The Manawatu Herald. THURSDAY, JANUARY 3, 1907. THE ART OF GETTING ON.

Manawatu Herald, Volume XXVII, Issue 3737, 3 January 1907, Page 2

The Manawatu Herald. THURSDAY, JANUARY 3, 1907. THE ART OF GETTING ON.

The gentle art of getting on is as easily understood by men without any large intellectual qualifications as by men who have the knowledge of ages under their hats. It is not as necessary in New Zealand to know anything in order to qualify for a large lustrous billett as to know a Minister. The way is very clear. A man of very ordinary attainments has the open sesame to a very rosy thing indeed if he plays his pasteboards; well. We will say a person‘ desires ..the position of chief expert in one of the great State Departments he doesn’t know anything about. He doesn’d go straight to the Minister of the Department and remark that he is the man to save the country from ruin. He becomes secretary to a committee for the ‘ public ’ welcome to a Minister. In his newspaper advertisements he somehow does not forget to sign his name and he never by any possible mischance forgets to say that the gentleman about to be honoured is an Esq., or an Hon. or an E.D.D. or an X. Y.Z., or any other terrific title. From secretary to a reception committee who have organised a ‘ social ’ to welcome X. Y.Z. from the latest European dog-fight or waste-paper conference, he drifts by degrees to the platform of a public meeting to give X.Y.Z. a chance to meet tiie,people who are dying to hear ins-swords of wisdom. ' The erstwhilesecretary has become a chairman. He does not forget to say that the Eight Hon. X.Y.Z. is a man of the highest political rectitude, unblemished character and superhuman intellect. Having broken the ice as a great arid thrilling orator, Improbably feels that many people 'iwill'be disappointed if hjy doesn’t; become a J. P. or. a' metflj

her of a Road Board, or bett.T still a Municipal Councillor. As <ncra her uf a Municipal CormM' his I .strenuous advocacy of a barruwioaU of metal for X.Y.Z.-street impress the intelligent electors with his marvellous aptitude as a public man, and when the Right Hon. Sir X.Y.Z. Minister of Suspense blows into his district again it is of course Councillor Getalong who does the welcoming. Councillor Getalong waves the flag of the Right Hon. Sir X.Y.Z. on every occasion and the Right Hon. begins to notice that Getalong’s advocacy is a real good thing to have as an advertisement. The Right Hon. being a generous man and not having to pay anything out of his own pocket to assauge his burning desire to do good to all men thinks it is time that Getalong should be recognised. Getalong has been working strenuously in X.Y-Z’s interest for two years, therefore why shouldn’t G. get a better billet than the man who has been working in the interests of the country for twentyfive? G. is therefore made chief expert of the Charred Bones Department or Under-Secretary of the Glue and Beeswax Department. Not of course because he knows anything about Bones or Glue or Beeswax, but because he’s hooted the praises of the Minister in charge of those Departments night and day for three years. Just by way of diversion we might mention that New Zealand is going to be defended with tremendous vigour in future because it has got a new Council of Defence which is going to make defence a great deal more expensive without increasing the defenders or the arms or any trifling thing like that. The great and terrible Board is to be headed by a couple of Colonels who haven’t been soldier-people long, who know very little of soldiering outside of mounted-rifle work, but who certainly can tell a ten inch gun-from a chaffeutter provided they have a foot-rule- The defence districts of New Zealand are under entirely new management and colonels have been shooting up like peas in a good season. Adjutants have grown out of the soil in a single night. One grew out of the Mayor of Hutt in about five minutes. There is nothing quite as striking as the ability of the Mayor of Hutt to chronicle. He was the gentleman who was a Permanent Artilleryman and who, while a non-com. instructor became a member of a school committee against all precedent. It is evident that his high attainments were such that all law had to be set aside to enable local bodies to have the benefit of gifts. As everybody knows he eventually became Mayor of Hutt and it was at a banquet he gave to the Premier of his own country —Tasmania —that the Minister of Defence announced his adjutancy to the Wellington district. It is a splendid example of native talent winning through every obstacle and in remarkably short time. A brilliant strategian in the person of that gallant but meteoric soldier Major Joyce, has been obtained for command of a district, and with the Major’s immense enthusiasm, several years’ service and unquenchable thirst — for knowledge—Nelson should become impregnable without much effort. Other appointments are equally fine and knowing ?,s the nation does that the Minister oi Defence is honorary captain in a Southern rifle corps it is to be much hoped that-wheajthe chief strategians of the new Defence" Board get a little mixed, he will step into the breach and say things about the way the enemy should be shot. It is highly gratifying to the nation that Captain Seddon should be offered the position of Headquarters Staff-officer but as yet the nation has not been told whether the youngest captain in the Empire’s service barring royalty—will accept the onerous responsibilities. It is a little likely that many of the new appointees are so anxious to see the defences ot the country put on a sound footing that they don’t care whether they get any salary or not. All of which has of course nothing to do with the gentle art of getting on.