The Gisborne Standard AND COOK COUNTY GAZETTE. Published every Tuesday, Thursday, and Saturday Morning. Thursday, June 16, 1887. A CHANGE FOR THE BETTER.

Gisborne Standard and Cook County Gazette, Volume I, Issue 4, 16 June 1887, Page 2

The Gisborne Standard AND COOK COUNTY GAZETTE. Published every Tuesday, Thursday, and Saturday Morning.

Thursday, June 16, 1887. A CHANGE FOR THE BETTER.

Be just and fear not; Let all the ends thou aim’st at bo thy country’s. Thy God’s, and truth’s.

THE political dice box is to be shaken up once more, and the welfare of the Colony is cast on the throw. Everything depends upon the men we are going to put in to the House. During the last fifteen years or so the quantity of the members has been increasing, whilst the quality has been steadily decreasing, Gone are the days of Stafford, Weld, Richmond, and Fitzgerald : gone are the days of oratory, honesty, and respect for men of all p rties, but come are the days of blatherskite, backbiting, carpet-bagging, chicanery, and shame. This is not a bit too strong—any old colonist knows it to be but alas, only too true. The advent of Vogel with his stockbroker’s idea of promoting a New Zealand company, to prosper swimmingly for a term on paper, and smash up ruinously in the end, has been an unmitigated curse to all those would pay their way and have the Colony, as a whole, pay its way.

Where are we now ? Just as near a financial breakdown as we well can be without actually filing our “shovel.’’ We have balanced our books, found a big deficit, and now, like honest, but so far imprudent traders, we should bid farewell to extravagance, and start upon a new era of reform, retrenchment, and reestablishment of our credit. Who are to be entrusted to fulfill this important task ? The question is difficult to answer, yet answered, rightly or wrongly, it must be when the elections come round. We are heartily sorry the House did not confirm the reduction of members which it first agreed to, but afterwards calmly allowed to go to the wall. Fifty men—say even sixty—are surely enough to govern a population which is not much greater than that of Glasgow or Liverpool 1 But it was not to be, so there is little use crying over spilt milk. But those men whom we do have let them be good men and true, bent upon opening up the country, bent upon keen and immediate retrenchment in the bloated overgrowth of the Colony’s bureaucracy, bent upon trying honestly andfirmly toguideour steps into the path which shall lead to peace and plenty. Our political creed is clear and definite. We are for a reduction and gradual abolition of the Upper House, a paring down of unnecessary civil servants, and a reduction of the honorarium, We are for those who will advocate, aye, not only advocate, but staunchly work for a settlement of the vast extent of unoccupied native lands,

We think both the salaries of the Governor and those of the Ministers may well be tapered down, we wonld cut down the travelling expenses, we would ent down Hansard, that unread compendium of tedious and trashy verbosity. We would do away with special Commissioner This and special Commissioner That, and we are dead against a vote to the Imperial Institute.

We are honestly and straightforwardly against all political fads, follies and fripperies pud tomfooleries of any kind, which cost the Colonists so much and benefit them so little. In fact we wish to see the affairs of the Colony put upon a sound financial basis, and we ask all those who have a vote In this disti.ct to do their utmost to bring about a healthier state of things in the conduct of the business of the countr .

If our colonists be only wise and discreet in their judgment of the candidates, who seek for Parliamentary honours, if they consider wisely and well over their choice, putting measures before men and taking “honesty and economy ” for their political motto, the Colony may yet recover from that depression which is the effect of reckless and dishonest mis-government, and from which it has so long suffered. So mote it be.