ROYAL COMMISSIONS.

Wairarapa Age, Volume XXXII, Issue 10678, 26 July 1912, Page 4

ROYAL COMMISSIONS.

The chairman of the New South ■Wales Totalisator Commission, which 'visited Xew Zealand some months ago in the ■■course of its search for infori limit ion, h.rs mine to the -ennclus.ion after thirty years of public life, thai members of Parliament should never «bo appointed Koyal Commiasio.u:-r*. 'l'clitici'iis cannot, in his> opinion, conduct a. judicial in query boeaut'o (tlieir judgment is .swayed by party or ■political motives. Mr Lcv-icn's views Mi this matter have, of course, been .strengthened by the Tcmarka.bl'e reversil of form ishown by some of the members i;f the Totalisator Connnw-s----,'ion. i'Voin .one or two of the mem-be-iy lie expected a vote against the totalisator, because they were opposed to the nniciii'.ne from the outset, •and Wieir opposition was not of a Ikiiul icapable of being removed by any evidence. B'ut what puzzled, and we imagine . rather annoyed Mr Levien, was tint the majority report, disapproving lei the totalisator, was signed. ii'U one caw, by a member who was lybscnt from every fitting of the Commission except the final one, and bytwo others who h.td publicly, by voice ■and pen, strongly advocated v]\e introduction of the ima'chine. The facts certainly .support the contention that a Royal Com mission is no place for a politician.