WELLINGTON NOTES.

Waikato Argus, Volume IV, Issue 288, 14 May 1898, Page 4

WELLINGTON NOTES.

[took oxtb own cobbespondbst]. Wmjjxgton, May 6. MINISTERIAL DEFINITIONS. The meanings of many words have changed in New Zealand by reason of our extraordinary progressivenesa. The terms, Miniiitry of the day and the Cabinet, naed to aignfy all who held portfolios. Now, only two men have any control over the departments of StateMessrs Scddon and McKenzie. Even Mr Cadtnan, who is the figure head of the Mines, has his responsibilities shouldered by the Premier, who recently gave personal instructions to take cancellation proceedings against a mining company in his own district—at Ross, en passant. I may remark that having recently visited that district, I was told that this action would make it somewhat difficult for him to find a seat in Parliament again at a general election. Then as to the misuse of other words : We used to hear of the deserving working man, then the deserving farmer had a turn, and we all know that " deserving " is only applied to Seddonites. " Liberal " is a term at a discount now, and a man who dubs himself a Liberal democrat wants a lot of watching. Shopkeepers shun him, while butchers and bakers rudely ask for cash before parting with their steaks and loaves. Mr John McKenzie in his orations is very fond of using the word " corruption." He does not know what it means, but there are many other things he is also ignorant of. In a recent speech at Invercargill, he treated his audience to the following balderdash. 41 The Opposition had every opportunity of proving their statements and showing where the corruption existed, but they utterly failed to prove one instance of corruption against the Government during the last session of Parliament.' Now, there are many thincs which come under the head of corruption in politics, Nepotism is one of them. The flooding of Government departments with relatives and political followers is corruption. Jobbery comes under the same category. The purchase of Pomahaka, Bushy Park and Otahu were jobs. Bribery is another form, and the purchase of votes of members of the House is not only corruption but a violation of the principles of the constitution. On this point there are numerous instances of rccentyears of thercpresentativesof the people being appointed to Royal Commissions and other profitable jobs for which they were totally unfitted, and solely because they were Ministerial supporters, who might have rebelled had they not received something substantial over and above the £240 a year, which was supposed to be sufficient to keep members above suspicion when Parliament increased the honorarium, and the selection of Major Steward and Mr George Fisher on the Private Benefit Societies Commission was a striking ins'.ance of this sort of corruption. A more recent scandal is the selection of three Government followers to the council of the Victoria College. Prima facie it must be conceded that the governing body of a seat of learning ought to be composed of men who have been to college themselves. But the two dominant Ministers have frequently expressed their scorn of university men. Mr McKenzie, indeed, has said he worked alongside on?, and considered himself a much better man. This was probably at whistling sheep dogs to " come in ahint," as he now does the dumb dogs of Parliament in a division. But as the Government following is not possessed of men with either learning or intellect to speak of, the three members who are understood to be on the wobble have been selected — Messrs Graham, Hogg and O'Regan. The first two have long felt that they have been overlooked in the disposition of portfolios. The O'Regan has a firm belief that the Premiership would fit him. Indeed, during the 36 hours' stonewall on the vote for medals for the police he jumped the Premier's seat, and kept it for a couple of hours with a selfsatisfied smirk, as if he felt lie was leading the House. Some seven years ago when earning an honest crust by cultivating potatoes on tlu family estate of 50 acres", he borrowed a copy of Henry George's book " Progress and Poverty." He learned it by heart, but has not yet realised the true meaning of it. But the mere language of it was assimilated into his tystem, and still remains there. He has learned nothing since, and he has forgotten nothing. For the past two years or so he has been a member of the Westport Harbour Board. He is not a Westport resident, he is not a harbour expert, nor does he know one side of a balance-sfceet from another, but being a Liberal ho has to be fed, and so, under the guise of travelling expenses, he draws £6 10s per month during the recess, and £ls per sitting during the session. The Westport Harbour Act provides that members may be paid travelling expenses " out of pocket." The return fare is about 30s from Reefton to Westport, and £1 would certainly defray all the other expense! of the frugal O'Regan. A retarn ticket from Wellington to Westport is £3, and he and Messrs R. H. Reeves and R. McKenzie draw £ls every time they leave their Parliamentary duties to attend Westport. Now, there is not only corruption in appointing representatives to places of profit, but there is a direct violation of the law in paying them in excess of " out of pocket " expenses. This matter will be brought up in the coming session, and it is more than likely a surcharging order will be made and the Liberal cormorants will have to disgorge. Then, another example of corruption is the refusal to give information ordered by Parliament. Last session the House ordered that a return should be furnished of Ministers' expenses and allowances. That return is not yet furnished. It would, as the amiable Minister of Lands asserts, supply the Opposition and the Tory Press with ammunition with which his excellent colleague and himself might be attacked and discredited, as if the refusal to make public the sums these Liberals have helped themselves to is not even more discreditable than the mere grabbing of a few extra hundreds or thousands a year itself is. Another return, and a very interesting one it will be when it comes, is that showing how the advertising and printing vote of last year was expended. Parliament ordered it to be laid before the House, but Ministers consider themselves above any order of the House. In democracies, and in limited momarchies, the will of Parliament is paramount. In New Zealand Mr Seddon's fear or dislike to having his bribery of the Press exposed places his feur of exposure above the order of the House.and he then rushes from one part of the colony to the other begging of the people to support his Government because he calls it a Liberal one. It is well-known everywhere how liberally the few papers which have adhered to the Party have been treated, not only with respect to advertising, but also in respect to the printing of rolls without calling for tenders. These are all acta of corruption, and yet Ministers reiterate that tho Opposition utterly failed to prove anything against them. THE CASTOUT BRICKLAYERS. Between 30 and 40 bricklayers are now out of work in Wellington. Half of them were brought here by the Public Works Department to act as co-operative contractors on the Parliamentary buildings, the other half being local men who were staunch Seddonites a few months ago, but who now devote their idle time to formulating disloyal threats against the working man's Government they have kept in power so long. About 15 bricklayers are engaged on the expensive comedy in bricks, and as the walls of the first story are not up yet it is understood that a temporary roof will be put over that while Parliament is in session. Ihe boom in building in the city is over, and what work is being done is barely

sufficient to employ tho regular local hands. Aa each bricklayer has at least one labourer, the dislocation of trade is causing a good deal of inconvenience and distress. However, as our Premier said there is plenty of money for ornamental buildings in Wellington while layiug the foundation atone, and then told the Masterton people this week when they asked for a much-needed Post Office that he thought money was better spent on roads and bridges than on ornamental buildings, it will be realised by people at a distance that he will have quite a variety of excuses for his violation of the law in respect of the extravagance now rampant at the seat of Government. It docs not matter to him that his excuses will be inconsistent and contrary to both fact and common sense. The dumb dogs will accept them except a few, and that few hold the balance of power. Among the disaffected may be expected the Maori votes, judging from the speeches of Parata and others at Major Kemp's funeral, whose death they allege was accelerated by the persecution of Ministers. The end of Seddonism is at haud and a very humiliating end it will be.