THE GLOBE. THURSDAY, SEPTEMBER 15, 1881. THE GOVERNOR.

Globe, Volume XXIII, Issue 2324, 15 September 1881, Page 2

THE GLOBE. THURSDAY, SEPTEMBER 15, 1881. THE GOVERNOR.

The conduct of the Governor in leaving for Fiji during the session of Parliament has met with a good deal of adverse criticism. Mr. Pyke has made it a peg on which to hang a motion, stating the desirahility of reducing all Governors* salaries for the future. Northern papers, which have been dreadfully ruffled over the Representation Bill, have sown broadcast statements that are totally without foundation as to Sir A. Gordon neglecting the business of the country for his work in the South Seas. In fact the operation of assailing the Governor has become both popular and easy. Now, we do not wish t« go to the length of asserting that his Excellency is the wisest of the representatives of her Majesty with whom we have been favored. His action in noticing certain newspaper criticisms in his communications with the Home Government, when he objected so strongly to the very same process being applied during the conference at Sydney, show that his views are not always unwarped; but it is but justice to call attention to the real facts of the present case, which those who are at present attacking him seem wilfully to ignore. It is evident that any official with such an extended jurisdiction as has the High Commissioner cannot set off on his travels at a moment's notice. In the present instance arrangements would have to be made not only with the officials of Fiji and elsewhere, but with the imperial officers in command of ships, seeing that the Imperial Government has thought fit not to curtail the powers of the High Commissionership. Sir A. Gordon, in placing the date of his departure for the middle of September, considered that by the time fixed Parliament would have risen, and he would be at comparative leisure. Circumstances, over which he has had no control, have lengthened the session, and seeing that his calculations have been out, he has offered to remain if the Ministry thought it necessary. But the Ministry have considered that he can be spared at the present juncture, as the session will so shortly be closed, and so he has departed to the South Seas. Those are the plain facts of the case, and it seems absurd to build on them a theory that the Governor is careless as regards his duties here, and that he gives undue prominence to his functions as High Commissioner. Certain points in the constitutional aspects of the case have been brought forward by Mr. Gisborne, but it has been proved that there is no reason to believe that the constitution has been in any way strained by Sir Arthur's departure.

The question as to -whether it is desirable that the duties of the High Cominissionership should be tacked on to those of the Governorship is a separate one, and should be treated without any reference to the individual actions of the present Governor. If it can be shown that the two sets of duties are too much for any one man to perform, then it is evident that they should nover be joined; or if, again, there is a danger of the two interests clashing, it is manifest that the deciding between the two should not be in one man's hands. But, supposing it to be shown that one man is able to do the whole work, and that there is no probability of clashing interests, then it is not apparent that any mischief is likely to be done by the tvro offices being united, for a time at all events, in the hand of one man. We might go further and say that, were the offices in the hands of a man willing to take a broad and, what we in New Zealand would call, a patriotic view of the situation, much good might result. A high official holding such views might give valuable assistance towards bringing into some practical form ideas which have for a length of time been entertained by many far-seeing politicians. The position of New Zealand on the map of the world points to it as a country which should play a most important part in the South Seas. Possessing a temperate climate, ample coal resources and other advantages, it should serve as the granary and work shop of the numberless islands of Polynesia. The advantages that would accrue to New Zealand were once the South Sea natives to realise the good to be derived from a more extended intercourse with this country would be very considerable. Sir Julius YogePs South Sea scheme was unpractical in its details, but it pointed in the right direction. It realised the fact that, besides the home market, with regard to which wo are geographically most unfavourably situated, there exists a large market for which our geographical situation is most advantageous. Now we say that if the High Commissioner in the execution of his duties were to bear ia view the fact that he is also Governor of New Zealand, he might well do tho State much service. There must naturally arise numerous opportunities which

might be turned to advantage to strengthen the position of New Zealand in the South Seas. We do not say that Sir Arthur Gordon is tho man to take this view of the case. Apparently his platform is tho protection of tho Native races, and he probably would ho unlikely to go beyond what we might almost call the articles of Lis commission. But we have thought it well to call attention to this view of the case, because, in the cry which has been raised against the present arrangement, ithas been, toallappearences entirely overlooked. There remains to be discussed the suggestion which ha 3 been started that the Governor is overpaid, and that his salary should be strictly regulated by the amount of work he gets through. Mr. Pyfce made himself very busy in the House on this subject. Why, he asked, should wo deduct 10 por cent, off every paltry salary, and leave tho Governor's nntouched ? At this point he was met by the reply that the Governor had offered to subject his salary to tho reduc•tion. But Mr. Pyke was further of opinion that, if tho Governor could do work beyond that connected with his office, his salary certainly ought to be curtailed. But surely it was never intended that the Governor should bo paid in geometricnl proportion to the amount of work he gets through. Our constitution provides that we shall have here a representative of her Majesty, and the arrangement has boen found to work well. He has various functions, but their value is not in any known ratio to the amount of ink he uses or the number of speeches he makes. We hs.ve our idea as to the scale on which such a representative should be paid, and it may re a right idea or it may be wrong one, but it should not be connected with the amount of physical and mental toil he undergoes. No doubt a man might be found to do the work for a couple of hundred a year, just as many ; individuals might be found to occupy the ! place of the Prince of "Wales on an exceedingly small salary. But that is • entirely beside the question. If the i Heir Apparent opens a few less bridges or town balls in one year than he does in another, his income does not suffer in j consequence. The Governor embodies an ) idea and we pay him well, because we ' have adopted that idea and expect that a ' capable man shall represent it, irrespective of the actual work he may have to perforin. i