THE GLOBE. TUESDAY, JANUARY 3, 1882. EXPENSES OF ROYAL COMMISSIONS.

Globe, Volume XXIV, Issue 2416, 3 January 1882, Page 2

THE GLOBE. TUESDAY, JANUARY 3, 1882. EXPENSES OF ROYAL COMMISSIONS.

Among the papers laid before Parliament during last session was one returned <o an order of the House in consequence of a motion by Mr.“J. B. Fisher—“ That there he laid upon the table a return showing the amounts paid to each member oi! the West Coast Native Commission, the Railway Commission, the Civil Service Commission, and the Local Industries Commission for travelling expenses, honorarium or otherwise.” It may he interesting to onr readers to see what ihese Commissions cost the country, • for they will then be able to strike a balance between receipts and expenditure and to make np their minds as to whether the good that has accrued to the community through the operations of the Commissions has equalled the money spent. Fop our own part, we are quite convinced that, considering the amount and quality of the work done, the business has bean a cheap one for the colony at large. With, regard in parti ealar to the West Coast Commission, the good effects brought about by it have been so great tliat it will require a very severe critic indeed to declare that the “ game was not worth the candle.” Taking this Commission, first of all, wo find that the total expense was £3792 15s sd. Of this sum £347 8s lOd was for cost of conveyance, £139 Os 5d for personal expenses at hotels, and £73 6s 2d for the hire of a room for an office. The payments for services came to £2569 lls 7d, of which £lOBl 17s 5d went to the surveyors, £644 8s 5d to Mr. Parris, and the balance, £843 5s 9d, to the secretary and others, the latter item including their travelling allowances. Sir W. Fox and Sir P. D. Bell gave their services gratis. The cost of reporting came-to £259 13s, miscellaneous items to £353 15s sd. Of these latter £173 17s 5d went for supplies to Natives. It will he seen here that the items are very moderate, and that, if the money paid to the surveyors was sabstracted from the stun total, it would be found that the Commission had coot but £2710 18s.

Taking next the Railway Commission, we see that the total cost was £2732 Oe; 3d. The cost of conveyance by uteam,, coach, and rail was £982 14s 9d; the expenses at hotels, £66 3s lOd; the hire of an office, £lO 6 s 6d. The payment for personal expenses amounted to £942 ISs, the four Commissioners being paid £2 2s gf each per diem. The cost of reporting came to £697 2s 2d, and the miscellaneous to £32 16s. The Civil Service Commission cost the country £1693 lls 7d. Four out of the five Commissioners did not claim the fall ordinary allowance to Royal Commissioners, viz., £2 2a per diem, but were satisfied with £1 Is only. Consequently the hill for personal services—including £231 10s 9d for a secretary—reached only £856 5s 9d, The travelling expenses of the Civil Service Commission came to £ll9 6s ; personal expenses at hotels, £4 17s 6d ; hire of rooms for office, £26 17s 6d; reporting, together with travelling allowance to reporters, £677 13s 8d; and miscellaneous, £8 lls 2d. Finally the till of the Local Industries Commiash.. is found to total £B9B 13s Bd. Traveling expanses came to £149 16s 2d; personal expenses at hotels to £74 16s 6d; payment for personal expenses to £523 17s 6d; reporting to £49 19a; and other miscellaneous items to £IOO 4s 6d. Seeing that there were six gentlemen in this Commission, and that they collected a largo amount of information of the two islands, this bill for £B9B 13a 8d is cheap enough. The state of public feeling on the questions which were so carefully gone into and analysed by these Commissions before the said Commissions took up the matter will recur to the minds of our readers. The various Commissioners succeeded in laying succinct, interesting, and most useful reports before Parliament, and formed & basis on which much useful legislation and many happy regulations were planned. Consequently the matters in question have ceased for a time at least to agitata the public mind because the public feels that all that can be siaid of, or found out about the pro and cons of the affair has been arrived at. Al'. this has been done for the sum of £9117 Os lid. If oar lawyers could only bo induced to shape their bills on somewhat the same principles as the Commissioners have shaped theirs, what a happy country might this J New Zealand become ! I THE CHINESE. M Although New Z (aland is an out-of-the-way corner of the earth, yet she is touched strongly by movements in other B parts of the world, and large political jfl events should hive a serious interest for flj her residents. The Chinese question jflß with us has grown into considerable |EU magnitude, so wa cannot afford to JH| overlook a peculiar phase of national life which is taking place in China self. Wa allude to the evident desire

of the Chinese Government to divert a portion of the surplus population of the more crowded parts towards the Amoor, that is to say, towards the northernmost limits of her empire. Russia possesses the country on the other side of that river, and Russian politicians are turning their attention towards sending large numbers of families into the a Amoor District, as the sea coast ' there gives Russia a splendid outlet on the Pacific. With a heavy Russian population to the north of the Amoor, it is evident that, were the country to the south of it left as barren as it now is, there would be danger to a portion of the Chinese empire. Consequently the groat ones at Pekin are endeavoring to turn a stream of Chinese to cultivate those parts. The “ Auckland Herald ” contains some interesting statistics as to the fertility of the soil in the Amoor district and as to its general products, both of which appear to be favourable for extended settlement. Should the Chinese Government persevere in its efforts, it is manifest that outside countries will experience a wane in the outward stream of Chinese emigrants.