Manawatu Herald. TUESDAY, MARCH 27. 1894. How Not To Do It.

Manawatu Herald, 27 March 1894, Page 2

Manawatu Herald. TUESDAY, MARCH 27. 1894. How Not To Do It.

The licensing election held on Wednesday ha 3 shown th*j public that certain officers are not in their right places. For some reasons which we iiave not yet had explained to us, Mr Jeremiah Hurley, the Returning Officer for the Oiaki Electorate, had not up to Friday night succeeded in getting the returns in from hia deputies so that the result of the voting might be known. The time appears to have been unreasonably long and is to be objected to. Mr Hurley hardly yet app ars to understand what is exiieoted of him, or to know the district, as hi- selection of newspapers in which to publish his official announcements have been unsatisfactory. His style of con- ' ducting official communications "is most painful and free " and resulted in a loss to ourselves and our readers. Economy carried to a reasonable extent is to lie applauded, but, when pusned too far is ridiculous. Mr Hurley gets a sufficient remunera- ■' tion for his labours, or probably he would not be carrying out the duties of his office, no " Liberal " Government ever " sweats " their 'employers, and therefore there should be no need for him to endeavour to | save both paper and ink by sending | messages instead of letters. He lias chosen to think otherwise, as instead of ordering the insertion of an ! advertisement, of the candidates nominated, by letter, he left that order to the accident of a verbal message by a person who naturally forgot all about it. If it was wise to write to any paper it WQuld -have been well to have done so - to. all, and by not writing Mr Hurley displayed a want of courtesj to us which is most exceptionable ■ on effig j part of any Civil Servant, and we trust may always be so. The ; carelessness or intentional slight by Mr Hurley is not singular in this election, we were treated with marked indifference by him when the result of tho Poll was officially announced. We do not know Mr Jeremiah I Hurley personally, never having .met ' him to our knowledge, and we are inclined therefore to lay the blame of his ignoring our existence to a habit of carelessness similar to that exhibited by him in entrusting an official order to the chance conveyance of a casual acquaintance. For ourselves we should have left these cumplaints unmade but we do not consider that any public servant i has the right to ignore the convenience of nearly one half of the electors' of the district, viz., those who reside north of the Manawatu river. _________