THE POLITICAL OUTLOOK.

Dominion, Volume 4, Issue 1054, 18 February 1911, Page 3

THE POLITICAL OUTLOOK.

IS IT SATISFACTORY?111. — POLITICAL PATRONAGE : ITS EFFECT ON THE PEOPLE. '■'(By Demociut.) " " V Patronago should liavo no placo 111 /ho lifo of a democracy. Tho power of tho people being supremo and tho popular will, finding practical expression in tho government of tho country, there should bo equal opportunities for all men. It should be within tho power of every nlan in tho Stato to Tiso to any position in its service, or (always with tho consent of his fellows) to secure election to cither branch of tlio Legislature. . It should bo possible to givo practical expression to tho will of tho peoplo in both branches of that Legislature and, in the public service, merit, and capacity should be tho guiding principles of. all appointments, and promotions. It ougut to bo impossible for ■ any set of men, -or for any party, to securo a practical monopoly of administration, and to bo placed in such a position tliatj tlley can dispense political favours and rewards, for services rendered, not so mnch .to .tho Stato as to tho party in office. Governments that exist tor tho aggrandisement of individuals, deteriorate both in manners and morals, becausc, however honest tlieir original intentions may have been, in timo they como to regard their own interests as paramount; and » formulato their opinions accordingly.. This is particularly tho case where, as in this country, Ministers . assume autocratic powers. Tho exerciso of those' powers brings tliem into direct conflict with tho people. They lay down tho law; tho_ peoplo must obey. Under such conditions freedom of thought and speech', even in legitimate and wholesome criticism, comes to bo regarded as an evil that must bo resented and,put down. Tho man who exercises that right of criticism is penalised; tho constituency that stands by liim is given to understand that it is pursuing a very; foolish policy and 0110 tliat must'operate tto'its detriment. this,, tho papers that, in tho public interest, criticise .tho doings of tho men who aro responsible for this stato of 'affairs are; as often as not, placcd under tho, Government boycott, and aro spoken of as unpatriotic and even as traitors to tho country. Tho peoplo nro.led to believo that tho sGovernment consists'of the eight or nino individuals holding Ministerial positions,'and that'loyalty to tho Stato demands that only supporters of tlioso gentlemen should bo returned to Parliament. In disbursing' public moneys tho.v aro further made to feel that it is duo to tho generosity of those eight or nino men that sums are placed upon the Estimates for works in which they aro interested, and - that tho expenditure, of such' moneys is. the prerogative, not of Parliament, biit"of 'Ministers. Thus wo liavo had tho Minister for Works refusing, in tho caso of a northern county, to allow a vote authorised by Parliament for certain road works, to bo handed, over to tho council interested, although, on tho, strength of tl(o vote, tho work liad bnen carried out by tho council its.;.urgency, admitting of no- delay. In other cases moneys not expended have been transferred from ono work to another, votes beine or withheld at tlio will of tho Ministry., Tho fact that the moneys aro provided by, and belong to,. tlio peoplo and that their disbursement ■ should, as a. matter of common, ihonestyj be made 011 non-political-lines.;is lost sight of,' when credit is taken -bv, or accorded to, Ministers for their public works expenditure. '

v ; "Tha Spoils to the Victors." < This brings us dircctly to the' consideration of a , form- of -political patTonage that cannot fail to have a most demoralising- effect upon any . peoplo. ."Tho"Spoils to tlio'Victor's" policy, introduced by tho lato Mr. Seddoii,. and justified by that -gentleman, both in- , sido arid out'of Parliament, remains as a.blot'.upon tho escutcheon of tho Liberal' party; - Altogether apart from its objectionablo character, thero »are certain dishqnest features about it-that should mako; the'continuation of such a policy • a ' matter of grave concern to. tho coiiim'nnit.v as a whole* It is noticeablo that tlio "fat years" for Joan, expenditure are invariably those preceding a general-election; the "loan years" those that follow. To illustrate •tho• point: When visiting tho'north, early in 1908, the Prime Jlinister made in definito announcement in' regard -to :tho roadjng policy of the Government. It was, ho sajd; intended'to .spend a sum of 0110 million pounds dnrine' tho next, four years: in roading the-back-blocks.- That sum was to bo expended in addition .'to • tlio usual road vote, which was to lie increased for tho purposo of £250.000 per annum,for the four years. - What happened? During tho eight-year period commencing 190001, and ending 1907-8, £2,652,908 was expended on the roads of, the Dominion from Stato funds. That gives an averago expenditure of £331,621. per annum. To make his promise good, therefore, Sir Joseph-.Ward should have arranged for an expenditure of at least half a million,.per annum >ontho roads of the colony. All that; was'done, in that direction, however, was to increase tho sum spent. to £481,976 in 1008-09, •last year's expenditure being £367,230, or only £35,000 abovo the average already given.' Now when tho promise was made' it was clearly intended to influenco country feeling in favour of Ministors, their land policy having caused tlio settlers' of tho north to loso confidence in them. On the figures given (they aro obtained from tho latest Official Year Book), it is • evident the promise was not kept-, nor does any effort, appear." to have been made to carry it, out; boyoml; tlio first, yeah In this, attempt to win sympathy and support, tliero is, therefore,' a - lack ,of. honesty and good faith that , cannot fail to carry its own condemnation. The point to bo emphasised is this, however. It should not be in the 1 power of Ministers to bask ill the limelight as public benefactors, and, having made definite promises, -to recede from'thorn; without a word of explanation or apology, nor should the poiver to withhold votes sanctioned' by. 'Parliament, bo' rested in them. .- *

' Tho Polloy In Operation,

More than 0110 member of the Parliament of 1905, lost his seat as a result of tho very unfair, use made of the Public Works Fund by Ministers,, at least 0110 member of tlio pVesent Houso being amongst tho victims. The gentleman referred to, is Mr. A. L. Herdman, who in 1902-1905 sat\ for Mount Idd. • In- the latter year, when a deputation-, waited upon-Mr. Seddon, tlio then Premier, to ask. for . a grant- of r £sooo towards tho'construction'of a dam'for iniiiing purposes, tho Minister said jf ho granted the money ho would bo told 110 .had gono round tlio country bribing tho constituencies. Tho Miners' Association, Mr. Seddon said, asked for the money, while tlio member for the district said,-"Don't corrupt my. conKtitucncy" I "'Mr. Seddon intimated his desire to givo the application his .favourable., consideration, hut .When ' Mr. Hordman referred to the inr.tter in the House the 'Minister' for Mines replied that 110' promise of £8000 had been given for tho purpose. This drew from Mr. Hordman the complaint, that the Premier had deliberately goiic' past him with the promise, so as to curry favour with his constituents and to do him harm. On . subsequent occasions Mr. Herdman complained in tho House that prombos had been mitde to his constituents, through -tie. Government.

candidate, with the view of injuring his prospects of re-clcction.. "But," Bays tlio reader, "this is all ancient, history. We don't do things in that fashion now. Our Ministers have learned better manners." Hnvo they P Let us see. For soino years a sum of £1000 appeared on the Estimates, placed thero at tho request of tlio member for Tauranga, for tho construction of what has coino to bo known as the Kiinihia. track, leading from tho Waikato to the Bay of Plenty. Tho monoy was held up by the Ministry until the year of tho last general election. That 'was in 1908. About that time certain Tauranga gentlemen made representations upon tho subject. They wore ■advised to seek tho nssistanco of tho Government candidate for tho constituency. That gentleman in turn communicated with Minister's unon tho subject; tlio work was started, and an attempt w.13 subsequently made to show that it was due to tho Government candidate's advocacy of the work that the relief -was obtained. In this instance the attempt failed, as the sitting member was able to point to tho fact that although tlio money had been voted by the House .on several previous occasions, Ministers, had consistently refused to authorise its expenditure. Still more recently wo have had the case of tho Rangitikei election of last year, and tho -profiiso'promises by which Ministers then made sure of the seat for 0110 ,nf their supporters. A better illustration could hardly bo given of tho ready facility with which Ministers promise anything and everything that will-se-cure votes for their party candidates than thr.t election afforded.

Ths Personal Element In Political Patronage. , Turning to tho consideration of tho moro personal . element in political patronage, it can hardly bo denied that appointments have been, and are still, mado on purely'partisan lines, aud that, as in tho case of tho Legislative Council, such- appointments aro intended to further strengthen tho position of tho party in power. There are. at least a dozen political rejects, supporters of the Ministry, occupying seats in tho Council, to which tljoy were "called" by tho Liberal "Government.' The seats thus provided for them, with tho honorarium of £200 per annum, the freo railway pass, and sundry .travelling. expenses when Parliament is in session, make up h nice little solatium, and ono that is well worth having. They aro doubtless well satisfied. . But what about the electors who would not make them; legislators, even for so short it period as three years? ..What must their feelings bo when they find tho Government expressing its confidence in tho reject, and incidentally its oontempt for tho opinion of the electors, by giving him a. seven years' ' renewable lease (renewable on tho member's good behaviour, that is) of a seat in tho Upper .House? And," to add to the irony of tho business, this is done in the sacred name of the people I That tho patron'ago system is bail is apparent in tho present constitution of tho Council, which contains. very few members of commanding merit; while of tho majority it' can be safely said that, if it were possiblo to send theni before • the electors to-morrow, scarcely one of them would be capable of winning a scat in Parliament. The electors ; would, not have them. All'things considered, it is curious, ta note tho jealous ,fashion in which the' Liberal Government has clung /to ■ tho .present • system of ] party appointments; thus" consolidating its position at the expense of the general public. The effect is seen in the crowd of hangers-on and office-seekers .that is found cVerywhero in the country. And,while such appointments remain in tho hands of Ministers, wo can hardly look for botter-thinpj, to 'both, the Legislative Council ''and to the Civil Sorvico should be. taken out -of tho hands of Ministers. ' The elective should bo substituted for the nominal tivo principle in tho case of the former, and the latter should be . mado nonpolitical. So far as Civil Service is concerned, the law how provides that every person, appointed to .the service filial! .only, enter such service as a fadet, "after competitive examination," and at first sight, therefore, it might appear tliat the political element.had been eliminated from Civil Service appointments. But Ministers still retain wide, powers of patronage, because there are many exemptions to tho cadet business." That is ; apparently reserved for youngsters starting out. in lifo and. desiring" to enter the sorvico of,the State. And so called "experts", aro exempt from the provision, and as even a shorthand writer is regarded as an "expert," it is evident the law can easily , bo set) aside, and that people with "political pull" can secure appointments for their ;sons and daughters over "the heads of othors who may be better qualified! to hold their own' in the public servico ill after years*' Apart from "experts" of this x sort, however, there are tho other, exemptions provided for in Subsection 3, of Scction 4, of the Civil Servico Act, and defined as persons ''skilled in medicine, law, navigation; science, technical art, or' the management of live stock,'or in naval or military, matters," persons appointed under Tho' Defence Act or Tho Police Forco Act, officers of prisons, warders- .of lunatic asylums, messengers, etc. There is thus plenty of scope for the .exerciso of that patronage which appears to be so dear to the hearts of Ministers, and there is,a pretty general feeling in the several Departments of State that, if a man desires to got on- in the service, ho must vote "for the party holding office at every election.The , power that, should rest with the iicoplo of disciplining Ministers and their followers, should such be'necessary, is" therefore, largely nullified, becauso with the co-operativo labourers. aiid tho. railway employees tlio army of State servants exercises an appreciable effect upor< the voting, and, in many instances, Civil Servants havo been known to take a very active part in forwarding the candidature of Government supporters at the elections." And that, again, is not good. Equal opportunity for all, is impossible while political appointments - continue to be made. Tho State suffers, moreover, because really good men will riot put up with conditions under which they aro' really at the mercy of time-serving politicians. But hero we must leave tho subject -for the time being. [The next article of this series will be on "Party Appointments—'Their Effect on the Public Service."] '