WHY MR CLARKE OPPOSED THE GOVERNMENT.

Evening Star, Issue 3506, 19 May 1874, Page 3

WHY MR CLARKE OPPOSED THE GOVERNMENT.

To the Editor. Siß.—l must ask leave to contradict an assertion which appeared in your leading article yesterday, stating that I, with others, opposed the Reid cum Turnbull Government.* because Mr Reid “look in” Mr Turnbull and Dr Webster. What I object to in their composition is as follows : —I object to any one man being saddled, like a scape goat, with the whole business of the Province, even though he were intending to stay and look afier it; and I object to any person being placed in a position demanding him to perfoim the functions of the Provincial Council, so far as to appoint, without challenge, some one to take the responsibilities for one quarter of the annual term. The present head of the Executive is saddled with the offices of (1) Provincial Secretary. (2) Secretary for Lands, (3) Works, including Railways, (4) and Goldfields. It is evident that the person holding the office of Secretary for Works, arfd also of Secretary for Goldfields, should travel through the whole Province, so as to know what to recommend and what to oppose. And if this is necessary, how on earth can the Provincial .Secretary attend to his office, which ought at all times to be represented, seeing that he must leave for three months, not only the office, but the Province. I state emphatically that if the administration necessary to develop the resources of the interior of this Province is ever to be effected, the offices of the Provincial Executive must be differently distributed to what they are now. Thinking so, as I do, I have no choice but to oppose the present disposition of offices, even if I were satisfied with the personnnel of the Government. If my remarks made in Council had been reported, it would have rendered this explanation unnecessary.—l am, &c., Robert Clarke. Dunedin, May 19.