The Wanganui Chronicle AND Patea – Rangitikei Advertiser "NULLA DIES SINE LINEA." THURSDAY, DECEMBER 23, 1897. THE PREMIER AND MR PIRANI.

Wanganui Chronicle, Volume XXIX, Issue 12287, 23 December 1897, Page 2

The Wanganui Chronicle AND Patea - Rangitikei Advertiser " NULLA DIES SINE LINEA." THURSDAY, DECEMBER 23, 1897. THE PREMIER AND MR PIRANI.

The closing hours of the session were enlivened by a smart passage of arms between the Premier and the member for Palmerston North. Mr Pirani has the courage of his opinion, and can neither be bullied nor, cajoled, bis liberalism is of too I robust a type to be a source of satisfaction to Mr Seddon and his satellites. -Mr Pirasi asked again why the correspondence between the ' Minister for Lands and Judge Kettle had not been produced, and was as usual met with evasive replies ; the most which could be extracted from the Premier was a vague promise that there should be an inquiry. Mr Seddon is an adept at suppressing the truth, and for some inscrutable reason tbe real facts of the case are not to be made public. There is but one inference to be drawn frqp. this studied reticence, and that- is that the Government dare not produce the correspondence. If the correspondence were forthcoming, there would probably be no oc-casion-to bold any inquiry, and we look upon the promised inquiry as at best a farce, if it ever does take place ; the object of the inquiry is too palpably tbe whitewashing of "tha Minister of Lands, not the revelation of the plain ' unvarnished truth. The Premier was ready enough t» give any amount of information about appointments which had been offered to Mr Kettle, which the latter had not accepted, but that was not the' information which Mr Pirani was anxious to obtain, anc the Premier contrived with characteristic volubility, and some display of temper, to withhold everything which was asked for. Tho attacks made by the Minister for Lands on private individuals, under the shelter of privilege, are fast becoming a grave public scandal. The Government find that ifc is imperative to hush up the real facts ; and have with ingenuity worth of a better cause contrived to shelve the question nntil next session. Time has been gained if nothing else, but iat the expense of every principle of 1 justice or equity. Notwithstanding these tactics the Premier has the hardihood to accuse the Opposition of obstruction.; he studiously keeps back correspondence which the House has asked for, and is entitled to have, and then poses a» a martyr because he has not time to carry all his little Bjlls. The Premier is himself responsible for nearly the whole of the time which has been wasted. His one idea is to be more autocratic than the Czar of all the Russias. He looks upon any desire for information almost as an impertinence, and as for any one daring to think for himself at all — that is rank blasphemy. Mr Pirani is to .be. congratulated on having demonstrated beyond any shadow of doubt that ' there is something in the correspondence between thg Minister of Lands and Judge Kettle which the Government dare not make public.