The Dominion. TUESDAY, NOVEMBER 10, 1914. SLANDERS REFUTED

Dominion, Volume 8, Issue 2303, 10 November 1914, Page 4

The Dominion. TUESDAY, NOVEMBER 10, 1914. SLANDERS REFUTED

I 9 Looking back over the term of the Parliament which has just concluded its labours nothing less redounds to the credit of the Opposition Party than its wildly malicious attempts to fasten upon the Reform Government a charge of maladministration of the Public Trust Office. For a time the Hon. A. L. Herdjian. as Minister in charge of this useful institution, was subjected, in and out of Parliament, to a series of venomous attacks which he himself denounoed in plain terms as' malignant 1 slanders. While- in point of fact he- was exerting himself to improve the working efficiency of the Department and extend its. beneficial operation, he was accused, as much by hint and insinuation as by direct charge, of sacrificing the institution and its wide circle of clients in the interests of the legal profession of which he happens to be a- member. Since these accusations had nothing substantial to rest lipon it can only be supposed that their authors hoped to find in the necessarily complex affairs of an institution. like the Public Trust Offico a field adapted to their habitual pursuits,of political.slander and misrepresentation. Happily for the cause of justice and fair play these hopes wcro founded on sand. It is the simple truth that the Public Trust Office has beon greatly improved, and its working scope extended under Mr. .Herdiian s administration, and no one who examines tho position can possibly harbour' any doubt on the subject. The aggregate business of the Office Has increased enormously during the past two years, and under amended rules it is treating its clients with much greater' liberality than in the time 91 the Continuous' Ministry. Coincidently > staffing and 1 salaries within the Office have also been greatly improved. These facts might easily be loft to speak for themselves, but it is just as well that the leading facts and developments of tho past two' years should be briefly traoed in order that the public may clearly understand the' position. ' ' j Two important amendments'to the Public Trust' Office Act have been passed sinoo the ' Reform Government took office. The Act of 1912 made one important change. It provided for tho appointment of four Local Deputy-Public Trustees who novr transact many details of business which formerly had to be referred to the Public Trustee at Wellington. This, of course, simplifies operations, and increases the usefulness of the institution by avoiding delays, and was necessary in view of the extending business of I tha Office. A much more important amending Act was passed last year, and. considering its nature it says much for the effrontery of the Opposition that their- campaign of defamation against the Minister was continued unremittingly during its passage through Parliament. The Act was based in part upon the report of a Commission consisting of Mr. Hoskinq (now Mr. Justice Eosking) and Mr. Alexander Macintosh, which was set up to conduct an exhaustive inquiry into the working of the Public Trust Office. Tho Opposition in its attacks upon the Attorney-General did not spare this Commission, but it is interesting to note that it was actually set up at the instance of a number of Opposition members, who urged the Minister to institute a full inquiry in view of references to the business methods and staffing of'the Public Trust Office which were made by the Public Service Commission appointed by the Mackenzie Government. The Act of 1913 is a liberal measure of reform, which in many ways extends the utility of the Public Trust Office, and has greatly increased its volume of business. An' important innovation was the appointment of two non-servico members, one of them appointed _ for his experience in matters relating to' farming and live stock, and tho other for his knowledge of banking and finance. The present occupants of these positions are, respectively, Mr. W. G. Foster and Mr. G. E. Tolhurst. The appointments were considered advisable on account of the very varied nature oi the businesses which the Public Trustee is called upon to administer, and the gentlemen. selected were recognised as being eminently suited to fill the positions. The Act provided also for the appointment of Advisory Trustees, a now departure in this country, though the system is in vogue in England. Testators are now enabled to join some relative or friend with the Public Trustee in the management of their estates. Another clause authorises ! the Public Trustee to act as "custodian trustee" and receive funds and securities for investment or safe-keeping where a private trustee is managing an estate. Under the Act beneficiaries are empowered to invoke the assistance of the Public ' Trustee in securing an audit and in- ' vestigation of the assets of a private j trustee, and similarly beneficiaries can appoint a solicitor to examine L the Public Trustee's accounts. One > of the most important improvements of all, considering the largo number 1 of people whom it will benefit, is a provision enabling the Public Trustee to administer small estates (up to £400) without obtaining an order of tho Court. In this way a costly unnecessary legal process is avoided, and the_ estates of poor people can bo administered by the Public Trusteo most economically. On tho face of it these are all valuable improvements in the working methods of an institution which confers great benofits upon the peo--1 plo of tho Dominion, but if any . further refutation is desired of the * groundless slanders which for a time ' wcro promoted and disseminated by I the Opposition it will be found, in 0, .b.rle£ fiurvej. of tho working results

of the Public Trust Offioo since the | Minister took charge. The record is one of unbroken prosperity in which the public, the staff, and the Offico itself have shared. The present Minister found the Office understaffed, and tho members of its staff underpaid. As a result of investigations carried out under* his instructions the permanent staff of the Department was largely strengthened in 1913. It gained in that year 45 new members (including two transferred from the temporary staff) as against 18 resignations. Salaries also have been increased. During the year ended March 31, 1912, the total sum of £21,745 was paid in salaries, whereas for the current year the salary-roll of the Department is £34,680. Benefits, however, have not been confined k> the During the last financial year the common fund rate of'interest was raised from 4j per cent, on the first £3000 and 4 per cent, on the excess to 44 per cent, on the first £6000, and 4j per cent, on the excess. The new scale applies also to looa-1 sinking lunds which formerly received only 4 per cent. As to the volume -of business transacted by the Office the value of estates under administration has', increased : by nearly £3,000,000 since 1912. The following table, showing the number and value of estates and the net profits made by the Offioo during tho last six years, speaks for itself: — Valna Number of Net of Estates. Profits. 1909 ES SOI9 S ' . 6,399,567 l<)jjso 1910 5564 7,353,947 11,733 • 1911 6112 8,112,342 11,241 1912 6694 9,493,959 25,919. 1913 849S 11,2(58,311 27,551 _1914 9223 12,282,883 29,222 Tho story in a nutshell is that the Tublic Trust Office is doing ' moro business than ever in its past history, and the volume of its transactions has expanded at an unprecedented rate under the sympathetic administration of the present Government. Moreover the Office is treating the public with greater liborality, and providing greater facilities, and the staff is much better treated in regard to working conditions and salaries than in the time of the 'Continuous Ministry. These are hard facts.which no slander or calumny can shake or upset.