The Evening Star MONDAY, APRIL 26, 1875.

Evening Star, Issue 3797, 26 April 1875, Page 2

The Evening Star MONDAY, APRIL 26, 1875.

No matter what arrangements are made for the transaction of public business, so much depends upon the personal fitness of men entrusted with conducting it as to whether it is well or ill done, that the best plans may be may objectionable and the worst harmless. Some years ago the evils of a political Waste Land Board became so obvious that a change was found to bo absolutely necessary. The public estate had been made subservient to the purposes of a faction. When it suited their tactics not an acre of land was sold, public works were_stopped, and the Province was iuvolved in debt. When at last they had brought industry to a standstill, paralysed trade, and driven population away-when. in fact, no more credit was to be had, reckless sales were made, and tens of thousands of acres passed into the hands of half-a-dozen individuals. The bare possibility 0 f such folly should have been sufficient to demonstrate the necessity for entrusting the administration of the public estate to a body of men uncon ? a - rfcy l u P °- lit , ioB - lt Wfts reasonably supposed that in their hands the laws would be administered impartially, in strict accordt?p h l hei l mte ? tion - W « cannot say that the plan has altogether worked well From the revelations constantly cropping out. there does not app ear to be a cordial working together. The Chief Commissioner, for instance, gives unmistakeable evidence of his determination to be the Board, and to reduce hl n C ° n w eer «i?° supporters of his wiH. We think probably this has arisen through no thoroughorganisation having been S Ptea ‘i W ® may ’ P° rh »P». be mistaken; but it appears to us that wken the Board meets in public they are not sufficiently made aware of the business that is to rw b r f ° re - h ® m ' , lt 18 ma PPed out in the Chief Commissioner’s office, the documents prearranged and noted there, and, excepting he meagre details brought under notice at the public meeting of the Board, no other member than the Chief Commissioner is prepared to act with full and perfect knowledge of the facts. Two glaring instances have become public within a short time. Mr Calcutt wrote a letter of remonstrance, complaining of the unfairness with which he had been treated by the Board. If what he stated be true, and it has not been contradicted, we consider the Board’s behavior to Mr Calcuti arbitrary and uncourteous in the extreme. He complains of promises not fulfilled and arrangements not carried out. He TnL ep6 Sl ed , U i?° n Board ’ s impartial fcoaor, and had been deceived and injured. These are grave charge* but they are allegations he had a perfect right to make. There in not only no reason why they should not be preferred, but every reason why they should. His letter was not disrespectful: it could hardly have expressed his grievance in less objectionaWe terms; yet how is it dealt with? Mr Reid a 8 if to thow his recklessness of the Board’s character and standing with the public (the Commissioner having read it privately), said be did not want to hear it—let it be thrown into the waste paper basket.” We ask the t SU ? !l 1 P roc eeding decorous ?Is it what they have a right to expect? The Commission. r » a paid servant, Mr Reid a member of tho Ix- cutive. To each of these, supposing the rest were inclined to do wrong, the public be a right to look as being re’ sponsible to ifiot,- <,voo pay them; but insteadof recemng -J. ; even-handed proteoturn they are entitled to. their complaints, we.l or ill founded, are treated with contempt, and the oMu r members do not open their Ups to p. otest But a far more important clashing was di closed in the inquiries respecting the .ale of the reserves. It was evident that the Provincial boverament and the Waste Land Board are working inde cudently of each other ; that no system exists by which the arrangements of the one are ffioially communicated to the other, and that, therefore, mistakes almost necessarily result What Mr Rhd s sug esto tlu, PbW ■■ommiMiooe, w ®, d( ? “ ot know, but they w >ro evidently dist.3tefu' to him. They appeared to rather derogate from his authority in hia own eyes, and although he ultimately expressed his intention to abide by the diiectlo,n® be could, they were clearly unpalatable to Lou. Nothing can be plainer, however, than that before a single acre of laud is parted with every circumstance connected with it has a right to be known and inquired into. Most probably it would be replied m Mr Calcutt’s case that every necessary inquiry was made by tho Commissioner's :uiont in orde / t Q ta*ne° ard T ghfc bo ,“ ade full y “ware of its fa according to Mr Caloutt although inquiry was promised and the effect recorded, it was n<*t made, and the laud was sold without; and. m regard to the sale of the railway reserves, the neglect is simply unpardonable. Nothing can be easier than to obtain whatever information is desirable in an ordinary way. We n® Imte1 mte aware that in some respects the Board is cramped with regard to means of paying for reliable reports, but where they are necessary we never know the Executive Government refuse to authorise the necessary deW J* 18 °“ ly t hrough bitches that the a machine becomes apparent, and we 6 J ime bas come when the nonofficial members must be convinced that th v must take a more decided part than they have done, in order to render the Board a reliable administrator of waste lands.