The Globe. FRIDAY, OCTOBER 13, 1876.

Globe, Volume VII, Issue 723, 13 October 1876, Page 2

The Globe. FRIDAY, OCTOBER 13, 1876.

Me. Burns's motion to telegraph to England to stop the appointment of a prison inspector, was only lost by one vote, and that too only by accident, for had several of the Opposition been attending to their parliamentary duties instead of devoting themselves to lawn-tennis, the House would have again stultified itself in the eyes of the country. Our readers will remember, how paltry and contemptable were the motives which influenced the majority at the beginning of the session, in putting a stop to the erection of a central penal establishment. Bather than see a few thousand pounds of colonial funds spent at Taranaki, a majority of our patriotic representatives preferred to allow our prison system to remain a disgrace to the colony. One would have thought that having been guilty of this contemptable act of meanness, remorse for the consequences, would have caused these members to aid in any remedial measures which might be proposed by the Government in the meantime. The appointment of a prison inspector thoroughly acquainted with the latest methods of classification of prisoners, is surely one of these. If we are not a central prison at present, this is surely all the more reason why the most should be made of those we have. It is a well known fact that of late years prison management has undergone great changes in England. Mr. Bowen pointed out in the course of the debate, that there was no one in New Zealand in control of our prisons, thoroughly acquainted with those improvements. He then went on to complain that for two years pressure had been put upon him in regard to this matter in favor'of a particular officer in Dunedin; the gentleman referred to being Mr. Caldwell. Now we agree with those who hold that it is only just and right that the highest prizes in the civil service should, as a rule, be given to officers who have worked their way gradually up, and qualified themselves for such posts. The pay of our civil servants is not such as to induce good men to devote their entire energies to the good of the country, unless a prospect is held out of obtaining a few such prizes. Unfortunately, it has been almost the invariable rule to give such offices, not as the result of long years of work as public servants, but as the reward of political sycophancy; or more probably of determined and uncompromising opposition. Scarcely a year passes without witnessing one or more such appointments. The very last number of the New Zealand Gazette recorded one such. But the office at present under discussion could not well be so treated. No one without a special knowledge, could venture to accept the post of inspector of prisons, so our representatives are extremely virtuous in the matter, and wax eloquent on the necessity of such appointments being made from those already in the service of the colony. As we have already stated, we admit that this should be made the general rule, but the present case belongs to the class of exceptions. It is admitted on all hands that our prison system is a disgrace to New Zealand; that even our best regulated gaols stand in urgent need of numerous reforms. This, of itself, is proof that we want some one from Home to put us right on those points. Were Mr Caldwell appointed, it is not to be expected that he could greatly improve upon our present system, unless by a visit to the old country at the expense of the colony. In urging his appointment, therefore, the Auckland and Otago members have shown one more instance of their resolve to take every opportunity of embarrassing the Government, be the consequences to the colony what they may.