NOTES OF THE DAY.

Dominion, Volume 3, Issue 878, 26 July 1910, Page 6

NOTES OF THE DAY.

» '■ — / A little matter that ought to be raised in Parliament without delay has been the subject of some comment in several provincial contemporaries. In the early part of last year 200 New Zealand Veterans, all but three of whom arc over 65 yearsof age, signed a potition asking that all those Veterans who held the New Zealand war medal and who have reached-the age of 65 should receive as a military pension the ordinary old age pension, free from all the usual conditions.' This petition, addressed to Parliament, was sent to the Prime Minister as Minister for Defence, who, it is claimed, led the Veterans' Association to understand that.he cordially supported their, request. It was with surprise and disappointment, and not a little \ indignation,, that the Veterans lately learned, from a communication from the Prime Minister, that the petition was never presented to Parliament and that Cabinet is unable to grant the prayer of the petitioners. That the Prime Minister, in. , not presenting the petition to . Parliament, . had any reason for keeping the matter out of.the hands of the House, it is quite impossible for lis to believe. His action in' this respect, we have no doubt, was duo to some misunderstanding'on his part. As to the decision of Cabinet, however, we think it .will be generally disagreed with. Until further cause is shown, it would be wrong to say that the Government has boon ' actuated by any but' quite proper,' if quite mistaken, motives. Bad precedents must be avoided, of course. But this is manifestly a special case-in which no wrecking precedent could possibly be established by. temporarily, using the machinery of the Old Age.Pensions Act to discharge in an honourable way the obligation of the nation to thc'few old'men remaining who have actually borne arms for the nation upon oiir own soil. The proposal of the Veterans asks for a little extra expenditure, but an expenditure so pitifully small that there can be. no possible objection on financial grounds to a request'the granting of which can only do credit to the country. The question is obviously one to be determined without delay, and it should be raised in the House at once. '■■ "

All those -who take a friendly interest in the United .'States, and all those who can see the enormous.influence that America's future must have on the future ..of other countries, cannot but be pleased at.the strong and growing movement for the weeding out of the abuses' of the public life of the big Republic. Governor Hughes, of New York, who is allowed done more than any- other man for reform, takes a very .hopeful view'. Addressing the national- assembly of Civil Service Commissioners in Albany on June 2, he declared that "the people were sick of having public offices and public-business used for personal reward or partisan political pap. ■ He expressed/great surprise, "..the Tribune report goes on, '.'that political leaders, supposed to keep in touch with public sentiment, should not realise this." No Civil Service Commissioner, he said, should' yield to "the insidious demands of favouritism," or be "bought, intimidated; or cajoled." "The people of America," he says, and he is neither. a hasty observer nor a smooth-speaking optimist, "realise that in State and nation we have got most difficult problems of business, and they want their work thoroughly well ■ done. They believe in certain principles of government, and they are not in agreement with" regard to particular policies, and they divide on party lines, and they are loyal in the support of parties that they respectively adhere to. But when it comes to having the business of the. country in nation and in State well done, they are pretty'nearly a unit." This is certainly good news.. - Governor Hughes in the same speech showed the necessity for a good Civil Service by showing that administration is the better half of legislation:- "One of our failings is, that we so frequently suppose that the passage of a law has accomplished a reform, whereas the passage .of a law for a given thing has merely given the opportunity to secure the enforcement desired, and whether or not that opportunity will be availed of must depend upon the character and efficiency of the men who. arc called upon to administer the law."

Some surprise has been expressed at tho delay which has taken place in the appointment of a, Chairman of of tho House of Representatives in succession to Mr. T. M. AVilfobd.. The delay is no doubt due to the embarrassment occasioned by the candidature of Mr. T. H. Davey. It was generally recognised ' when Mr. Wilford announced his intention to relinquish tho office, if elected Mayor of AVellington, that Mr. Davey would be a popular candidate for the Chairmanship of Committees. His chances of election, indeed, wore considered tn ho. nxtroniely good. Biaco then,

however, exposure has been made of the part played by the member for Christchurch East in the incident which culminated in the falsification of police records at Christchurch. No one doubts that Me. Dayey erred out of good nature, and there is not a single member of Parliament, probably, who docs not feel sorry for him. l)ul when this is said, there still remains the fact that the member for Christchurch East, on his own admission, has been guilty of an act which has led to very serious consequences, and which, if treated lightly, must have a.very harmful effect 'on public morals. Mb. Taylor, when referring to the matter in Parliament, admitted the kindly riwtives which no doubt governed Mr. Davey's action, but voiced what \ye feel must bo the general opinion-in the following sentences: —

But 1 do not think that any public man exhibits a clear view of what his responsibility is in his public capacity if he thinks that under any circumstances he has the right to use his public position v to influence a police officer to do what is distinctly wrong. ,1 object to the falsification of this record because it was an interference with the course of justice. If we are to allow discrimination to be displayed towards a man who is able to bring the influence of his political friends, to bear upon a police officer, where is it going lo stop? . . . It is the beginning, if it is allowed to go- on unchallenged and unchecked, of the same volume of public corruption that is vexing the very souls of other countries to-day where it has been allowed to go on without check for many years.

It is an unfortunate thing that Mr. Davey, immediately v following the Christchurch affair, should have been induced to submit himself as a candidate •for so important arid responsible a position as Chairman of Committees of the House of Representatives. But since he has done so, and since the Leader of the House has so far failed in his duty as to treat the candidature of his follower as though what has transpired did not affect tho situation in the slightest, we are compelled as a matter of public duty to at least direct.attention to the obligation which rests on members to place the public interest, before personal considerations. Members who cast their votes for the member for Christchurch .East _ when the_ matter comes before Parliament this week cannot ignore .their they must recognise that in so voting they are virtually . condoning an action which the public interest de-, mands should receive the sternest censure. ' ' ,