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Wairarapa Age, Volume XXX, Issue 8540, 21 September 1907, Page 5

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(From Our Own Correspondent.) WELLINGTON, Friday. Questions relating to travelling expenses have become almost an everyday occurrence in the Houss of Representatives since the discovery made by Mr Davey a few weeks ago that the Chief Customs expert had, for over nineteen years, been receiving 30s a day travelling expenses whether he travelled or not in addition to a salary of £BOO a year. The alleged cases of exploitation of the State in the matter of charges for travelling have been numerous within the past week or two, and the Premier was understood recently to inform the House that he would have the whole subject enquired into. It is, however, the easiest thing in the world to misunderstand the utterances and promises of a Minister of the Crown as the philosophical study of psychology has not yet reached the stage at which the general public are in a position to fathom the reason of a phenomenon which has become politically common. At any rate the Premier on Thursday afternoon last gave it to be distinctly understood that so far as independent investigation of the general charges of excessive travelling expenses on the part of officers is concerned he had been distinctly misunderstood. His latest utterance on the subject : s that it is not his intention to submit the question xo the consideration of a committee or any other outside body. He maintair.s that it is a matter for the Executive ti deal with. Up to a certain point he is doubtless right in his contention. It is the duty of the Administration to be cognisant with what is going on in the matter of legitimate or illegitimate expenditure in State Departments, but hthe trouble is that Ministers do not appear to have known as much as they should. They frankly admitted their ignorance in respect to the payment of travelling allowances to the Customs expert, and since then many other instances of excessive payments in this re.spcct have come to light. Many members of the House would be much more satisfied if, as-they were undoubtedly led to expect would be the case, the whole question of travelling allowances and expenses were submitted to an independent tribunlal. It is, however, intended to refer the case of the Customs expert to the Commerce Committee of the House, though why that case alone out of a number indicated should be made the subject of special investigation, has not been explained. Meanwhile the Minister of Customs has notified that he has taken,steps to cancel the appointment of the expert from the 30th June next.

LAND TAX BILL. On Wednesday, the Tariff Bill being then out of the way, members of the Opposition were surprised to find some half-dozen minor Bills topping the Land and Income Tax uill, and concluded, or professed to conj elude, that the Land Tax Bill would not come down during that sitting. It did come on nevertheless. The process of bringing it forward was simple, and the Opposition showed much ignorance in not being prepared for the adoption (f the process. The Premier merely hid to move for the j ostponement of the Bills in advance, and the Tax Bill lay bare for discussion. The Opposition growled at the adoption of what its Leader called unfair tactics; as if the members had never learned that in party politics, as in love and war, everything that gives one side i an advantage over the other is con- J sidered fair. Sir Julius Vogel and other Premiers commonly adopted similar tactics when they thought they could catch their opponents napping, and Sir Joseph Ward has ample precedent for his action. Moreover, he had the prime fact to go upon that he had previously declared that the Land Tax Bill would come on immediately after the Tariff Bill. The fixing of the Order Paper j on the occasion was probably a party "move," but it should not have deceived any old politician. The result was satisfactory to the Government, as the second reading debate, taken upon the motion for committal, was very considerably curtailed, and the Bill got into committee in a much shorter space of time than Ministers had reason to expect. When the Bill is again in committee. I.the chief fight will revolve around the £40,000 limit for the increased graduated land tax, and parties will be split on this question. The Opposition will support the Government's proposal because it suits the members of that party better than a lower figure; but several of the Liberal party will go for either £20,000 or £30,000 as the starting point of the increased tax, and it is pretty certain that, without the aid of the Opposition, the Government would suffer a defeat. Some members seem to think that even now the .Government proposal would be lost if a combined effort was made to get the middle sum inserted by way of a compromise, It may have been the belief in the possibility of such a contingency that led the Premier, early on Wednesday morning, to once more throw out a hint of a dissolution if he found his policy hampered by his own supporters.

"CHILD SLAVES." | During the discussion upon answers to questions, in the House, on j Wednesday, the question of child I slavery in connection with the dairying industry cropped up. "The poor little child" who had to rise with the dawn, milk cows, and then go to school to sleep over its lessons preparatory to milking more cows in the evening, touched the hearts of some of the city members, who descanted upon man's inhumanity to children where the -rush for dollars is concerned. The sin of enslaving children was chiefly laid at the door of the Taranaki dairy farmer, and the Taranaki members naturally whether truthfully or not—repudiated the charge. Mr Symes acopted the tu quoque retort that child slavery of a worse character existed in the Empire City. Such slavery as existed in Taranaki had evidently been beneficial, inasmuch as, according to Mr Symes' declaration, "the Taranaki children are the finest and healthiest in the colony—and probably in the world, notwithstanding they milk cows every morning and

cows to milk!" The aisCussionmSj no result beyond interesting thj galleries. „ S DECEASE OF A LEGISLATIVE The Hon. William Kelly, M.L.C., and formerly a member of the Lower House, has gone, to join the great majority. He was an unassuming, kindly-dispositioned and altogether loveable man, and when his death was announced in the Legislative Council, on Thursday afternoon, p two of the members were so overcome with grief that, as they successively rose to support a motion to enter upon the records of the Council the high esteem in which the deceased legislator was held by that body, their faces were streaming with tears, and their utterances choked with sobs. It is the first occasion on which I have witnessed tears in the Legislative over the death of a member. Happy must the man have been in his life who could bring forth such, public tokens of regret at his death.