THE GLOBE. THURSDAY, FEBRUARY 19, 1880.

Globe, Volume XXII, Issue 1868, 19 February 1880, Page 2

THE GLOBE. THURSDAY, FEBRUARY 19, 1880.

It is we think greatly to be regretted that the discussion on the delay which has occurred regarding the City by-laws did not lead to some practical result at the last sitting of the City Council. For some months, on various subjects, the city has been practically without any provision whatever, and persons so desiring have been enabled to inflict considerable inconvenience and annoyance on their fellow citizens, without the latter being able to obtain any redress. In saying this, however, it must not be understood that we wish to cast any blame on the By-law Committee. On the contrary, these gentlemen have worked assiduously and zealously, and devoted a very large amount of time to the careful consideration of the subject before them. But the fact remains that what we may term the legislative functions of the City Council have been hung up for some months. We need only refer to the fish hawkers' nuisance as a case in point. A deputation of residents living near the Al Hotel waited on the Council a few days back to protest against the nuisance caused to their customers and themselves by the standing of fish barrows in that part of the city. But owing to there being no by-law the Council were unable to give the applicants any redress, and the nuisance—avowedly and admittedly a nuisance—still continues. Had the By-law Committee dealt with this by-law, the police could have taken action and the end would have been attained. On this point and others it is necessary that some immediate action should be taken. It is, therefore, to our minds, unfortunate that the suggestion of Cr. Cherrill at the last meeting of the Council was not acted upon. By adding members to the By-law Committee the work could be subdivided, each portion of the Committee dealing with a separate by-law. By this means the work would be wonderfully expedited, and the dead lock, which now exists in municipal legislation avoided. It is not too late now for some such plan to be adopted. If three members are appointed as a second By-law Committee they would be enabled to take up the most pressing of the by-laws which require attention, and deal with them, leaving the others to the main committee to be discussed at leisure. For some five or six months matters of great importance to the welfare and comfort of the citizens have had to remain in abeyance, and it is surely time that this was put an end to. There may be little difficulties of detail in connection with the plan proposed by Cr. Cherrill, but these would be easily got over. Having in view the benefit which would accrue to the citizens generally, we hope the Council will strain a point to put the by-laws into such a shape that they can be acted upon without further hindrance. They have yet to be submitted to the solicitor, and to go through certain forms under the Act, so that were the suggestion of a second committee acted upon it would still be some time before everything would he in full swing. To leave the by-laws in the hands of the committee as at present constituted will in all probability be to postpone the carrying into force of legislation on municipal matters for the best part of a year.

The results of the December examination for the Civil Service have just come to hand, and present the same curious results which have of late been apparent. The Civil Service is evidently not gaining in favor in the eyes of those who can afford to pick and choose in the matter. The recruits come from the parts of the colony where it is least possible to obtain other employment. In those districts where parent are more able to place their children with merchants and in other professions, the Civil Service appears to be very carefully avoided as being, what in reality it is under present regulations, no Service at all. The 61 candidates who have passed in the junior examination are distributed among the provinces as follows: Auckland, 22 ; Nelson, 14; Taranaki, 1; "Wellington, 7; Canterbury, 7; Otago, 10. The twentythree condidates who passed the nior examination are thus distributed—Auckland, 11; Nelson, 8; Wellington, 1; Otago, 3. Canterbury claims no successful candidate in the latter class. Of late Auckland and Nelson have almost enjoyed the monopoly of Civil Service appointments. The effect, as far as regards Nelson, is amusing. As each examination passes " Sleepy Hollow" is immensely rejoiced. It rouses itself from its usual lethargy, raises itself, as it were, on its elbow and crows at what it

considers a proof positive of tho intellectual superiority of its youth. It may be that the calm of the social and intellectual atmosphere Nelson is favorable to the early development of gigantic in-, tellects, but we are afraid that the real solution of the question must be looked for in the fact that appointments in our Civil Service are not desirable. The main desideratum of any service is wanting in ours—namely, that of stability. We observe that the appointment of * Royal Commission next session, on the organization of the Civil Service, is talked of. It is full time that something was done to remedy the present state of affairs.