ADMINISTRATION.

Manawatu Herald, 2 September 1879, Page 2

ADMINISTRATION.

[coXTitIBUXED.] To a constituency that has arisen since the old Provincial clays, Mr Halcombe has stated, that "ho was no novice in,, political matters; he had been engaged in -public ! matters for the last fifteen years, and he ' 4al|tered himself he had done-good service - ni assistiug In. tho de.velppinentf of the „ Mamnvntu. " We unfortuuately get.very . little more than. this general. statemerit out of Mr Halcombe, though 'Wb""- political "^ services" have frequently been culled in • question. ;i - . [ ■/'■ < •; ■•-'J-'i ■?'■■ ;;!:,! .ii : Those who only know- the, history.. p& the' 1 1 •< country during the past fetfjears, WyV ' glad to le.n'n some of tlie p6litical capability!; displayed by one of the- candidates, when hd-fcicV the ' chance, • of Be»vin#.»ithe i i 'i public. It has therefore; ?to beljstatedt.jbhaft „;. for. a certaiu number of years previous to '•187-1 Mr Halcombe filled the office of Trovincial Secretary,an.d;in'lßffl (Ititflasfcyear) that of Provincial Treasurer. _ His ability ,niay, bq.best.jndged by, tb^ej remarks., fpa^.-'j. by 'the Superintendents . in their ' speeches , in 1869'4nd i is7,i r , , Ifi 'ISpQ,] the, late 'UK 1 ;,;'. Peathersboi bdd' to delay' iho in&efang >of i - ' thp^ProvincialiOduhcil-ta <Within ?iifesv <Jayjs.' ,' - . df'hisideparturefor England, owing to his acceptance of >the. 'pffipß, io^y.^pmnrigsronejr tip -be, jngi conditional f aa his being atle'to 'leave " the Province relieved from the financial cm barrassments, and other difficulties, in which it had been for sometime involved. On moving the address in reply, tho Provincial Secretary (Mr Halcombe) , ready to !smo[othe over any little difficulty, tried to make the Council say that it " is pleased to receive the announcement-, that your Honor's endeavors to relieve it (the Province) from its financial embarrassments have been at last successful" l - but>MriP,«Jar,o^ s.u&g'estqQj ; ' and carried as being the more correct statement, that' it ";is' pleased/ to; receive.- tfyej j that your . Hoppr's eaA. dcavors to relieve it ( .fro.nv its more p ress- k>, ing financial 'embarrassmenta*hi}.vo been so g|g 'far at last, successful j"— A cpueiderablfrJ^j mnrl.ifip.ittioTf on the ' ! sau'f;uine ; BtatemeKii^ ' 1 "desired ~~lfiy* rf A? "^ijkpmVe ;^f^4^the . I sagacity of Mr Pef^B^js' y^ffeT clearly ™ brought out in Sir Wilhain Fitzherbert's speech to the Council in 1871- Thus he iiaid — " If I say that the present Provincial Government occupies no special platform, aud adopts no particular party cries, it is not because I have awy wish to speak diaparingly of the employment of these c,omei tiuids necessary political formula ; but rather because tho presont Provincial Gouerinneut considers that pressing practical cor&iderations demand its attention, aud that tho mind of tho Province ought not to Ije distracted by the consideration of mere tkoories of Government from a dispassionate, plain business view of all thecireumstrffices-iYhich surround it, and the diffiQUltteSof-tho'situa-tion. In placing the actual condition of A/ho' i,'royince, whilst it will be talnMently apparent that'its ciriranL- .1 i LBtances are temporarily .embarrassed, jyot it will not C(^s>qu^«lKlfsUPW. lh .^ t /. tl ll B t^ 0 ?:( .'■; viucial Government will invite you to lay* the blame of .thojexisHn^sfat^ of iffairs altogether upon this 1 or •tnUfrperaori.or party orsyst^iri;: i3ittte6oiutely//s'h|at3;itSje(i»M-,^9[ i j recjimiriation. . . »-., ;>;[Tjl)psv^se jourae ili 1 both inßtanofs is to avoid lamentmioii,and adopt f prompt remedial uieasures . . I have sp'e'cifiea' three tfbjeofcsoft whioli it is' ■>' ' proposod ; tb i ek^onfdf i ttiei ib))tto,wid lh>onby; ._ • _ viz., lst.itopwvid9 J wfia'irß Jfl^Aisphflx^ ac-, tunl liabilities. I assume that this deß|; ; must be paid;. Irshow that the annual rev'e- ' mieis wh'AllyHpfficleh^iPoftUe^^se; ' I:n '•* . 3fld} Fot4« l rearaofißurvey,isof the] same.flhdyaoteriWthelaatij^Jrit enn only be regarded as a dobt_ ,„, C • But it is ii^ertheless a . Su-r?ice for which it is , • absolutely 'neoeW*ry" ' io'proVicleV W order that contractsnvifch purchasers ot laad, who paid their money long' year's agb, nihy bo completeJ 1 ' 1 . 1 *"/- . . 3rd, Koads, bridges and other Provincial public works " J *Privato members from Wangaehu and Rang^tikei Districts were perpetually enquiring when ih:so old surveys wauld be executed, yet they rum lined as beforo till 1871. Private members from Wangaehu and Rangitikei Districts were perpetually en. . quirinir wh-'ii tlicso old surveys would bo MMMJf^^^fMMtfMu^^a^beforotil^^^

■•;i2f. and Through the whole of the nn-.-e, no word of praise for work know'^tlfrnient of assistance ren k^jgned, but, on tho contrary, mj)onis are nado for some nttenAii September, 1871, is written, •• near that these notes may, like others which have previously appeared in your paper, fail to catch the eye of any of our Provincial authorities, but should they chance to do so, might I suggest that a trip around this District before the ensuing session of the Council would not on'y amply repay them by the pleasure they must derive from noticing the progress and development of this fine district, on which the sole support of the Provincial revenue rests, bul might also enable them to accord that justice due to ils energetic inhabitants — which has been so long due, and so long wit Meld." On the 25th May, 1871, he states " It must be exceedingly satisfactory to those who have always kept their faith in this district, in spite of the Provincial mglect and mismanagement, to find now their faith being realised. . . . Three years ago, the settlers urged upon the Provincial Government the propriety of opening up a road from Foxton to the beach, so that the coaches might run through the town, and would not only save the settlers the trouble and expense of riding down to tho mouth of th river, and staying all night, but would also tend to assist the sale of cue Government's land, by bringing passengers through it. This they either would not or could not see. " We also learn of another enlightened piooe of provincial management, viz., the refusal on the part of the province to bear its share of a subsidy advertised to be paid to a steamer which would open up the rivers of the province, even when the port \Foxton) of the only district for sale, (of some 300,000 to 400,000 acres of laud, and which has been described by the Pro vincial Treasurer as " the only stay of Wellington), is the one which would reap the largest benefit from it. After this J think it will be admitted that the settlers and not the Provincial Qovemment, deserve the credit for the progress of this district." Again in August, 1871, he says, "The Highways Bill is exciting a deal of antagonism in all parts of the country." — This is Mr Halcombe's Act embodying the principle of a " general land tax." The correspondent also pointed out in February, 1871, that the immigrants (whom Mr Halcombe flatUrs himself he placed so comfortably on the block), had requested him to " bring under notice the mistake that has been lately made with regard to the immgrants located at Palmerston. When they came out they were promised regular ■work for a year, and they are naturallygrumbling at having been kept from work ~ for the past month, through no fault of their own ; and, not merely that, but the wages earned the month before have not yet been paid." In writing in September, 1872, he says: — " Our chance of finding fault with our Provincial Secretary's tram road is poor indeed, as he takes care never to lay one or form a ioad here to be criticised. Yes, I am mistaken; he has just set about falling the bush on the road line between Palmerston and Rangiiikei ; " but this first piece of road work in ths Manawatu was after Mr Hakombe lad left the Executive. Why has not Mr Halcombe attempted to correct these remarks at the t : nie they were made, if " he flattered himself he had done good assisting the development of )v1 '"'" has done less than any -•:V;jg -^orthe Distiicl ; whilst Bniave acquired by employing labor, which W labor in turn has repeated the process, W thereby causing a compound multiplication of advantages, the shrewd Mr Halcombe j has done, what? Why, saved up, so as to be in a ] osition to stand for the House j of Representatives, hy having become an " independent " man. Shall this man be our leader ? is his example i wise one for the good of the County i Jf not, vote for either Mr Johnston or Mi" Snclson.