The Government's Search for a Policy.

The Bill for the Land Commission.

The estimate by the Leader of the Opposition, based on the Premier's admission that the members of the Land Commission received about "three guineas a day," and one guinea a day for travelling allowance, is that this Seddonian farce cost the Colony about £100 a day, made up as follows:—ten members at three guineas a day and one guinea each travelling allowance, forty guineas; £15 a day for advertising; ten guineas a day for three secretaries and travelling allowances; fifteen guineas a day for a number of shorthand writers and typists and their travelling allowances; and the balance for incidental expenses and the printing of a large number of huge volumes of 1,609 pages of evidence.

As the Commission was appointed on the 27th January, and finished its remarkable labours on the 10th July, this means that the total expense was about £15,000; and a great deal, if not all of the information, could have been obtained from the Departmental Officials for nothing, with the exception of the one thing the Premier wanted to know—what effect the land question was going to have on the voting at the forthcoming election, and he does not know that yet.