THE WEEK.

Nelson Evening Mail, Volume VI, Issue 18, 21 January 1871, Page 2

THE WEEK.

I think thafe if I were in want of employment there is nothing I should like so much as au appointment under Go- 1 vernment, principally for this reasoD, that it woulcl afford such a magnificent opportunity of testing the correctness of the old saying that " Virtue is its own reward," because as that is probably the only reward you will receive, you are so much more likely to appreciate it at its full value. To illustrate my meaning, let me describe a case, . not wholly imaginary j we will suppose that as a youngster you enter the Government service, say in the Resident Magistrate's Department, and that after some years' apprenticeship you are elevated to the post of Clerk to the Bench;, in this office you display considerable ability, and a great apttitude for •accounts, and, consequently, after a time 'find yourself, owing to your energy .and application, the holder of various other apointments such as Registrar of the Supreme Court, Returning officer, Provincial Treasurer, and so on. « In the course of time, a vacancy occurs in the Resident Magistrateship, and you are ap-: pointed to fill it, and in so doing you; have to give up some of the offices you formerly held, but in "lieu thereof you are made Registrar of Deeds. You 'begin to feel now that your services are* being recognised, and that you have by

your own strenuous exertions raised yourself to a position in which you will be able to livo in comfort for the rest of your days. But alas for the chances and chaunres of this life ! The time arrives when provincial politicians discover that the office of Treasurer should be dependent upon the vote of the Council, and as they have someone else whom they wish to see holding the office, aw:iy goes that appoiutment with its atteudant remuneration. This is a severe blow, and the reward of virtue to which. I have already alluded, begins to sta^Pin strong contrast to that afforded Jjy a grateful country, however, you Wfar up manfully against your los 3, and make up your mind to rub aloug: on what i 3 left to you. But now the G-eueral politicians, following the example set by their Provincial brothers, think that they too ought (o take a turn at stripping you of a portion of your salary, so, in accordance with an Act recently passed, they tell you that you must be prepared to give up the registrarship of aeed* to a gentleman of their own appointing. Here goes another big slice out of your income, and when you come to gather up and calculate the crumbs that are lefr, you fiud ; that, although holding the highly responsible office of Resident Magistrate, you actually are not receiving JWargo a salary as when you were a meje clerk in the same department. ■" Moral : as inculcated by a paternal Government. Never do your duty iv that state of life to which you may be called, lest by so doing, you should bring the departments over which you have been placed, into such a state of efficiency that the authorities may be led to look upon them as convenient havens of refuge for their own friends. At last we have gone into politics with a vengeance, no less than five meetings haying- been convened, and addressed by candidates for Parliamentary honors during the week. Most of my readers will, I am sure, have perused the speech delivered by Sir David Monro at Motueka with considerable interest, as being an excellent exposition of the views of one of the oldest, and most .Irig-bly educated politicians in JSew Zealand. Of the address delivered by one of our Town candidates on Wednesday last, I regret that I cannot speak in very high terras, as it was sadly wanting in that clearness and explicitness which we should have liked to meet with in one, who as almost a stranger, comes before the electors of the town to ask them for their votes. To elect him without a further exposition of his views would simply be to send, as our representative to the Assembly one of whose opinions we know next to nothing. Mr. Parker is making a feeble fight against his powerful opponent, and occasioually we hear of his addressing the electors in the various portions of his district, but his day has surely gone by. Mr. Gibbs, it appears, does not raeau to allow Mr. KJoUina to walk over the course for Golden Bay, but from what we can hear, his chances of success are exceedingly small. ; Waimea South still remains dark, although' the writs are out,' and the day of nomination fixed some time ago. Do the electors intend to make any move in the matter, or are they satisfied that they cannot find a better man than Mr. Baigent ? "In the country, .the harvest fields jus!; now present a busy sight, every one beiiigi determined, to turn to account the glorious weather that now prevails for getting in the crops, which I am sorry to say are, with a few exceptions, but very light this year. One very noticeable feature in the harvest fields is the large increase in the number of reaping machines that are to be seen at work, the farmers haviug seen the immense advantage of economising their labor accounts as much as possible. I shall conclude by advising my readers to take a trip into the country before the busiest and most picturesque season of the yeariiaa passed away.