The Globe. MONDAY, JUNE 10, 1878.

Globe, Volume IX, Issue 1348, 10 June 1878, Page 2

The Globe. MONDAY, JUNE 10, 1878.

The recent election of city auditors opens up a question of great importance to the public generally, and especially to the ratepayers of this city at the present moment. The legality of the election, being disputed, has no reference to the remarks we purpose making, as that will, we are informed, bo tested in the manner prescribed by law. About twelve months ago, when the celebrated action, Turner v Wilson, was before the Supreme Court, we took occasion to refer to the unsatisfactory state of the law with reference to accountants. The election of Mr Henderson to the position of a city auditor again brings the subject under our notice. Under the Bankruptcy Act, certain gentlemen are certified by the Judges as being competent accountants, and none other ! are capable of holding certain appointments under that Act. Why should so wise a provision not be extended to all public appointments wherein a thorough knowledge of accounts is indispensable ? But, strange to say, any person can offer himself and bo elected as a city auditor, who may know nothing whatever of the manipulation of figures, if by dint of energetic canvassing ho can persuade a sufficient number of persons to voto for him. Thls > wo contend, is radically wrong, and should be altered at the earliest possible moment. A man may bo a very estimable citizen, and consequently enjoy a large degree of popularity, but at the same time be totally unfit for the position of an auditor of public accounts. Supposing, for the sake of argument, that any Corporation should have a Town

Clerk who, although an excellent officer otherwiso, was not thoroughly versed in the law of debtor and creditor, and whose books consequently required extra strict supervision; and supposing the Corporation accounts to be audited by two gentlemen elected to perform that duty for no other reason than popularity, we imagine that result would in all probability be the reverse of satisfactory. And yet the case we have supposed is by no means a far-fetched one, but likely to occur at any time. The position of public auditors is of such groat responsibility and importance as to demand that none but thoroughly competent persons should be eligible for election, and in our opinion the Assembly should make provision in this direction. We do not assert for one instant that Mr. Henderson is not a properly qualified person to fill the post of city auditor, but we have no evidence to prove that he is so. That neither he nor any other persons should be elected to the post without the ratepayers having an official guarantee of competency is, we consider, a matter of the greatest importance to the public interests.

Some time back a member of the Lyttelton Harbor Board brought under the notice of that body the prevalence of Sunday work in connection with shipping in Lyttelton. On that occasion the Board passed a resolution that the Government be communicated with on the matter, deprecating the continuance of such a practice. An answer was received that the Government would in future endeavour so to arrange the movements of mail steamers as not to necessitate Sunday labor; and would also, except in cases of urgent necessity, decline to permit any other vessel to discharge or load on Sunday. For some time this promise has been adhered to, but on Sunday last it was disregarded, when with a little arrangement Sunday labor, which had to be done, might have been obviated. The Wakatipu brought on the San Francisco mails from Wellington, arriving in Lyttelton on Sunday morning. The Government, in order to induce the U.S.S. Co. to detain her in Wellington till the arrival of the Stella, promised that she should be allowed to discharge and load on Sunday, so as to enable her to leave for Port Chalmers, arriving there on this morning. The excuse for this was the necessity of delivering the mails of the Otago people at the earliest possible moment. As to the reasonableness of this, no one will venture to offer a contrary opinion. But the question comes was it necessary in order to deliver the Otago mails at the earliest possible moment— i.e„ this morning—that a large section of the residents of Lyttelton should be compelled to sacrifice the greater part of their one day of rest ? And to this we answer that it was not. It was known on Friday last that the Wakatipu would discharge and load at Lyttelton on Sunday, and the necessity for her so doing might easily have been prevented by the detention of the Taranaki for a few hours. That is, if instead of leaving at 7 p.m. on Saturday night she had sailed immediately after the arrival of the Wakatipu, transhipping the mails, not only would there have been no necessity for Sunday labor, but the Otago portion of the mails would have been delivered some hours sooner than by being taken by the Wakatipu. Thus it will be seen no real necessity existed for the work which was imposed on a number of persons. We do not propose to discuss the question from a religious point of view, but putting it on the ground of the curtailment of the one day's cessation from labour, the persons affected have a right to complain. From 9 a.m. till 3 p.m. a number of persons connected with the wharves, shipping, and railway departments had to work, thus breaking in upon their day of rest, and this, too, without any urgent necessity. If the arrangement we have referred to had been made, no delay would have been experienced by the U.S.S. Company, and the public service would have been as expeditiously carried out, and that, too, without entailing sacrifice and inconvenience to a large portion of the Lyttelton community. The Lyttelton Borough Council intend it is said, to represent the matter to the Government, so as to prevent a repetition in the future, and it is to be hoped their protest will be so worded as to show the Government that on this occasion no necessity existed. Of course, in connection with the postal service of the colony there will occasionally arise cases in which it is impossible to avoid Sunday work. In such cases though regretting the necessity, the convenience of the few must give way to that of the many. But it is quite another thing when no such necessity exists, or could easily be obviated. Then it becomes an injustice to that portion of the community who are suffers thereby. It is to be hoped that in future care will be taken not to grant permission for Sunday labour in connection with shipping, except in cases of urgent necessity.