MINISTERIAL SCREW SWEEPSTAKES.

Nelson Evening Mail, Volume XII, Issue 269, 13 November 1877, Page 4

MINISTERIAL SCREW SWEEPSTAKES.

The SydnQylEcho hag tho following note of the day — The political problem which is, now engaging attention is how to Work the Constitution with-, out frequent and etribarassing Min-I isterial change?. If there were no salaries attached to the office, party: conflicts might be lesa severe ; and I if there were no patronage, portfolios would not be ao generally • coveted. It has been suggested that the matter of patronage could Jbe satisfactorily, settled by an Act to regulate the Civil Service, and that an absolute adherence! to the system of tendering might restrict to a narrower circle the opportunities possessed by Miaisters to reward their friends. Some consider that it would be advantageous to abolish the payment of Ministers al- : together ; but the very latest idea is to . utilize the Ministerial salaries in the direction of payment of members. It is suggested that the Ministerial ; •"screws" shall be divided every month between the office-holders and i their supporters. The members of the Opposition would, of course, be left oot in the cold, those who carried on the government wonld sbare and share alike, and those who obstructed them would get nothing. Some people who onghc to know are inclined to think that tbis plan would seoure an effective working majority for any Government bold enough to adopt it. If the money •pere divided into about twenty portions, and converted into a Parliamentary Screw Sweepstake to be participated in by all who ait on tbe Government benches it is believed that the Opposition would rapidly dwindle away, and that there would rarely be any difficulty in making provision to meet the requirements of the public service. The originator ot tbis brilliant idea is confident that on all occasions when the tickets were being shaken up in the hat by tbe Sergeant-at-arms or other offioial appointed to perform that interesting duty, members would cluster round like flies around a treacle cask 1 But, however effective such an arrangement might be, it would certainly [not add lo the dignity. of the Assembly, and it is to be hoped tbat in process of time there will be discovered some better mode of securing a majority of representatives to carry on the buastnes of the country.