THE Wairarapa Age MORNING DAILY. FRIDAY, MARCH 30, 1908. EXTENSION OF MINISTERIAL PATRONAGE.

Wairarapa Age, Volume XXXI, Issue 9044, 20 March 1908, Page 4

THE Wairarapa Age MORNING DAILY. FRIDAY, MARCH 30, 1908. EXTENSION OF MINISTERIAL PATRONAGE.

It is little wonder that Mr W. C. Buchanan, when discussing the Hospitals and Charitable Aid Bill in Wellington, on Wednesday, should raise his voice in objection to the autocratic powers given to "the Govern-or-in-Council." There is an evergrowing tendency on the part of Ministers of the Crown to place power and patronage in their own hands in connection with Acts of Parliament under the cover of'the Governor-in-Council,"or simply "the Governor"; but the Hospitals Bill out-Herods Herod in this respect. It may be pointed out that the term "Governor-in-Council" means simply the Government or the Minister of the department affected by the measure. The phrase has an innocent appearance, but is by no means as innocent as it looks. In the bill under notice Mr Buchanan protested that " 'the Governor' appeared in clause after clause of the bill, even more frequently than had been used in recent legislation." And that is so. As a matter of fact every jot of power is vested in "the Governor," which is the Minister in disguise, or in "the Minister" straight out. His Excellency is specially empowered to do something in sixteen sections of the bill, and "the Minister" is allotted ten important sections. Between them th°y absorb 3 one-fourth of the bill. Thus we find that the Governor shall appoint districts in county or borough; he shall divide districts into sub-districts; may alter the boundaries of sub-districts; shall determine the number of members of the Board for each sub-district; shall

appoint members of committees in sub-districts where there is no local authority; if there are more such authorities than one in a sub-district he shall appoint one "to do all such things as are prescribed by regulation" made by himself; he shall fix the time and place of the first meeting of a committee; if the committee fails to appoint a chairman, the Governor shall appoint one; he is to incorporate institutions; he is to fix time and place of first meetings of contributors; he may appoint an In-spector-General of Hospitals, one or more assistant Inspectors-General, and such other persons as he thinks fit to be inspectors under the Act; and finally he is empowered to frame regulations for the inspection and sanitary condition of institutions in receipt of Government subsidy, and generally for such purposes as he thinks necessary. So much for the Minister's power under the guise of "the Governor.'-' Now for the direct power of the Miniater. He may approve or disapprove of the establishment by the Board of new hospitals or branch hospitals, or other institutions; before an institution is erected, added to or altered, the Minister must be apprised of the fact by notice in writing accompanied by plans and description, and then he may say aye or nay to any building proposal. Without his approval a Board may not close any institution that it may think inexpedient to maintain any longer; he has the right to approve or disapprove of the appointment by a Board of any medical officer or matron; he may recommend the Colonial Treasurer to withhold the whole or any part of the subsidy payable to a Board for neglect of any of its duties. In the event of a complaint from a contributing local body as to the unjustness of a Board's demands, the Minister is to direct an inquiry to be made "by some fit person to be appointed for the purpose by the Minister"; he may prescribe the functions of a committee, either generally or in any particular case; he may order inquiries as to the organisation or working of any institution to he made whenever he thinks fit "by some person appointed by him for the purpose," and upon receipt of the report of the "person" he "may give such directions to the Board or Trustees of the institution as he thinks, fit. Audi such directions shall be complied with," He may, in the event of non-compli-ance with any such direction, direct the Colonial Treasurer to withhold the subsidy or any part thereof. Finally, if the Board or the-Trustees, desire to change an unsuitable for a suitable site for an institution,, the sanction o". the Minister has to be first obtained. Such, then, are the powers of the Minister through thn Governor.or the Minister acting withjout the fictitious shield. A. few of them are doubtless legitimate I enough, but most of them throw an undesirable amount of authority and patronage into the hands<of the Minister administering the Act. We have put together all these points, scattered throughout the Bill, so that members of boards and trustees, of institutions and the public generally may better understand the trend of this niece of proposed legislation. The Bill might appropriately be designaled "A bill to further extend the power and patronage of Ministers of the Crown."