Hawke's Bay Times. NAPIER, FRIDAY, AUGUST 14, 1863.

Hawke's Bay Times, Volume III, Issue 135, 14 August 1863, Page 2

Hawke's Bay Times. NAPIER, FRIDAY, AUGUST 14, 1863.

And so the issue of the little difficulty between the Superintendent and the Crown Lands Commissioner has terminated in the excommunication of the latter official by the former.

Upon the whole, we consider that Mr. Tiffen was perfectly right in resisting the Treasury business being thrust unon him. How is it possible for a person enrtusted with all the complicated and responsible business of the Land Office to be Treasurer too. True, there is not much to do in the Treasury just now unless it be to keep down the accumulation of cobwebs, but that doesn’t in the least affect the great principle at stake, viz., the incompatibility of the nature of the office. If the Crown Lands Commissioner was Treasurer also, that would be better, but for the Crown Lands Commissioner to be Chief Surveyor and Treasurer is beyond the bounds of

toleration. The fact is jnst this—the present Superintendent no sooner accepted office than he made it a of duty to have a fling at the Crown Land Commissioner, with whom, if report speak correctly, his newly-elected Honor had a few little scores of a private nature to wipe out. Nothing could more perfectly effect the object had in view than to oblige the Crown Land Commissioner to accept some further office or duty without further remuneration or pay; and at the same time His Honor was able to deal a heavy blow at Mr. Colenso. Thus, having rid himself of two obnoxious indivduals, Me Lean finds that the coast is clear for doing a good turn to a friend, and fellow-countryman we suppose, of his own, who up to the issue of the matter was kept quietly in the background. And we find that the upshot of the whole aflair is, not that any reform or modification of matters in the Land and Treasury Departments is contemplated or intended, but that His Honor’s opponents shall be broken in the wheel, and a nice little chip of his own block be placed in the position vacated by those recreat officials. Here we see that that consummate diplomatist and double-dealer our pattern Superintendent has, by one or two masterly strokes, obtained undisputed control over both the Land Office and the Treasury, by placing therein one of his own satellites—a most dangerous proceeding. All hope of anything like an impartial or economical administration of public matters is now entirely cut off, bebecause so long as those departments were in the hands of independent men, the public might hope to see something like, however imperfectly like, a fair administration of their business. As matters stand now, the case is hopeless in the extreme.

Nor is his Honor the Superintendent content with setting aside old and valuable servants of the Province, but he must proceed to fill their places with men, who, whatever amount of professional and other skill they may possess is confined to themselves, and is quite unknown to the rest of mankind. In the particular instance to which we allude, there happens to be a gentleman who cannot have any very extensive knowledge of practical surveying, although we have heard that he is a most excellent accountant, which last quality, we believe, renders him particularly dear to his Honor, and for very sufficient and conclusive reasons. But here we detect that the actual practical qualifications of a surveyor is merged into t he not practical qualifications of a book-keep-er. In the first capacity the man would find plenty to do, enough, in fact, to test Ids mental and bodily energies ; in the last nothing—absolutely and positively nothing, beyond just enough of work to interfere materially with his other duties, and not enough to make it specially necessary that he require to be a good accountant.

Never before was the like of these doings. At every step, at every turn, at every move of our Superintendent, we detect a “ job.’’ Incompetency will reign triumphant so long as it will submit to be made a calm, patient, and long-suffering tool of his Honors. The public departments will revel in bliss, now that no cloud can get between them and the benign and happy face of their great benefactor. But the Province of Hawke’s Bay, while her departments are in a state of idleness and tradism, will drift rapidly into the vortex of bankruptcy, wherein his Honor will leave her to get out us best she may.

Again, ami for the twentieth time in six months, we enter an emphatic protest against the proceedigs of this, our Provincial Government. Long years ago we told the people that the present war would come to pass. Long years ago we foresaw that our first Superintendent was a “ do,” and now we take up our parable again and say: That so long as the present Government exists, favoritism, corruption, and jobbery of the first water will berths order of the day, and no-

thing will bo done but through those metHuma. Alas, poor New Province 11