The Dominion. LETTING IN THE LIGHT.

Dominion, Volume 4, Issue 1172, 6 July 1911, Page 4

The Dominion. LETTING IN THE LIGHT.

To those who have followed the various exposures which have taken place in rccent times in connection with matters with which the Government has been more or less directly connected, the sameness of the "cov-cring-up" methods attempted must appear very striking. One can only assume that, despite the fact that these methods have not been successful in tho cases in question, they have served their purpose'in so many others that Ministers still cling to them. Take for instance the case of the Taxing Department charges. Everyone knows the heated denials that were at first made by Sir Joseph Vakd; then under pressure followed the private investigation by two Judges of the Supreme pourt whose report could not be published; then, still under pressure, the private investigation by Departmental officials; then the refusal to publish the full finding of this inquiry, coupled, however, with the retirement of two officials—a sop to quieten the public and in order to escape further comment with additional unpleasant possibilities. But the fact, .of course, remained that it was only under extreme pressure and after persistent evasions and denials that the Government could be forced to do anything, and even now the public is kept' in ignorance of the full extent to which the administration of the particular Department in question had been subversive of tho public interest. So also with the Mine charges. Denials, bluff, evasions, the appointment of a partisan committee—and yet Mr. Hine proved the bulk of his charges right up' to the h'ilt; even the Government's own partisan committee wa3 forced to admit the strength of the evidence in respect of these charges. We find tho same evasion and shuffling in respect of- the Coronation invitations to members of Parliament, the members of the Legislative Council being contemptuously ignored in the matter, while members of the Lower House were kept in ignorance of the actual terms of the invitation and afforded no real chancc of taking advantage of it. This Coronation business was well hushed up in New Zealand and but for'the ex-, posure which came from London no one here would have been the wiser until next year or perhaps for many years.

The charges against the Cook Islands Administration arc being smothered by the Government—br rather the attempt is being made to smother them—in almost exactly the same manner as the other charges referred to. There is first of all the pretence to treat them as of no consequence; then, when they arc persisted with, wo have the evasive promise to inquire into them; and then the next stage of appointing someone with restricted powers to conduct an inquiry which is purely farcical. The Chief. Justice is sent down to the Islands not as a lloyal Commissioner, but as a secret inquiry agent of the Government—a most improper position in which to place the Onief Justice of the country. He not only sits in. private, but witnesses are not placcd on oath. In the only charge proceeded with, that of the ex-Inspector of Police, Mr. Reynolds, the procedure followed was for the Chief Justice, sitting in private, to hear first the statement made by Mr. Reynolds; then to hear Captain Smith, the Commissioner, in reply. Neither party was placcd on oath, ancl neither party was permitted to crossexamine the other on the statements made. The principal charges, those made by Dr. Dawson ancl Mr. Hosking, were not proceeded with at all, the gentlemen named declining to present their witnesses at an investigation so conducted. Yet, curiously enough, despite the precautions taken by the Government to prevent a full and public inquiry, at least two of the charges made have been substantiated without any evidence being brought by the complainants. The murder trial of the man Wigiiore disclosed sufficient, to bear out the allegations made as to the lax enforcement of the liquor laws; and the Natives themselves, who profess to be highly satisfied with the Commissioner's work, urged the necessity for appointing a Judge of the High Court to relieve the Commissioner of his duties in respect of Native land titles. Roth of these matters were dealt with by Mr. Hoskinq in his published complaints against the Administration. It has to be borne in mind in connection with the general attitude of the Natives towards the Commissioner, that one of the complaints made against the Administration has been the lax treatment of Native offenders by the Commissioner. The contention has boon that the Commissioner has not exercised that firmness necessary lo ensure a proper respect for the law on the part of the Natives and that things are in consequence drifting from bad to worse. One can quite, understand that the Natives would

nut lis likely to objcct to this, but the position of the white settlers is very different. The attitude Mk. Wai,degi;avk throughout the trip to the Islands has been referred to by our spccial reporter who accompanied the party. Mil. Waldegrave is a public servant and as such is supposed to do his duty irrespective of personal and political considerations. lie does not appear to have shown the discretion thai would be expected from an official in his position, and wc may have something to say on this point at the proper time.' They are very foolish people indeed who imagine that the Cook Islands Administration charts arc to be left where they arc to-day. Meanwhile those who arc contending for reform there can rest satisfied that they have made a step forward —whatever the report on the Chief Justice's secret inquiry may be—in having attracted so large an amount of public attention to their complaints and in having already been able to show justification for at least two of the charges made without recourse to their own witnesses. Their next step will bo awaited with interest.