The Daily News FRIDAY, FEBRUARY 8th, 1907. THE TRAIL OF THE SERPENT.

Taranaki Daily News, Volume XLVIII, Issue 81918, 8 February 1907, Page 2

The Daily News FRIDAY, FEBRUARY Bth, 1907. THE TRAIL OF THE SERPENT.

That tile growth of that insidious and reprehensible) tiling described! liv (he Yankees us "graft' is getting a' fu„l- ] hold in this colony is patent from the presentment made by the Wellington Grand Jury on Hie 'matter tin- other day. and tiie subsequent slat.■menls thill have been made in connection with tl niter. In one ease brought lie fore the Grand Jury ii transpired leal a discount of 25 per cent was allowed on the private accounts of ollieci's of public bodies, a slate of tilings wh.eli th" jury lineijiiivucal.y condemned as in parJeular oilers incentives to obtain contract:, by method* witch cannot be regarded' us .-tiiol ly honest.' The Altornoy-Cencral is reported to have said that if on further enquiry fi:e presentment is instilled he sees no reason why the Engk-j] Prevention c f Corruption Act, or something on the lines of that measure, should not he pas-cd in New /.'aland. The English measure aims at just such oll'euccs as tin.' Wellington Grand Jury protested against. iesterday's telegrams say tliat the Wellington' Chamber of Coni merce is taking the mutter up, and intend seeing that the legislation neces sary to check it is passed. We hope they will be successful and that the Attorney-General will lose no time in inking up the matter, if he enquires, he will have no dillicu.ty in lindiii" juslilieation for the presentment made by th:- Grand Jury. lie will hud that (he "grafting" business has established itself pretty strongly in other parts ol the colony as well as in Wellington, lie wi.l lind that it exists even in Tilraiiiiki.

Jii Northern Taranaki "Kraft" lias been looked for and is looked for by more than one clerk of a local body. They have been used to {jetting their palms greased until now tivv regard it as a right that ihcy should receive a ten per cent commission for them selves upon 111011104 paid by tlieni 011 behalf of their boards—to newspaper owners, at any rate. Ilenu'inber, this commission does not appear on the accounts handed the boards. The board's accounts are receipted in full. This commission is their own perquisite, and lias nothing to do with local boil ic. Oh, dear no. It would not do for the boards to know about the discounts. The boards might clam them. And that would not suit their book. This haw been our experience in North, ern Taranaki. We make no bones about referring to this wretched prac tier, because our facts are right and can be substantiated. Of course we have some dillidence about culling attention to the matter, not out of consideration for the parties who claim the commission, whose names we would publish now were it not for -the unfair libel laws of this advanced couu try: but because the practice is one all'.cting us personally. As most people Avlio traverse Taranaki arc aware, this journal during the past year has made veiy greif headway Iwe hope we will be excused for mentioning Ihe fact here), anil in the northern portion of the province, at any rate, its claim for a share of the adveriisin" of the dill'erent. local bodies is as fair as it is deserving. lii manv eases---most eases, in fact—the fact'is recognised, we are glad to say, but in -others—■'gial'l.''

We steadfastly stand to (ho position tils't it is wrong and dishonest to give di-ounls (o clerks, that if there i:my (li, r »nur to g| V( . it shou dbe given direct 1 , the public le'dv and benelit the ratepayers- not the'elerks who are paid for tlieir sen ices. (it course It 1- easy to see how ,|„. maticr work- out. .\|„,.]i of the dete.it work is left l.y the boards Io tee clerk, wh. in most eases coustilt .heir „„„

wishes, and nun he tlieir pocket.-, a-, to where th-ir patronage shall be ex 'iiieri:- of things. And ihlsmusi always 111 the Wciingloll e.r>e. the" executhe oliieial of a public body placed all the business of .1. ■ board he could b, the hands of one parlicular linn, wh'cli duly hilled the |y for the cost of what was supplied, afterwards remitting a cheque, amounting to twciitv fivc per cent of the sum total, to the oliieial aforesaid! Tl Ilicial is now serving twelve months'hard, lie was .not indicted 011 this charge, but particulars regarding the practice came out during the hearing of the charge on which lie was indicted.

It would be wrong of us to infer in any way that ail clerks of North Taranaki local bodies look for "graft." It would be a libel on the fair'name of a body of men whose probity is beyond all question of doubt and who wou'al iscorn to countenance such a' low-down business. Those men we have a grea. respect, for, a- great allie contempt we have for the greedy, mercenary crew who prostitute mail, iiood and violate aU the canons of decency and moral rectitude in tlieir de sire to make a few shillings. It is this elas-, and particularly the palmgreaser.-, that, the Wellington (Hand Jury had in mind when they presented their reeo ndation Io t'hc Coveru nieul. a nil whom the Attorney (telieral has expressed a desire to see leveled ""' and ,a light (hat they cannot offend with impunity. We sine -rely lin-i the -ugge-tious and recommend aliens Hid materialise, all ,| t hat the trail of !,■«• venomous serpent will be obscured for all time.