The Feilding Star. THURSDAY, MAY 28, 1891. A Grave Indictment

Feilding Star, Volume XII, Issue 144, 28 May 1891, Page 2

The Feilding Star. THURSDAY, MAY 28, 1891. A Grave Indictment

-, • ♦ A speech made by Mr John Spence, a retired civil servant, at Invercargill, last' Thursday, has created quite a flutter in the dove-cot, uud the Honorable John McKenzie, the Minister for Lands/ has been ordered south to refute the charges 'therein made. > The Honoiable gentleman! will "sp'9ak.a piece '' at Palmerston South ou Mouday next Iv order that our may know what the nature of the charges was we will make a brief condensation of (hem from the speech as published in the Dunedin Star. . The occasion wo may say, was a banquet- given to Mr Speuce,' who had creditably filled tbe position of Commissioner for Crown Lands for many years, by the people of < Southland. . lv, his it'eply to v .' , i

farewuii adurebb presented to him, Mr S pence said he was glad to have an ' oppoituuity oi' expressing his mind on the recent changes in the Land - Department, aud on tbe system of ad ministration He consiilereil ie was a. (Ititv iid owed to tlie Civil Service and the colony to speak out plainly in regard to the existing system ot tbiugs. His remarks were not intended to be political in auy way, - aud • would : simply- - apply to' (he Minister of Lands' who, Mr 'Spence had good reason to believe, was doing things which the .rest of the "Cabinet did not approve of. The Civil Service of the colony was now uuder a Reign of Terror. Officers are discharged and kicked about from post to pillar, and the whole process is so idiotic that oue begins to wonder whether our rulers have recently made their escape from a lunatic i asylum. The Government's chief adviser at present is tittle-tattle, and at her advice the lives of Civil Servants are made miserable ; their homes spoiled, and rendered desolate. The blind goddess of- Justice, with her scales iv hand, seems to have left the colony, never to return ; and claunishrfess, ignorance, and despotism have set up their triple "throne iustead. He then went on to deal wiih the local changes in the Land Department. For Borne years as an Opposition member, -Mr Mcßlenzie had' been firing away at the Government of the , day in reference to the "maladministration " of the forests of Southland. As Mr McKenzie did notrepresent a Southland constituency, aud seldom honored the -south with his presence, his knowledge must either have been got by intuition, or " a dear friend " must often have reminded him that so long as the " dear friend " was ' outside the pale of the Government service, so long, and ho longer, would " maladministration " continue. It was, therefore, to be expected that on Mr McKenzie' s advent to power, his " dear friend" being still _" out in the cold," that the " maladministration " would suddenly rise tp a climax, and necessitate Mr MeKenzie's presence in Southland. He accordingly went down, but, Mr Spence noticed with > regret "that, even iv official visits, to the "Land Department, " the dear friend" was always with ;hini, and that bis friends influence over him was evidently supreme. Matters, "which had been the subject of complaint, were discussed aud Mr McKenzie seemed satisfied' with Mr Spence's explanations, but throughout the conversation Mr McKenzie was always bringing in the-'ciaiins of "his dear friend. " He was evidently desirous of having him appointed iv Southland aud of sending the present officer further north, his excuse being that " the present officer had no family, " - but' as the present officer has a .family of at least five it looked as if " the dear friend " had unwittingly ' misinformed the .Minister. As it was undesirable iv the interests of the public service that " the dear friend " should ' be appointed to Southland, Mr Spence recommended — seeing ihe man was certain to get a billet — that he be appointed elsewhere, .otherwise the appointment • would create remark. The Minister took the suggestion iv good part, and he parted with Mr Speuce on good terms. Judge his surprise when, after the return of Mr McKenzie to Wellington, a : mandate came down from Wellington ordering Mr Spence to remove, to Westland, and the present ranger must remove I to Canterbury, two officers were disI charged, and a third was ordered to [ prepare to move. This was tho bane, | but behold the all powerful antidote ; " the dear friend " must be appointed ranger at a high salary •as the only i means of saving the forests and averting the destruction of the country. Mr Speuce. said it was -his solemn conviction that the Commissioner and the ranger were removed to make way for one whom Mr McKenzie evidently regarded as the one only man fit for a place' iv the Civil Service. Mr' McKenzie was never in the Land Office in his life, admittedly he knows nothing of the work, yet he claims the priviloges cf a heaven-born administrator. Mr Spence - asked : How, then, does it come that this man wbo should; be driving his sheep ' on the hills, has been raised to the' position of a dictator of the colony, | and has the fate of men' infinitely i superior to himself, in his- hands ? Let there bo an examination in any , department of study, in literature, history, > scieifce, or even in political economy or practical administration, and this modern Oincinuatus would make but a poor show with the nieu over whom he is exercising his brief despotic authority by displacing. " How the Hon. Mr McKenzie will meet the grave charges made by Mr Spence remains to-be seen.