THE GLOBE. TUESDAY, FEBRUARY 7, 1882. SIR A. GORDON'S ISLANDS.

Globe, Volume XXIV, Issue 2446, 7 February 1882, Page 2

THE GLOBE. TUESDAY, FEBRUARY 7, 1882. SIR A. GORDON'S ISLANDS.

The rules that apply to ordinary mortals certainly do not apply to Sir Arthur Gordon, at least the Home Government are of opinion that they should net. When he was appointed as Governor of this colony, as if there were not enough for him to do here, he still retained a jurisdiction over a territory bounded only by the imagination. And now, apparently, another generally accepted rule has been waived in his favor, in that ho has received, as a token of the satisfactory manner in which he has performed his duties at Fiji, a grant of certain small islands of the group. The maxim which is supposed to obtain in Her Majesty's civil and diplomatic services is, that an officer, when he performs his duty to the best of his ability, has done his duty and no more, and that it is not advisable that he should receive presents of any sort from the people benefited. The case of the grant to Sir Charles Darling will present itself to the mind. The Victorian Parliament were anxious to present him with £20,000, but the Imperial Government objected, and the money was at last settled on his wife. The idea of all Governments is that there are no such things as works of enperogation in their services. Even down through the lower grades of service the same principle runs. If it is wished to give a favorite policeman a gift it will be found to be no easy matter to do so with the consent of the authorities. But with Sir Arthur Gordon the thing is different. The Governor of the Fijis, at the opening of the Vei Bose, an annual meeting of native chiefs, alluded to the desire of some of the chiefs that Sir A. Gordon's name should be associated with tho colony by the grant to him of one or more of tho small islands of the group, and stated that her Majesty was willing to accede to tho request, provided the Governor gave an assurance that the interests of the colonists would not be prejudicially affected by the grant. The islands are small and uninhabited, and it is little likely that Sir A. Gordon will make much out of them or think of ending his days there in an Alexander Selkirk-like seclusion. But their possession will entitle him to be enrolled among tho Taukeis of Fiji, and a Taukei is no doubt a great man in his own country. For a private individual to obtain possession of certain uninhabited islands, or to become a Taukei or any

other sort of barbaric magnate would net draw the slightest attention to the traneaotion. Bat why, we may ask, should a general rule be pat on one side for Sir H. Gordon's behoof. To become a Taukei is something, or it would not be offered along with the islands in the way of reward. Being so, we fail to see that the grant can be justified in connection with the principles that pervade the service. In point of fact the move is merely a bid for the Exeter Hall clique. It is supposed that it will please the Native chiefs, and that is sufficient. To do this an accepted principle is set on one sido, and the ridiculous sight is seen of a High Commissioner of the South Pacific being rewarded for his energy by being created a Taukei. Exeter Hall thus scores doubly. Sir Arthur Gordon becomes a nobleman in the Upper House of the South Pacific Seas, and the fall-flavoured aborigines of Eiji are patted on the back. the; water supply. We are glad to notice that at the meeting of the City Council last night the question of a proper water supply for Christchurek was again brought to the front. The late very destructive fire at Gisborne points a moral which it is hard to overlook. Councillor Hulbert wisely seized upon the occasion to bring again on the tapis a subject which mu3t deeply interest the ratepayers and residents. We certainly cannot agree with Councillor Hiorns, who seemed to think that because the promoters of tho water supply had at the last public meeting received something of a rebuff, that therefore the matter should be left untouched for some time longer. We are rather of opinion that the question should be brought up again while that rebuff is fresh in the minds of the ratepayers. If we mistake not, it would be found on another trial that the result of the last meeting was illusory, and that the vote crushing the scheme was the effect of a complete organization of a minority rather than of the outspoken will of a majority. At another meeting it is probable that the real wish of the ratepayers would be ascertained, for there were certainly many, who though apathetic when the question was last brought up, would now bestir themselves to record their opinions. There are whole classes of people who are delighted to see events turn out as they wish without any trouble on their part, but who, if the said event* take a contrary turn, bestir themselves to action. If the opinions of those who ordinarily never take the trouble of recording their opinions were collected, we imaging that a cheap and effective water supply for Christehurch would soon be an accomplished fact.