THE Grey River Argus. PUBLISHED DAILY WEDNESDAY, SEPTEMBER 30, 1874

Grey River Argus, Volume XV, Issue 1919, 30 September 1874, Page 2

THE Grey River Argus. PUBLISHED DAILY WEDNESDAY, SEPTEMBER 30, 1874

The offices of Warden and Resident Magistrate for the Grey Valley are virtually abolished by the retirement of Mr Whitefoord, who ceases to act in either th e above capacities to-day. Retirement is scarcely the word to use aa far as Mr Whitefoord is concerned, when considering the circumstances of his deprivation of office, foe diaaiiasal is the term "best fitted to describe the unwarrantable and disgraceful manner in which this gentleman has been treated by the Nelson Government. A glance at the history of the means by which this event has been brought about, reveals such a picture of inherent baseness, political and otherwise, and absence of manly personal principle, or principle of any sort, except that which springs from the vileness of a spiteful nature, that it is no wonder the name of the present Nelson Executive has become a bye-word in the Colony. Here is the spectacle of an able public servant, who has performed the duties of the various responsible offices he has so creditably held for a number of years, with singular Efficiency, who has succeeded in gaining the respect and confidence of those with whom he has been associated, as well as of those over whom he was placed in authority, whose official reputation as to fitness and capability is de•servedly well established after years of ; trial in active service, and whose personal • character is beyond reproach, hounded idown, and it may be ruined in his future |prospect 3, by the machinations of an in- ; dividual whom fortuitous circumstances, ; and the accidents of ' popular representation, have placed in a position where he lean gratify the feelings of bitter hostility 'he is known to cherish against any one iwhp has ever had the misfortune, no ■ matter how unintentionally, to cross the slimy track of his inglorious ambition, or i to wound even undesignedly his egregious ; self-conceit. The pernicious influence a i person of this description can exercise is |an evil in itself , but when its application •to crush and effect the ruin of a political or personal opponent is sustained by the prestige ef official power and position, this influence becomes dangerous and should be held in check, for it is against public policy that it should be allowed to have] its fling. In alluding on several occasions previously to the threatened abolition of the Wardenship in the Grey Valley, we carefully avoided dealing with the personalities of the case, by confining . our observations to the ; effect the proposed alteration woatd have an the welfare and progress of the <H&triats We were content to leave the question of compensation to Mr Whitefoord for the loss of his offices, to be settled between his superior officers and himself; knowing as we did that he had, at all events, the implied assurance of those who are supposed to be, and should be from the position they occupy, men of their word, to say nothing of being' men of honor, sa^e the mark, that he would be equitably and liberally dealt with ; but the circumstances attending his dismissal indicate so clearly the bad intention existing in a certain quarter regarding him, that a desire to see fair play compels us to draw particular attention to the actual facts of the case. In the first place Mr Whitefoord has never been made an offer definately and officially of any post equal or subordinate in rank, or at a reduced salary in lieu of the appointment he has been deprived of. But on the contrary implied promises of such an nature were given him, that he was induced to forego the. opportunity of obtaining remunerative employment under the General Government, thinking that those promises were made in good faith. To show that there is a personal animus actuating some of those who have the power to act in this matter, it is only necessary to point out that Mr Whitefoord is not a junior of his official status, and it is consequently an injustice on the face of it, to remove him while junior officers of the same grade remain undisturbed. This is especially apparent when the dispensing with his services is not brought about by reason of alleged incapacity or from any 'similar cause, but ostensibly from the fact that retrenchment in the public expenditure is necessary, and his office must be abolished, in which case, if those who make the reduction, acted ; impartially the latest appointed Warden would be removed. ! Again, Mr Whitefoord is dismissed without compensation, while every officer who has' been dispensed with in consequence of the present reduction has received compensation in the shape of a bonus or an equivalent. Ithas beenthepracticefollowed by every successive Government of Nelson to give compensation to retiring officials, irrespective of their rank in the civil service^ and ; in accordance with this custom ; a Superintendent or his family received 911 annuity, a Provincial Seore-

tary was voted a bonus, 1 Magistrates, Wardens, or Commissioners have been granted retiring allowances in one shape or others, Clerks of Courts have^ been' given so many months Balary and permitted to resign, and police officers of every grade have invariably received gratuities on leaving the force, if it became necessary from motives of economy to remove them, or if their, services deserved recognition. All this goes to show that Mr Whitefoord has been singled out from among all the rest to be made an example of, and to gratify personal spite, and who will now say after knowing the facts that he has not been shamefully treated. Those who have been instrumental in bringing about this gross injustice may well endeavor to shirk the responsibility of their actions, as they are attempting t® do, for the power that was obtained by a fluke will slip away as unexpectedly as it came, because this dress of brief authority never sits well on such shoulders. In the meantime Mr Whitefoord has the satisfaction of knowing that ou his departure he will bear with him the genuine esteem and sincere good wishes for his future welfare of troops of friends, among whom he came as a stranger; and who knows but in the inevitable changes the whirligig of time brings about he may not find himself in a position to return " measure for measure," if the like be in his nature, which, is doubtful, to those who for the time are masters of the situation.