Manawatu Herald THURSDAY, JUNE 4, 1891. Spence v. McKenzie.

Manawatu Herald, Volume III, 4 June 1891, Page 2

Manawatu Herald THURSDAY, JUNE 4, 1891. Spence v. McKenzie.

Mr McKenzie the Minister for Lands addressed his constituents at Palmerston South on Monday night, driven to do so by the very strong accusations brought out by Mr Spence. That he acted in a very high-handed manner with Mr Spence is shown by his own explanations. Mr Spence was an old officer who had been trusted by both the Provincial and General Governments, and Mr McKenzie was a new fledged Minister of a few months standing when he complained to Mr Spence, on his very first visit to Invercargill, that numbers of people complained of the defective administration of his department. Mr Spence says that he explained how the matter stood and that Mr McKenzie was satisfied, j only, he wanted Mr Spence to send j one officer away and appoint a friend in his stead. Mr McKenzie gives no clear reply to this accusation, he hardly could, seeing that he had peremptorily placed his friend in office, and ordered Mr Spence's removal. Mr McKenzie says that on the accusation of some person, he had called upon Mr Spence for an explanation, which, please mark, was given, but Mr McKenzie not being satisfied with the reply, as it presumably afforded no opening to wreck his vengeance upon Mr Spence wrote again to his friend to ask, "if he had any further proof of the charges he had made " but before the inquiry was concluded, Mr McKenzie endeavours to make a point, by saying Mr Spence had left the service. Mr McKenzie must have known that Mr Spence left the service rather than be removed to another district, as a punishment for an alleged offence, the enquiry into which was not concluded. The animus of the Minister stands out bold and hard, even by the words he uses to excuse himself to his constituents. Mr Spence asserted that he regarded " the discharge of Mr Royds as an act of pure unadulterated madness and brutality " yet Mr McKenzie particularly avoids making any answer to tbe charge. As regards a Mr Mussen, Mr Spence says his removal " shows all the tyranny of an Eastern Despot," and Mr McKenzie admits that he was an old servant, was sixty years of age, and was unable to make long journeys on horseback, yet because he had been foolish enough to have served the colony well, the Minister thought it right to break his home up, order him away from all social ties, to make room for a friend of his own ! Mr Spence's description of this transaction seems appropriate after hearing of the excuses this Mr McKenzie had to make. We expect to see the public verdict will be with Mr Spence. When Parliament meets Mr McKenzie is prepared to justify all his acts, but when face to face with past Ministers he will find his hands pretty full. He asserts that not one single dismissal has been made without its having been submitted and agreed to by the government as a

vhole. Tbis will be as well to re•emernber when tbe trying time l£ ■ernes, and some peculiar appoint- _ nents, in place of tbose dismissed, v ire inquired into. We have had in h his Colony many changes of govern- £ nent, but never until tbe present c lemocratic Ministry bave we beard t >f so much activity . on the part of c Ministers at the direction of private s md obscure correspondents. The Ministers are not rulers, but tbe * voters who have some spite to vent, t md wbo insinuate all sorts of dis- t lonourable conduct against far bet- •' ier men than themselves. Like ° Iraws to like, and only possessors of ittle minds would allow such other Q .ittle minds to guide their actions. 1 [t may seem far fetched to make such 1 statements, and we sbould have { paused before giving them publicity ] lad not tbe Honourable Mr McKen- 1 zie himself, by bis speech, authorised Dur doing so. In attempting to ( justify such a job as the ap- , pointment of another friend of his, a ] Mr Ritchie as Chief Inspector of tbe ' Stock Department, be says be found ■ this department in "a most dis- } organised state " he found tbere were ] six chief inspectors, one to each 1 provincial district, and be found that thousands of pounds were each year ( spent by them without any control ! He tben saw it that he could not devote time to checking these inspectors who, he infers, might possibly be making a good thing out of the department, and therefore he thought there should be another inspector appointed. Now knowing that Mr Ritchie was a Iriend, if nothing more, comes the peculiar admission of Mr McKenzie, "having come to that conclusion, the next thing he did was to select a man for this important position, and on going through the lists of the department he did not find one in whom be could place sufficient confidence to appoint to the office." If tbis is not one of the hardest things ever said by a Minister of members of the Civil Service, we should like to know the worst, but fortunately for the members of the Stock Department the public well know that the reason of Mr Ritchie's appointment was not that Mr McKenzie could not place sufficient confidence in any one of the six ■TJhief Inspectors, but that he woidd not, as he desired to find some reason to appoint Mr Ritchie, " whom be knew!" Mr McKenzie went down South to curse the speech of Mr Spence, but instead of wbich he produced sufficient evidence to most powerfully endorse it. Mr Spence said — " The Civil Service of the Colony is now under a reign of terror. Officers are discharged and kicked from pillar to post." Mr McKenzie has shown that he draws his information from obscure quarters, that no matter the length of service or age ofthe person, he must be disposed of, if anyone he accidentally knows, needs an apappointment, and he has had the audacity to say that in one department of the public service he was unable to find a man he could place sufficient confidence in ! ! 1

We are requested to state that there will be Divine Service in All Saints' Church on Sunday evening next, conducted by Mr J. W. Stewart. A shock of earthquake was felt here last evening about 11 20. The meetiig of the Dramatic Club is ( convened for this evening. Tenders for leasing the 10-acre reserve have to be in the Borough Office by noon on Saturday. The publio meeting of the Farmers' Alliance wilt be held on Saturday afternoon at Whyte's hotel. The Education Board notify fresh meetings for the election of school committees. Persons are warned from trespassing on the ferry reserve. Mr A. T. Card, proprietor of tha Marlborough Press, published at Picton, has filed a petition in bankruptcy. The Government have received a communication from Sir William Jervois with regard to the Agent-Generalship, but as it is confidentia 1 , says the N.Z. Times, they do not intend making it public. In consequence of the financial panic at Buenos Ayres there has been another run on the banks. Gold is at a premium of 323. Notwithstanding the full consideration alleged by the Minister of Lands to have been given by the Cabinet to each proposed reduction in the public service, says the Post, the Government have already been compelled to admit that they acted hastily in certain cases. Native Land Court Judges Mair, (.'lendon, Puckey, and Trimble should have retired from the service on Saturday last, but it is now found that their Courts are occupied by cases which have been pending for months, and which it will probably take months yet to complete. The Government have accordingly been compelled to ask these Judges to remain in the service, and complete the cases they are at present engaged on. This does not look as if the matter of their retrenchment had been very fully considered in the first instance. The Ashurst correspondent of the Manawatu Times says : — Mr Jensen, of Makino has lately so d his property there and is coming to reside on the Awahou-Po-hangina. He has a good section which he took up at the first seleotion and has been improving it by degrees till he could sell his place at Feilding. He is about to build. He considers that the deferred I payment system under which this block is j settled, is the best that could be devised for a poor man and is sure that many a I man but for that easy way of obtaining his ■ freehold wou'd now be without any stake in the country. In fact he described, it to me as almost like giving the land to a settler. This Mr Jensen is a plain practical mau and speaks from personal experience.

_ THEEE CENTURIES have rolled by since Bacon said " Coffee comforteth the brain and heart, and helpeth digestion ' Use Crease's A. 1. Coffee. Sold only in l>b and 21b tins.

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