FRIDAY, NOVEMBER 15, 1867.

Dunstan Times, Issue 290, 15 November 1867, Page 2

FRIDAY, NOVEMBER 15, 1867.

The dismissal of Major Croker, "Warden of the Tuapeka goldfield seems to Lave produced an immense amount of excitement, and difference of opinion among the residents in that district. Public meetings have been held, and petitions fast and thick have been poured into the General Government urging them to reinstate the Warden in office ; while in other instances, we find sensibly written letters in the newspapers approving of Major Croker's removal from office. It has of late become quite an institution on the gold-fields for a demonstration to be got up whenever an officer is dismissed or removed, and a regular hubbub is kicked up by a select few, who taking pattern by tho " Tooley Street Tailors" assert themselves to be the people, and boldly ignore all opinions not their own. It appears to us, and we find a very pertinent letter on the subject in the " Daily Times " emanating from a miner, charging tho supporters of Major Croker with being none otkor than a clique of interested shopkeepers, and who really are not the parties most concerned in the mat* ter. The writer has doubtless hit the right nail on the head, and any expression of opinion, as to the removal of a goldfields' officer should, most assuredly come direct from the miners themselves, and not from a small section of the community, whose only love is " cupboard love" and whose

actions are probably guided by the probabilities of selling a few less "noblers" "yards of calico" or sundry pounds of "tea and sugar." What" would any of those gentlemen think 1 supposing they found it necessary to discharge one of their employees, and a small section of their customers should insist upon his being retained, notwithstanding it was found necessary to dispense with the employee's services, would notsuchaninterference be deemed unwarrantable 1 and an impudent intermeddling with the right of the head of an establishment to be master in his own house, Now we really must protest against such maudlin toadyism, for there can be but little doubt, that the Government have not removed Major Croker without good cause for so doing, or seeing that the interests of the public service would be benefitted by a change of Wardenship in the Tuapeka district. The General Government and Major Croker are two parties to a contract, the one to pay so much for services rendered, and the other to render such services as an equivalent, it mtist therefore be very clear that, whenever the bargain has become unprofitable to either party, in the absence of any special conditions to the contrary, it is competent lor the losing side tojrat an end to it, and the same course would be adopted in any mercantile establishment, and by the clamorous supporters of Major Croker. If the Major has been dismissed from mere capriciousness, or believes himself to have been unjustly dealt with, he may obtain redress by an appeal to the House of Representatives, and there are plenty of Members, who would take up his cause. It is true that he is an old servant of the Government, and has held his appointment over a long term of years, and grown grey in the service; but that is probably one of the causes of his being no longer required, and in all probability such is really the case, and we should imagine that the parties who are so anxious for the perpetuation of the Croaker dynasty at Tuapeka, could much better employ themselves in urging the General Government to pro vide the Major with some other appointment, more congenial to his adi vanced time of life, in this they would : doubtless be joined by all the miners, ; whem, we are sure have no personal I enmity to Major Croker.