THE SEED-BATKIN COMMISSION.

Manawatu Herald, Volume III, Issue 69, 29 April 1881, Page 2

THE SEED-BATKIN COMMISSION.

When Messrs Seed and Batkin were appointed Retrenchment Commissioners, we criticised adversely the action of the* • oovernmen.tr- and said if another Commission were appoiuted it would probahly report that during their absence from,, their respeptive duties the work of Messrs Seed and Batkin themselves had been satisfactorily performed, and that co ■i - sequently j/wy might with advantage be retrenched. The Evening Post, in reply to our remarks, said thai both the officials mentioued were required to make a tour of the colony ituunally aud that the Government h >d simply taken advantage ot their services when on this tour of inspection to report generally on the best

means of ainalg -mating offices. At the time several influential journals expressed opinions in accordance with those we had written, and now wi find that both Messrs Bunny and Omioud, MH,E.'s, have spoken out pretty strongly against the Seed-Bnt-kin . Commission. Addressing hib constituents at Garterton recently, Mr Bunny said — " Messrs Batkin and Seed have been travelling round the North Islsnd for the past six months, and are now gone South to see what further reductions can be made. I only hope that these gentlemen, in their report to the Government, will be patriotic enough to state what I know — via, that their own departments have been better conducted during their absence than they ev^r were before, and that their own servicea should be amongst those which should be dispensed with." Mr Ormoud, in his speech at Waipawa, expressed himself as follows: — "He believed it was possible to make still further reductions by combining offices in such town as Napier, .leaving the efficiency of the seivice unimpaired. The Government had recently sent down Messrs Seed and Batkin to report on this matter, but he did not expect much from two heads of departments, who were not the most likely men to recommeud sweeping reforms."