THE COST OF A BROOM.

Dunstan Times, Issue 971, 26 November 1880, Page 3

THE COST OF A BROOM.

The following illustration and coumomts on the prac ical Working of the Govcrnnieot rnd-tap-ism are (nun tire Wairarap i ■Sranda d :—Our readers are pr baldy aivare that in the lovely vallu ■ of Oo iko, where the Maori Klin.-a is local,til, th -re hj is noeii eree'e 1 a native school, whei-tiii 'ha children of our duskv brethren au-1 fe low ciliz-ns mav receive the h-rieti'. of instruction in the three It’s. It. aj rears that in this scholastic institute tint burn hie domestic iustnime it ca le I a 100 m was found to bo essential to duo cloudiness an I order. Tire m istur iu charge accordingly indited a “ requisition ’’for the article in questi in, and duly forwarded the same to Wellington The letter containing the n-q risitim was opened by some Deputy Assist .nt Under-•Secre-nrv, and by him tranamirte 1 to a clerk to be “ roc mled.” Th -■ Ifiter in qu stiou p.'ocee le I to in ike a pre.c a of its contents, to number and enter it in a ponderous toine, an-I in di x it in another. This process having In-eft gone through, the letter would li id its way to tbe table of the rnal Un ler S -c----retary, who u-oul-l ino-nntly refer to the Tape and Seding Wax L) ipartmont, to ascertain the proper course to be a looted according to precedent. After eonsi Ici-able rambling and many rests by the wav up m , tables groaning with the wight of pa ers “ mi ter ac ion,” the document would li nally reach the august pivsoncc of the Minister. - That lion, gentleman, mindful of his promises of r-trenchmeut made during the session, would promptly de mm 1 documentary evidence that, the article was a nec-ssity, and that its predecessors had been returned to heal qu irt-jrs in a sufficiently dilapidated con 'llion ti warrant the expenditure of public money in tbe pit-chase ot a new one. Being satisfied ''p.n the-'e heads, he would affix the magic w rd *■' afiprn- e 1" to the d-u-um -nt, -in I by van ms grad a ious't w ml 1 eventm’lv reaoh>the hau.is of some oiSc.r whose out/

it wouM Soto procure the required desid- I eriuum. The hrooin having been procured, 1 the question of transport to its destination j next arose. And here let us at once con trndict what we must characterise us a calumny against the Governme.it. We are not ardent Ministerialists, hut we like fair play. It is not trim that the Hmeuioa was at once ordered to get up steam to convey the broom to A karea. On the contrary, the Native Minister, with a z;al for retrenchment which does him infinite credit, specially detains I the article until he hid a cargo of To Whiti’s feucers ready, and only then firwirded it by the Government steamer to Lyttelton. Arrive 1 at Lyttelton, it was carefully tiansferre I to th) U. S.B Co., a small sh-af of papers bavi ig to be signed by the agent of th: Company to relieve Gafitain Fairchild of his responsi hility. 1 1 due course the broom came on to A ta'oa by the s.s. Tariroa, and now awaits further orders. Wa believe soon corresoon lence is going on as to the advisableness of eh irteriug the ste i n launch to convey it to its destitution, but at p esent the point is not settled. We may )e ive it here to repose in peace, hoping that when I it does commence its active c treat' it will B'ie-p rom ukably clean. Kven thee, however, officialdom will not Ip vo done with the hrootn It bears a label inti natiug that item-aiiat-id from the “ Govcruin nt Stationery Office,” an I is therefore privileged to be carried free.” Hut in spite of this intim .trm we beiieve the U.S.S 0 ). will hell vr l hj Mi'te l enough to charge freight, .an I this will have to lie procured in the n.sn il style of the Circumlocution Otii ; a vou.-h wi 1 be prepare 1 This will have to lie “ certified,” “refer red,” “ authorised,” “ ex inline 1,” &e, and finally pii I, all the pin lerous mi.-hi nery of the Treasury and Audit Depir . moots being set in tuition to s icnre ch : s object. Let us see if ate can p >ssioly to-m somees imite as to th: cost of the olHr.i hroum before us ueing brought into use, £. s. n Clerk’s time perusing, retarding, in taxing, etc., letter—siy 19 C L a lei- .Secretary ‘ referring,” “ recoil nen ling,” etc. 15 0 Messengers trotting mini I -say five hj nii-s 5 0 Minister—consuls dig an I ap- _ proving (die ip at the price) 110 Kxpress lure 1 (| Wiiarfagi-s (5) C Freight per flinemu (charge! to Te Wiiiti) 0 0 0 Freight, p-r Taioroa o G I Station try postage, sun Lies, say n r I BAUD M 1C Total £3 2 6 This broom would have cost on : an I nine pence on the spit, so th it it is evident that pursuing the n.nal red tarn: course, the c .untry is s ive I threap} io i. 0 coiuse li ne are the orher little ex muses, Imt, then, they are not worth consi I era ti ni, l.ccans-. they help to keep em dove 1 th it ar ny pf "Hicials in tlie Weilingt m bcobive, win might otherw-.se ti ..1 tine hang he ivy on t!i ir hj nils, in I vve k io V on th : authority nf Dr Watts the ioiimte connection ihat exis s between i tleness an I in si-liii-t. So let us be tllink'ul that we have a (Giver on ,*nt i i p uvjr whose mn to is “ II ■trennliiiieut,” aid if any cavillers i should evei v-ise, wind) not appreciate | their hj r.do tff ns in that direction, ictus poi-P wii hj a glow of o-i le to the cise of the j Akaroa Native 5,.-h i -1 Now Bo > n.