The Daily News. MONDAY, JULY 6, I903. PARLIAMENTARY SECRETARIES.

Taranaki Daily News, Volume XXXXV, Issue 156, 6 July 1903, Page 2

The Daily News. MONDAY, JULY 6, 1903. PARLIAMENTARY SECRETARIES.

It ib pkaeicg to notice that th 9 feeling in favour of appointing Parliamentary Secretaries is growing, and people, both itside and outside the Home, are beginning to recognise the advantages which would arise from tha adoption of a system which obtains in the House of Commons. Such appointments would tend to keep the House better informed in connection with the workiDg of the great publ'c departments, give Ministers more time to a'tend to administration, and do away with a good deal of the unseemly bear baiting which now takes place, purely for party purposes, and w'uich often lowers the tone of the House and hinders public business. The Hon. W. 0. Carncross, writing in his p*p<r, makes out a strong case for the adoption of the system, and dealing with i*s advocacy by Mr Rutherford when moving the Address-in-Reply, 6»ys: " This proposal is by no means a new one. On the contrary, it has been mooted for several years pas*. The came of Sir George Grey was Intimately associated with the proposition, of which he was a keen advocate* At one tirno a group in the House endeavoured to form a combination with the object ef bringing about the appointment of undersecretaries, and it was thought at the time that the Government were r.ot adverse to the project. But no action was taken. Therearenotwantinnpeop'e who say that the realisation of the proposal was thwarted owing to impatient ambitions and fears of imperiling cbdnci's of direct Ministerial c nice on tht. part of certain members in the Parliamentary group already referred to, The necessity for Under-Secretaries is making itself felt, and soon they will be absolutely indispensible. The Ministry are understaffed for the work to be done. How can any man, even the Premier, carefully supervise several portfolios, when it is usually thought that to manage one properly requires a man of pre-eminent intellect working very hard ? As things are now, theie is great pressure on the time of Ministers, who, amongst others of their duties, are compelled to be incessantly rußhing all over the colony. Such pressure would be largely relieved there under secretaries. To continually travel to the four quarters of the land, and at the same time carefully work out the details of often complicated meaeuies, is not possible. As a consequence an immense amount of work is done in a hasty and slipshod manner, and, it is too often the case that legislation introduced by the Government, instead of bearing the imprint of mature deliberation and careful drafting, exhibits unmistakeable signs of superficiality and incompleteness which, in the kng run, must be inimical to the best interests of the country. The number of amending Acts on tbe Statute Book, which had been entirely unnecessary but for haste and carelessnejs, is surprising. But there is another and far more important reason for appointing undersecretaries. Under the system [which obtains at present, when a vacancy occurs in Ministerial ranks a raw Parliamentarian with no administrative experience has to be selected, and, without any preparation, a Represjntative suddenly finds himself one fine day at tbe head o! a

Government dopirim-Bt. Wero there a body of undtis! crotaries in the House who, as Ministerial und-;r studius, wera receiving a thorough training in the administration of a Government de-! partmont, when a portfolio beoimej vacmt there would bi a group of efficient and experieno d embryo Ministers from Emorigßt whom cho:ce might be mad". We nre strongly in favour of the appointment of undersecretaries, awl feel cot fi lent that bifore long the pioposal will take a practical form."