PUBLIC TRUST OFFICE.

Timaru Herald, Volume LIII, Issue 5196, 17 July 1891, Page 3

PUBLIC TRUST OFFICE.

<» (Otago Daily Times Correspondent,) Tho Publio Accounts Committoo mot again to-day, when Sir R. Stout again oppoarod on behalf of tho Publio Trustee, and brought his address to a conclusion. It is rumoured thut tho committeo will recommend that Mr Homerton bo allowed to rotiro on a partial pension. But I hear, on what appears to bo good authority, that tbo Government will not consent lo any peneiou boing awardod him. Tbo Roy. DeOastro applied to bo allowed to bo reproeentod by counsol. Tlio committeo refused tho request, on the ground that Biich a concession Bhould only bo granted lo the hoad of the department, who ib a statutory officer. Ihe following foi-ecaft of the recommendations to be mado hy the Public Accounts Oommittoo m regard to tho future of tbe Publio. Trust Ofllco is published by tho Evening Press : — (1) That Mr Warburton bo appointed permanently to tho ofllco of Public Truotoe, whioh ho now holds temporr arily, nnd that ho thoroughly examine the books and alter Iho eystom undpr whipb thoy have beon kopt ; (2) that tho powers of tho Advisory Hoard bo somewhat extended ; (3) that tho amount of funds that may bo invested m deficiency bills bo reduced ; (4) that tbo systom of audit bo altered.

Ever since the report of thoConimißsionorß on tho Publio Trust Oflloo wob prosonted thorp has beon much discu«Bipu at Wellington on how the work has boen carried out. Tl)ut the Trust Offlco was working badly 11-s boon provod, but thero was no nooil for Buoh a tromnndoiiß rf£.>rt to point that out. The cxaminaliin of a very fow witnessed would have amply shown that tho bunineas of tho Trust Oflloo had outgrown tlio dopartmont appointed to deal with it. The Oommisßionors »ot lo work to follow out ovory c»ao, and had tho samo witno.-BCB boforo thorn time after time. Thoj ontorod into v vast flold of quite unnecessary examination and correspondence. Tho roßiilt waa that thoy produced an onormoun book, and have incurred tho oxponoe of £5250. Usually Boyal Oomuiiasionera aro paid at the ralo of £8 3s per day, boaidos oxponsos, but tlio Oommissionorfl m this cubo demand 1510 10a per day, ou tho ploa, wo Biippoeo, that thoy aro oxperl?. If they aro ol liberty to make Biich a demand, then tho Grovcrmnenl is greatly to

blame, for the remuneration ought to have bsen arranged boforohand to save any possibility of misunderstanding. Surely the Ministry could not authorise three gentlemon to start off on Buoh an investigation without any limit ob to the remuneration they were to receive, tbe length of time to be occupied by them, and tbe expense they were to incur. As a matter of fact tho threo gentlemen who acted as Commissioners, are debarred by statute from receiving any remuneration, because one of them is a member of the House of Bepresentativos at present, while the other two were members of the last Parlioment. We cannot understand why, m the circumstances, theee gentlemen wero appointed, whon there were many others available to whom no disqualification attached. The faot that thoy were debarred by law from receiving any remuneration Bhowß that it is the opinion of the Legislature that men m their position should not be employed m tbis kind nf work. At all events, if Ministers considered that theso goutlemen were the only persona who could undertake it, theie ought to have been on understanding of what amount they would be propared to recommend to Parliament. Ministers have, it is aaid, succeeded m beating down the Commissioners from £750 eacb, tho amount of thoir doinand, to £600. Tbe Labour members, m CBpecial, do not sco why more than £250 should bo paid. The enormous cost of this Commission is about as eravn n. annmUl -o anything cn-nectod with tho Public Trußt -omco.— A r eM' Zealand Herald