The Globe. THURSDAY, MARCH 14, 1878.

Globe, Volume IX, Issue 1254, 14 March 1878, Page 2

The Globe. THURSDAY, MARCH 14, 1878.

In his speech in Dunedin on Friday night. Sir G. Grey entered at great length into a defence of his conduct in advising the Governor to veto the Land Bill, and tried to make it appear that in giving the advice which ho did, he was actuated with a pure desire to prevent a fraud upon the entire population of the colony. Whatever his motives may have been, the public will continue to believe that his conduct on that occasion was utterly unjustifiable. It was a deliberate attempt to obtain by fmd means what lie could not secure by fair. But we do not intend to again review the treacherous transaction, but to call attention to one point the Premier attempted to make much of in defence of his conduct. He maintains that the rental to bo given for the Canterbury runs is inadequate, and that the sum lost is an additional burden upon taxation. “For,” says he, “ every little child in New Zealand, in wanting a plum pudding, or in wanting shoes, or in wanting perhaps the doctor in times of illness, pays its contribution to go into the pockets of the wealthy men.” Now Sir George Grey is at liberty to hold that the proposed mode of assessing the nms will not produce so large a revenue as if they were put up to auction. But many others, quite as capable of forming an opinion as the Premier, think otherwise. At any rate the difference would be inappreciable, and would in no way affect the income of the working classes. The Premier, of course, talks most glibly of his efforts to secure plum-pudding and shoes and the doctor for the workingman’s child, but what does his Government do? It forces the whole railway staff to sign an agreement, under pain of dismissal, to work overtime on week days and Sundays without pay. So great was the injustice of the course felt to be that a large and influential public meeting, in the Oddfellows’ Hall, emphatically condemned the action of the Government. It must be remembered that working overtime without pay practically means a reduction of wages, and the example thus set by the largest employer of labor in the colony will be one for others to follow, For this state of things the railway employees are indebted to the Grey Government —the professed friends of the working classes. We ask why the money, which should supply children with plum pudding and shoes, and doctors, should go towards enabling the Go\ eminent to manage the railways at a small cost. We have not forgotten the promise made at Oamaru, when a member of the Ministry assured a deputation that he would undertake that the men should receive overtime, and that the matter might safely be left in the hands of the Government : hut as far as we can learn, there it A.t any rate no overtime has yet been paid to the general body of employees at Christchurch, and we suspect never will, unless fresh pressure is brought to bear. The present Ministry are always liberal in promises. But the period of fufilment has not yet anif/cd, In the ease under notice, it is conveniently postponed. In the meantime, many men on the railways are nominally receiving the nsn# of rages, but, owing to overtime, they are pra.ctac.ally working for seveupence o eightponce ,an hour. We therefore think that the working of Christchurch will listen with a gre&t .deni °f suspicion to the polished periods .of Premier when he tells them how much he them.

The subject of the division of the city into wards is now Vi'keiy to be brought to a practical issue. Formal uo.tke has been given by a member of the City Ctouaeil of his intention to bring it forward, and it will then be fully discussed. Of the advantages of such a system there can be little doubt. It affords each part of the city an opportunity, If the residents desire to avail thmnselyes .of lb to send a representative to look after thftijf interests in common with the city gene rally, Tt has long been the cry, of wlmt we may call the outside portions of the city, that the centre has engrossed too much of'the attention of the Council in the matter of works, Ac. This may or may not - have been so, but it must also bo remembered that the centre hap, fgj? many years, contributed the lion’s share of .the rates. Under the ward system, the expenditure of large sums of money in one portion of the city to the exclusion of others, will be obviated. Each ward will take care to be represented in the Council, and that .a fair and equitable share of the rates are .expended within its limits. The present proposition only goes the length of applying the ward system to elections. The further extension, so as to include a financial division, has been, for the present. left over. We confess we do not see any insuperable dillieulty to the carrying out of financial separation. The arrangement of the division of the city, so as to effect this, could be so done as to include in each of the divisions a portion of the large ratepayiug centre. This would prevent any feeling of dissatisfaction between the various wards, uud each would be sure that the rates raised by them would be expended for their benefit. Without going this far, we are inclined to think that the full value of the ward system will not be realised. Its application to the election of members is a step in the right directiou, and one of which wo heartily approve, but wo do uot think the Council eWd stop iw ty all caa?

them pass the present motion and give the system a trial in its modified form, so far as applicability to elections goes. If, after some experience of its working in this direction, it is found to bo desirable, then wo hope no time will bo lost in extending it so as to include financial division and the apportionment of the rates raised in the several wards to works within their limits.