The Feilding Star. SATURDAY, JULY 19, 1890. Retrenchment

Feilding Star, Volume XII, Issue 14, 19 July 1890, Page 2

The Feilding Star. SATURDAY, JULY 19, 1890. Retrenchment

Theme appears to be considerable alarm felt in certain circles iD Wellington that the £50,000 which the Government have been unwillingly forced to retrench, will come out of the pockets of the unhappy civil servants who — for their sins no doubt — have to serve this ungrateful country. These men have, with the view, no doubt to put them in " opposition," been warned " not to place too much reliance on the present Ministerial professions of tender regard for them" because " the House has placed in the hands of Ministers a potent instrument of intimidation over the electorates at the very moment when a general election is pending." We do uot think the members of the civil service in any of the other principal towns of the colony, are so numerous as to have the power to turn the scales duriug an election contest either one way or the other, but it would appear that in Wellington their vast number and great social inflnence, makes it absolutely necessary either to court or terrorise them, because their support or opposition to a candidate may cause his election or rejection. When it is considered that these men are practi cally electing their own masters, small blame can be attached to them for seeking to place in power persons who, if not for, will not be against them. We use this phrase advisedly because if it were known that a candidate was " standing in the interests " of the civil servants, his defeat would be inevitable because, although the Empire City ie largely benefited by the civil service expenditure, the individuals do net appear to be popular. The electors are beginning to know, too, what the civil servants have known for some years, that retrenchment by cutting down salaries is either a fraud or a revenge. Under existing circumstances then, we think it most likely that Ministers will endeavor to " stand well" by the civil servants seeing they are so numerous, and have by union — notably in the railway service — made themselves politically powerful, and risk nothing by retrenching in that direction.