The Gisborne Times PUBLISHED EVERY MORNING. GISBORNE, AUGUST 27, 1906.

Gisborne Times, Volume XXIII, Issue 1844, 27 August 1906, Page 2

The Gisborne Times PUBLISHED EVERY MORNING. GISBORNE, AUGUST 27, 1906.

tis perhaps too eavly yet to devote any attention to tho Public Works Statement, for it is always such an unknown quantity until actually placed before tho House, and that has not usually happened before the dying hours of each successive session for the past dozen years or so. It has been the practice of tho Siddon Government to keep this important document back until every service that could be rondered by Government supporters to tho party had bson rendered, and then when there was no longer a chance loft for them to kick over the traces if they felt dissatisfied with what they got in tho way of Public Works expenditure, down came tho precious document and they wore told to go homo and make tho best of it. 7’hon catuo tho usual dissatisfaction, and it always accounted for tho inflated condition of tho Supplementary Estimates, which wore as a rule pushed through without debato or consideration wtion members had their portmanteaus packod and many perhaps had actually left the II ior of tho House for that session. In this unsoomly and unbusinesslike manner it was no unusual thing to soo vo'es for many thousands of pounds slipped through without the notice of members as fas

as tho Chairman of Committses could

read over tho items. Whon it is considered that tho annual votes of Parliament total somo live million pounds it does seem extraordinary that such hugo sums should bo doalt wiih in that cursory fashion, for it practically

means that by tho atjuiesceuco of ths House in such methods of procedure

he Houso bauds over to the Govern

meet its right to control tho finances of the country—a most undesirable thing to do oven though the Government

were composed of certificated Saints with an Archangel at its head. But

so it is, however, and will continue to be bo until the constituencies decline to send representatives to Parliament

pledged to support men instead of

measures, and resolve to obliterate from the ranks of members political

nonentities wlio come to heel with a

metaphorical wince and whine when they hear the crack of the political whip. It is useless to say that mem-

bers cannot exercise a proper control

over the finances of the country, but it is nevertheless a fact that they do not,

and that the bulk of the annual ex

pondituro, outsido statutory appropriations, is apportioned by the Cabinet

Tax.nei

in tho diroftt interests of llio Cabinet iijuirt altogether l'rom tho interests of tin* taxpayers who supply tho monoy. One on it luird'y blumo the Cabinet, hownvor, when tho constituencies tacitly concur in tho dangoroui and unprofitable method by sending moil to roproaont flu m who, in somo cases have no knowledge of linance, who in othor iustancos havo no desire to do anything nioro than voto tho ticket as dictated by tho chief autocrat of tho party, aed who, m a few cases, amuse themselves hy gotting drunk instead o! attending to tho business of tho counfry, yet tho astounding fact romains that tho constituencies appear j to ho oontont to bo represented in this way. Members, wo have been told over and ovor again, avo tho rcliox of their constituents in a political souse. Possibly so ; but wo should bo sorry to think th t prohibited Ashburton is truly rtllcc -din tho character of its roprcsontal vo, and yet it must bo assumed ♦ .at such is tho easo, for Ashburton has chosen to bo represented in this way for more than one Parliament. Tho thing is simply inexplicable, but nevertheless a fact, and tho only logical assumption in regard to tho position is that Ashburton is content to part with its political birthright for an expected moss of pottage in tho shape of a dole from the Public Works estimates, and the vote of tho member for Ashburton is worth just tho same as that of any othor inembor even though ho eaunot bo there to record it, for while ho is non cat the AVJiips take care that he is paired with somo opposing member. Notwithstanding this most deplorable condition of things, the bringing down of tiie Public Works Statement in the early stages of tlio sossion would be a distinct advautago to tho country, and particularly to such places as Ashbiirton and others that are represented by quelquechose politicians, for it would enable them to got some gleam of what it was proposed to grant them, and then if their mombers proved too weak for work they could be assistod. To this it may be objected that it would givo rise to logrolling which is in itself 1 a pernicious thing; but a strong, honest Government need never fear the offects of logrolling, for all that it would have to do to got over any difficulties in that way would be to specify the total amount to bo spent, suggest a fair distribution on the basis of the country’s most urgent and desirable demands, and leave any alteration thereof to tho bona fide vote of the majority. But to koop tho whole tiling secret till the last moment, and then scatter votes of thousands of pounds as a quid pro quo for votes of confidence in a slipshod (if nothing worse) administration, is the reverse of beneficial to the country as a whole and demoralising to tho constituencies , themselves.