The Evening Star. SATURDAY, APRIL 13 1872.

Evening Star, Issue 2855, 13 April 1872, Page 2

The Evening Star. SATURDAY, APRIL 13 1872.

To pull clown, not to build up, seems to be the life’s endeavour of some men and some journalists. We have too much of that in New Zealand; there is too much of that all over the world. It is not difficult to find a reason for it: it is very much easier to destroy than to create. Any child can pull a toy to pieces : any booby can pick a hole in a man’s coat. Men of genius, and men trained in art and science were cm ployed some hundred years in building die splendid minster at York that was destroyed by a fire kindled by the match of a crack-brained incendiary in a few hours. Or, to come nearer home, only let some curious observer examine the walls of some of our buildings, and be may see that the tiny hands of children can mar and deface in a few moments the most artistic efforts of our architects and mechanicians, Just in this style of gratuitous damage doing some of our journalists and colonists act. No sooner has a man of genius, in despite of difficulties, initiated a system that tends to benefit his race or country, than some of these literary larrikins set to to prevent its working. Nothing can be plainer to those who understand the subject than that the present Administration have hit on the best and cheapest mode of managing the Natives, In all probability mistakes Avill be made —it is impossible it should be otherwise. There lias never been an edifice built without a misfit somewhere. It is cpiite right for the man who discovers it to point it out, and say you have put in a rotten beam here or cut this too short, or made that too long. But that does not suit the larrikins. The misfit is magnified. Not only is the artizan who did Ids work badly condemned, but the architect who planned it. Just in the same way the San. Francisco Service comes under condemnation. It is a service of a year, begun under difficulties ; prosecuted under difficulties. Every one acquainted with the subject must have anticipated that hitches would occur. It is a new route, opens up new trade and new prospects. There must be time to get matters into working order. In all probability we do not even yet know all the possible hindrances to its ultimate success. But we feel it for the best interests of the Colony that it should be fostered and encouraged. That there lias been bungling in the transmission of the Nevada’s mails is plain enough. There is evidently a misunderstanding somewhere, It is fine fun for the literary “ larrikins.” Only give them the chance, and they would pull the whole fabric down at once. This bungling is bad—very bad : it requires strict investigation. It will not do for the public to be inconvenienced by red-

tapism —for we apprehend that must be at the bottom of the incomplete arrangements. Without definite information on the subject we can arrive ■ at no other conclusion than that there is divided authority somewhere; ami as this must interfere with the proper working of the postal machinery, it is necessary for the efficiency of the service that the cause should be investigated and a remedy applied. Neither is the excuse admissible that the Post Office authorities were called upon suddenly to devise means for transmitting the Nevada’s mails southwards. They could, at any rate, have avoided that apparent vacillation and clashing with other agencies, that have rendered it difficult for the public to know really when their letters might be expected. It is only when extra work is required that defects in machinery in every-day use are detected ; and it behoves the Government to look well into the Post Office Department in order that our postal arrangements may be made as perfect as possible. There is another point that should not be forgotten. Through accident to some of our coaling fleet, even had the Nevada come down to Port Chalmers, it would have been impossible to have supplied her with necessary coals. There is every reason to believe that we might render ourselves altogether independent of Newcastle for coal supply, if only there was a spark of enterprise amongst us. But we are content to know we have coal in Otago, without taking the trouble to ascertain its value, or how it is to be got. We learn that a company is formed in England to work the coal mines of Australia. Are we to allow them to go to New South Wales or Tasmania while we have coal in such abundance here 1 We cannot expect our Government to help us unless we help ourselves. Something should bo done to develop our resources in that direction for there is room for an enormous trade now that the Pacific is becoming opened up to mercantile enterprise.