THE PICOT PURCHASE.

Hawke's Bay Herald-Tribune, Volume 81, Issue 53, 25 November 1937, Page 4

THE PICOT PURCHASE.

The Minister of Finance has only his own persisteht reticcnce to blame for the dust that has been stirred up in connection with the Government's purchase of the wholesale prodnce-distributing business of Messrs, Picot Bros., Ltd., at Wellington. Whether it is a constitntional defect with Mr. Nash or a policy tliat he has achdsetlly adopted, there is with him a lack of frankuess with regard to matters of pnblic finance . such as has marked no previous Minister holding his chief portfolio. Though dealing in a big way with moneys and credit that belong to the people, "he has showii himself as continuallly relnctant, even obstinate, about giving the people, through their representatives in Parliament, the definite inf ormation to whcih they are manifestly entitled. Even now in connection with the Picot .purchase, after promising to give full details of the transaetion and its surronndings, he does no more than refer questioning members to a patcli of bare figures that appeared in the general statement of Pnblic Accounts presented i n September. Mr. Nash is greatly mistaken if he thinks this will now satisfy either the members or their constituents. The impression created hy the disclosures forced from the Government in connection "with Oonimercial Broadcasting and Mr. Scrimgeour's appointment to its cbntrol has shaken confidence throughout the cotmtry. That confidence— to whatever extent it may have existed before— can he restored only by the Government, and particularly the Minister of Finance, adopting a much more candid attitude tuwards the puhlic. The Ministers, in their respective departments, have taken sucli autocratie powers to themselves that only by giving the public the fullest possible information as to what they are doing in them can avert suspicions that may or may not have good foundation. If these suspicions take an ugly tuni, then the Ministers have only theinselves to hlame.