand the ablest administrator in the world has neither the leisure day by day, nor the security year by year, to find out accurately what the country’s needs are, and if /he knew he still could not examine them in a politically-carefree atmosphere. Even when he has the capacity to see past his nose he is forbidden by circumstances from looking past, while an independent board could ignore political changes altogether.—Christchurch Press.