The Domionion. THURSDAY, JANUARY 27, 1910. THE "SMITH" AFFAIR.

Dominion, Volume 3, Issue 726, 27 January 1910, Page 4

The Domionion. THURSDAY, JANUARY 27, 1910. THE "SMITH" AFFAIR.

The mystery surrounding the firm of, "Ei". A. .Smith," /which made such a very good.thing out of the;shipping business that' ought , ■ have been, transacted by the High Commissioner's office, is the subject of an extremely interesting message from Napier that we print to-day.' A correspondent of the Napier Telegraph states—backing . up-''.his -..statement, with documentary 'evidence ; which the Telegraph has examined and found .his' letters 'to the :High .Commissioner respecting passages to. !New. Zealand' all answered. , ; by ''E. vA;".'Smith, N.Z.' Government shipping agent; , ' It was apparently not deemed necessary by the High Commissioner's office to inform Me. Tweed that.his letter had been passed- onttho h "E.V.A. .Smith," One-, of'.the .letters, he ; received commenced :'• '-Keferring to your letter to the: High- Gommissioner,-- etc." Another commenced: ;"I have '" received ; your-letter: of the -■ 12th' inst., addressed to the High Commissioner for N.Zi," and it weiit on to state what the High Commissioner,."usually•..■requires" when -passengers" apply to him for passages to New Zealarid;.'at: reduced urates. ; j Could-,any more extraordinary thing, in -any circumstances,:be conceived than that' a private firm- should "receive", letters; "addressed -to the High Commissioner".? Unless, Mist-' iSTEß : can: ! sh6w, that-Me.'.Tweed is an inventor of incorrect stories, , the public must : conclude that there' has been-, not. a , .mere■impropriety,/.but an. extremely, ' scandalous ~;tolcrance by tho •'Government of-a state of at fairs which should not' have, been allowed to/exist for. a ; moment. .-,...'.

.. AVhat immediately touches.the public interest is. the fact; that the .taxpayers of this .Dominion!.hayc; lost thousands of pounds ■ por \annum, ihrough : the, complacent; transference by the High Commissioner's office to Mr; ,E.. Mi'; Kennaway'; of '■ the • com-; iniesions ;'.-■' oh'. Government : :business that should have been. retained by our London agency. . This,would be. a-wrong;in itself even if the fir'm ; of .'.'Smi'th'^'hadi'not, been ; Me. ; ; Eje!nna : - way,and if it had not.been'so.closely relatedj.'to^the,-High Commiasioiier'S; office-'that,it receiveel the:lettefsyaddressed to! Me/ Reeves. ■:'.There- is this additional : wrbng: sustained by the I New Zealand-public,, that: the. extraordinary monopoly:enjoyed by;"E. A. ■; Smith",! discouraged! the- 1 general shipping- agents,' who ,had -.'notv.the pleasure of : relationship■.:.to-, .New Zealand officials,: from.-•'taking;,:any' interest,:in forwarding the-.inimigra-j;tion. policy,'!,that^.New/Zealand ! so much' requires. , .But the morality of the'- arrangement- ''■■ with. / "E; Y -A. Smith" ; is;' a ■ much! more important thing to the public" than, its material disadvantages. ■...We:have! not. heard■ a voice raised by the official .Minis-. terialist;press against the criticism of the .Government's 'action that have appeared in our own. columns and .of somep'f- our cpntem'poraries. The■ Prime Ministek,!-in/ his: desperation,: only, made- blacker the case. against him by: the general vagueness, 1 and the, : ; particular;! surdities and inconsistencies;;of ; His" "explanation. , . , .. That he : admitted .anything at. all, that, he made... any statement at aU, 'is the-best evidence of, his helplessness■;.' to •: absolve .' his Government of responsibility for /a serious state ;of affairs.: He wishes us-to believe that he, iiew. nothing of the. circumstances of Smith, but we feel. ,constrained; to say,, with much reluctance,' -that; the' public ' .can.' 'only, believe '. 'him', /by charging./, him with ...neglect of his duty, of ; supervising, the ..London agency, of ' the Dominion. , The affair is an interesting -..commentary, upon-the ferocious determination of the Peime . Ministee -to , pay Me. Reeves that;handsome little, douceur, that,, occupied so, much of.!: Parlia-. ment ] s;.tinie ; at : the end-of-,last,ses-sion. ! The public. is gradually learning that nothing, has flourished so well under ..''Liberalism ,, , .in ■ .this country as shady patronage' of : every. kind. ,■■•'-. '!.'■ '..:'■.•■,'■! ;■ ; .-.;/! : S-./.;" ";