BROKEN PROMISES.

Ashburton Guardian, Volume I, Issue 4, 4 October 1879, Page 3

BROKEN PROMISES.

When the Gr y Government acquired the reins of p. ■ jr, one of the most prominent features in their promises of economising was the reduction of expenses in the Government telegraphic despatches, and another the sale of one of the Government steamers. How these promises of reductions have been kept the following figures will show : —The Government telegrams for the year ending June 30th, 1878, were 194,843, costing £19,148; those for the year ending June 38, 1879, were 246,961, costing £26,949. This expense does not show the cost of electioneering telegrams, which must have been a good round sum ; but the increase shows in a most unmistakeablo manner the reckless extravagance in these matters as exercised by the Apostle of Econony (Sir George Grey). Another evidence of the Government’s extravagance is the fact that the Hinemoa Government steamer has been so seriously damaged that she is now unfit for work. When a seagoing steamer is kept running for six months on a stretch, without opportunity taken to remove the scales from her boilers, which invariably collect from the constant use and evaporation of salt water, those boilers must necessarily get burnt through in a very short time. It seems that this is what has taken place with the Hinemoa in her forced trips round the colony to convey Sir Geo. Grey on his great mission of alleviating the sufferings of humanity. The employment of special trains for Ministers, no matter whether on Sunday or week day, is another remarkable instance of the economy practised by the Government ; and if all the extra travelling expenses were totted up, we think the public would look aghast at the figures. Let us hope that the future Ministry, if not so openly and wordily patriotic, will give us the more solid and useful service of work in their various departments.