Manamatu Herald. THURSDAY, AUGUST 9, 1894. Wisdom P

Manawatu Herald, 9 August 1894, Page 2

Manamatu Herald. THURSDAY, AUGUST 9, 1894. Wisdom P

During the last election troubles ai-ose among the Ministerialists owing to somo correspondence miscarrying, and thus becoming public much too soon. Everyone was to blame, but the Colonial Secretary desires it may not occur again and has introduced a Bill into the Legislative Council which is a portion of the way towards accomplishing his wishes. The Bill is the " Designation of Districts Act 1894." It places unlimited power in the hands, nominally, of the Governor, clause 2 setting forth that " the Governor may assign a name or designation to any district, city, borough, town (whether public or private) town district, village, village or special settlement, valley, land area, railway, railway-station, goldfield or mining district, hill, mountain, glen or other place or locality whatsoever in New Zealand," this is pretty specific, but the clause further permits His Excellency to determine what name any port of entry shall be designated, and he may also " alter the geographical name or designation of any place or locality in the colony, whether the same was given before or after the passing of this Act " and it therefore comes as a surprise to find a proviso that he " Shall not alter the name of the colony." If Parliament permits this power being given to the Governor, represented by his responsible Ministers, they may as well " go the whole hog " and allow the colony to be re-named. What would be the use of retaining the name " New Zealand " when the names of its well-known features have been altered. It has been mentioned by various newspapers that the Government find a difficulty in rewarding their supporters, the surplus is quickly vanishing, the Legislative Council Chamber is small, too many questions are raised as to appointments of Justices of the i Pease, and therefore it is necessary some new plan should be devised for the humble followers of the Party , who teach that to " the victors the

spoils " belong. The Colonial | Secretary has been consulted and he j has suggested a plan to kill two j birds with the one stone, secure private correspondence from being misdirected and meet the vanity of some of the Party by calling prominent features of the landscape after them. The ingenuity we admire but we trust it may not be carried out in any such wholesale a manner as is provided for. The present party in power stop at nothing, this is admitted even by themselves. The annoyance caused by this correspondence going astray arose not only from a geographical i error but also from a similarity in the surnames of the person who I received the letter and the person for whom it was meant. If the Governor starts to work and in* dulges in a general re-naming cf all places within the colony, the diffi culty will not even then be provided for, so we must look forward to a Bill being introduced next Session empowering the Governor to assign a name and designation to every man, woman and child within the Colony excepting that he shall do nothing to mislead persons as to the sex of those re-named. The Ministry through the Minister of Land 3 has shown a power to designate their opponents, as Mr Earnshaw can testify, so that should the future Bill be passed, and the present Government is in power, some startling designations may become attached to us by Liberal law.