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Oamaru Mail, Volume IV, Issue 1316, 25 June 1880, Page 2

THE.demard n ade in the House of Representatives on Wednesday for the production of the evidence upon wl.ich the CSvil Service Commissioners based their sensational report was a very reasonable one, and should have been met by the Ministry with a prompt reply that the evidence .would be. produced. The House, as a jury called upon to consider the i.-dictment preferred against certain high officials, have a right to; know by what amount of eyujepoe indictment supported." It cannot, in fact, arrive at a fair verdict unless it is in possession of. ;the .evidence, for testitnopy -upon- which ; the ■Commissioners, basijSv their' seripus charges, members ipust either accept: the as. the whole truth,' or they mpst the whole rejtort aside as utterly useless. Again, justice to the officers' arraigned that they should have an opportunity of knowing the ! nature of the evidence against ; th.enir 9* bringing rebutting . evidence,' if Under these circumstance it r is astonishing that "the Wfeyrtry did not at once pronpse to produce the. ey and, avoid the . lopg discussion that took place ppp n the matter before they were forced toconcede the demand. But the astonishment created by j the reiuctauce of .the Ministry to place the , evidence before the House will'be as nothing cofnpared with the astonishment that will follow tljc production of the sworn evidence. "VYe are "copfid.epj; that it will not be found to bear > out the ecaiwin.enta and diect charges against officials contained ill the report; for we know for a certainty that the greater portion of the so-called evidence upon which the Commissioners framed their report wqj no- evidence at all. We know for a 'certainty. pj?at jp many cases officers were permitted, to make not on oath, and not taken down on their depositions, and. we feel tolerably convinced that upon these privileged statements the Gonimissi.oijers depended very greatly for their alarming ijisgloauivs. The House is, therefore, likely to be sa.dly .disappointed when the evidence is producec}.. Of th.e mode adopted by the Commissioner for obtaining information-we need- say,.nothing. Every man guided .byprinciples, every lover of. fairplay, r and every/ape possessing-a spark, of m.-ulipess can form tfijs 'oipp estimate of-such despicable conduct. It is by such meaps as this that the high-minded, gentlemanly, and hpnofable C'pinpiissipners, whom the menib.ers of the Ministry hatfe Japded to the skies—have raised to .the dignity and purity pf angels, obtained their startling revelations. Jhe House has olitained the promise of the Ministry' that the "evidence shall be produced—and unless that promise is faithfully anjj wliolly fulfilled, Members should take ;the matter into their own hands, and refuse to vote the sum to pay the Commissioners for their very hoiiorsb}e services.