EAST COAST RAILWAY.

Dominion, Volume 6, Issue 1836, 23 August 1913, Page 6

EAST COAST RAILWAY.

PUBLIC TRUST OFFICE.

THE MINISTER REPLIES.

THE WEST SHORE EMBANKMENT. Tho quostion of proceeding with tliat portion of tho Napier East Coast railway, known as tho West Shore embankment at tho Napier end, was brought before tho Ministnr for Public Works (the Hon. W. Frasor) yestetrday by -Mr. Mason Chain bora, representing tho Hawkc's Bay County Council and Napier Chamber of Commerce. Mr. Prasor stated that ho had already entered info negotiations with the local bodies concerned in the matter, and that as soon a.s the respective! proportions of cost had been adjusted and the plans prepared tho work 'Would ba commenced. Authority would bo taken this year for fragilining tho work.

THE ANNUAL REPORT. ATTACK BY MEMBER FOR AVON Mr. G. W. Russell sought to clicit from tho Hon. A. L. Herdman a statement regarding a report which, ho alleged had been furnished by the Public Trustee, and withheld from Parliament. Ho asked whether tho Minister would authorise him to go to tlio Government Printing Olfico and ask for a copy of tho report which ho believed to Ik> in print? Mr. Herdman laughed. • H"Ksell: It is not usual for a Minister to laugh when ho is confronted with an absolutely direct contradiction of a positive statement ho has made in Parliament. Mr. Fraser: I laughed at tlio extraordinary request you made. Mr. Russoll: I am not referring to tho honourable gentleman. Mr. Fraser: It's all right I You were looking at mo all tho time. Mr. Russell said that "a man in. the street had told him that a report had.been sent in by tho Public Trustee. Tho Government had promised that when it took oflico there would ljo no secrecy regarding public affairs. Why should a report upon this rery important institution be withheld from Parliament? Ho asked Mr, Herdman whether his present attitude was consistent with his professions when iiii Opposition. Ho charged tho Minister with having thin report in his possession, and with having withheld it from Parliament for purposes and reasons of his own—not publio reasons.

Mr. Herdman: You say I have that report?'

. , Mr. Russell: I don't Bay you h'aTe it now. It may bo in itlie waste-paper basket. It may havo been destroyed or burned." J- say that there is or has been a document winch has been withheld from Parliament.

| DISLOYALTY IN THE DEPARTMENT, v INFORMATION LEAKAGE. Tho Hon. A. L. Herdman, in replying to Mr.! Russell, said that, the other day tho honourable gentleman had asked ft question regarding the annual report of tho Public Trustee. "I want to mako tho position perfectly clear," said tho Minister. "I told him on that occasion as I told, I think, tho honourable member for Invereargill previously, that tho law required the Public Trustee to mako ono public statement to bo laid upon tho tablo of tho House. That statement was in reference to the balance-shoot, and I said to' tho honourable gentleman then, and I think I told ithe honourablo gentleman tho other day, that it was not t-lio custom to make an annual report from the Public Trust Office. As a matter, of fact, during tho last 32 years during which the 1 Public Trust Office has existed, there (have boon 15 returns only laid upon the table of the House. .There is nothing in. tho slututo that requires any statement to bo laid upon tho table of the House; any return, or any neport, excopt tho return to which I lmvo referred, tho annual balance-sheet. It rests with tlio Minister : bo say whether any report from tho Public Trust Offioo shall bo laid upon tho table if tho House. It rests with, the

Minister to direct tho Trustee as to whether ho shall mako a report upon his year's operations. I have no report to my "possession. It is perfectly true that some time ago a crudo document was forwarded to mo by tho Public Trustee, containing mnttors relating to .policy,- and that document I returned to tho Public Trustee. Extraordinary Disloyalty. "I am 1 convinced of this," continued tho. Minister, "that since I havo beon a Minis- ( ter of tho .Crown tliero has boon, some extraordinary, disloyalty, .on tho part of somo people in tho Public Trust Office. . Statements have been made from time to time, 6iuoo 1 havo' been Minister, to tho . public press and to membors of I'arliamont disclosing confidential matters concerning tho administration of the Office. I wish to say that sinco I havo been a Minister this is tho only office that I havo been in charge .pf that I oaa suspect of any disloyalty. Will tho honourablo gentleman tell me the source -of his Wr formation?" . Mr. ltussell: I told you that I had been

tokl by a gentleman in the street., • Mr. Herdman: Will tho honourable gentleman tell ma the name of tho gentleRussell: I havo uo objection to tolling you privately if I had asked tho gentleman to let me do bo. • Mr. Herdman said that. something very strange was going, on. Mr. Russell: X told you that 'I. have had no communication with anyono in tuo °Mr! Herdman: "TJio only document I received vras & ji ' . Public Trustee himself prepared, without instructions, containing matters ot Tiolicv and containing statements that 1 dirt not think should bo Laid on tlw table ot the House. That document is not in my jj possession. I returned it to tho Publio Trustee and I say that tho Minister of tho Crown, where there is no requirement by Statute to lay a document on the tablo of the House, has an absolute discretion as to what should bo laid on the tablo of the House. In connection with tho dooument mentioned I should never havo dreamed of laying it on the ■ table of the House beforo it had been laid before Cabinet', and I did not think it ncoossary to lay it beforo Cabinet until ■ it had toon revised by tho Public J-tub-tee" Finally tho : Minister stated that ii view of tho voluminous information regarding the Public Trust. Offic? which had boon made, public in tho report of the Commission and otherwise ho liari not thought it necessary to obtain an annual report.

Mr. Mac Donald Takes a. Hand. ' Mr. W. D'. S. Maedonald said that, the statements that had ■ been made by i the Minister for Justice were very re- : markablo indeed. Last year a committee: had been set up to investigate tho work- . ing of tho Pjiblic Trust Office, and lU was understood that the office came out, of that investigation with flying colours. . Tho Minister had stated now that tho only Department i,n which disloyalty had. occurred was that of the Public 'Irust Office. That was a very unfair statement ■ to make, more especially considering tho position tho Publio Trusteo was placed, in. Tho Royal Commission which had been appointed to inquire into the man- , 'agement of the. office took evidence, and .' the Minister was tho only nionibcr who had had access to it. That was not fair, to the House. Tho report brought down, in 1911 was presented to both Houses and ( ho considered that, in view of the lioyal' Commission tliis year and a / iI " TI com ".. ing down,' the members of the -»<mso should havo been taken into the *\nJ - ister's confidence and tho report, wmclL the Minister admitted lie had received,, . laid upon tho tabic of the House, air. ■Herdman, who claimed to havo removedthe Service from political control, was the only Minister who absolutely dictated to his lirails of Departments which course

thev should pursue, and what reports' should, bo brought down. After the Commission had reported; the Public Trustee was naturally anxious to stole his sido of tho case. Ho hoped that for the future an annual report \v<Suld be present .ed from, the Public Trustee, Native Affairs, Mr. C. Parata (Southern Maori) em» phasisod the necessity, urged by the Hon. A. '1\ Ngata, that tho salaries of Nativo Land Court Judges should be increased. Tho .Registrar'of tho Native Land Court should also rccoivo better treatment. Tho Hon. \V. H. Herrios: They are under tho Civil Service Commissioners. Mr. Parata: I can't help that. I represent the Maori peoplo, and must urge their claims hero. Ho also advanced thatinterpreters should be placed in tho pro- . fessional division, in the classification list. Petono Drillshed, Mr. T. M. Wilford spoko of tho Petone Drillsluxl. Prior to tho passing of tho Defence Act tho Government had agr.eod to pay to 'llho t-rustees of the Petone JJrillslio<l 11 slim of JffiOO. so that certain corps might drill in that hall. Conditions wero drawn up which worohecopted in writing by tho Government, but that promiso was not carried out. Instead of this, tho Defence Act was passed, and the drillshed, which was orcctod almost wholly by public subscription, was in defiance of the arrangement annexcdi This was a distinct breach of faith, of which tho Govcrnmeut'must be cognisant, and

he wished to hear from the Government what they proposed to do. Encouraging Mining. Mr. H. Poland said that the .Petone case wa9 unfortunately not an isolated one. Thero was a hall; at Denmston, for instance, built wholly by public subscripr tion, whioh" had beon seized under this Act. Ho urged that moro attention should bo given to the mining industry, :and that the portfolios of Public Works and Mines -should be dissociated for tho ' reason that they wero too much for any one man to control. The Hon. W. I'Vaser said it was very easy to say that mining deserved encouragement,'but lw' was i-t to bo given P Thero was no easier way of wasting a lot of money than in so-called - "encouragement" of mining. It was, ho thought, not correct to say that cither this Government or tho past had neglected mining. In tho matter of discovery of new fields, it was never tho case in auy country that new reefs wore ever discovered by Stato parties. Mr. PoJand: I didn't suggest a Stato party, Mr. Frasor: I know what tho honourable gentleman wants perfectly well. Ho wants a party subsidised- by the State, Continuing, he said he did not propose to give assistance in this shape. He did not agree with Mr. Colvin's proposal that tracks should bo cut into prospecting country. It was soon enough, after a reef was discovered to cut a track to tho place. Mr. R. M'Callumi protested against the Vote of-- per month for four months to Joshua Jones. Did this mean that Jones was to set *E2O <1 month for life? Mr. Allen: No. . Mr. M'Oallilm' said the Government should not give any monoy to Jones in consideration! of his Mokau claims. Jones had a claim against the estate of Wickham Flower, a private mortgagee, but lione against the Government. Mr.. J. Allen said that the recommendation of tho .committee that .£3OOO bp paid to Jones had not yot been adopted. The Government had giwn .£2O a month for four months, and he could not say ■whether this would be the end or not. With, regard to the two drillsheds mentioned, tho Denniiston Hall was erected and held in trust,for volunteer purposes. He had made a proposal that tho local people could have a measure of control by appointing a committee, been advised to that effect. The Petone Hall, ho admitted, was in a different position. He had crrdered a report on tho position of tho Petone Hall, but 'he .had 'Hot received the report yet, and until too did so he could not say Tvhat no could do about the hall. . . .The Hon. Dr. Pomare said he wished to reply to tho assertion made that he had in liis speech tho previous evening been sneering at the -missionaries in tho Oook Islands. He had done nothing of tho sort, nor had he intended to do eo. At 0.40 a.m., tho first item of tho Estimates, Legislative Council, <£1512, was passed. ' Progress was reported, and at 0.43 a.m. the House rose.