MINISTERIAL INCONSISTENCIES.

Dominion, Volume 2, Issue 522, 1 June 1909, Page 4

MINISTERIAL INCONSISTENCIES.

: Sir,—Mow, really, are you not the Unfair to Ministers in pointing out so clearly that their opinions so frequently do not agree? Yon must remember, sir, that'you ftro .not'dealing with men .of settled convictions, ! but merely with a crowd of opportunists only anxious to please, which is their only clianco of retaining thoir offices and incomes. And how can you expect men to agree upon, what yam they are going to ,pitch when tlio poor fellows never meet? Do.be reasonable. According to that-insolent paragraph which you print overy morning, Ministers are scattered all over the place, and seldom do we find more than one or two in ' Wellington. They are getting into touch with the people, and examining for themselves. And hero is a samplo of the extreme care that they, manifest.. The Postmaster-General comes to Napier, on departmental business, and is at onco pushed into ,a motor-car, and taken to inspect tho Tongoio wash-out. The Minister for Marino, iii the interest? of his Department,' is pushed into a motor-car and taken to inspect tho Tongoio wash-out* . Tho Minister for—upon' my soul I forget what, but I mean Mr. Buddo—comes along to attend "the Medical Congress, and as .part ofhis duties allows himself to bo pushed into, .etc., etc. : Tlio Minister for Labour, yearning to redress the wrongs of Labour, and to mitigate the severity of the coming winter, feels it lift duty to be pushed into, etc., etc. The Minister for Justice, in his tour of the prisons, of course could not honourably forego the opportunity of being pushed, etc., etc. Finally, so far, the Minister for Public Works is taken to inspect the Tongoio 'washout. I admit ho had somo business to!. go there, if ho could find netfhins else to do. Last of all, the owners of the Tongoio Estate have it taken off their hands by the Lands for Settlements Department, i.e., by you and me,'and the rest of 118. But six separate Ministers have motored, out to seo'the Tongoio wash-out. Mr. Carroll and-Mr; Ngata presumably have seen itfcften enough. Each Minister seoma to have proceeded upon the assumption that ho could not! accept the statements or opinions of-any. one, two, or,three of his colleagues. Even Dr. Findlay had to inspect it for himself, ' T'-submit_ this case, sir, ■as ■ a fair, samplo' nf the. Rtr&its to. which Ministers are put intlieir efforts to fill in tithe-' when oh .these tours, which, they assure tis they only.- tako with great reluctance, and in!tho coriscicJitious performance of a national duty. 1 only hope that the. rest ,of the,; Cabinet will hurry up and get tho thing over.'because the •great bulk of us are sick'to''death-of readinc. that "the Minister' motored,"' etc., etc.—lain, etc., '■ - . • ■'„ - ■ '' ' ';. NAPIER. ' May 29.' . ■ :