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New Zealand Times, Volume XXXII, Issue 4961, 15 February 1877, Page 2

Sib Anthony Mtjsgrave, the late Governor of South Australia, who has just left that colony to take the Governorship of Jamaica, evidently is not an optimist as regards representative institutions in the Australian colo : nies. By papers to hand we find Sir Anthony holds that Parliamentary government in Australia, falls short of its complete development in consequence of the frequent and often quite unnecessary changes of Ministry that distinguish it ; that the effect of such changes is to establish, under the system of responsible government, a system of most thorough irresponsibility; and that it is the characters of the men who have served as Ministers,' and the character of the permanent Civil Service, and not the character of the system itself, which has prevented the occurrence of greater evils than those which have happened. He argues that, inasmuch as the only.means of making Ministers responsible is their removal from office, the fflar of removal can have little influence, when it is known that, be the administration good or bad, the tenure of office seldom exceeds a year in duration; and that under such a state of things there is little or. n 6 inducement to jvequire knowledge of departmental business, or to cultivate enthusiasm for work, but, on the ; .other; hand, a tendency to give force to the principle—let us eat and drink to-day, for to-morrow we die. He believes that a Ministry of mediocrity, with a sure prospect of even a few years' permanence, would be a better Government than a Ministry of all the talents which knew that it could not last. a year. He says it would be far preferable to the present system if the Assembly virtually elected the Governor's Advisers for the Governor's term of office, with an understanding that, except for some flagrant breach of trust, they-would not be sooner removed. And whilst warning his audience against the belief that special requirements or training were not necessary for any office, and that one man could- fill it as well as another, if his opinions were sound, he advised them to select the men they could trust most, and, having selected them, to trust them. "Do not let them feel," he said, " that they are only allowed to hold office until convenient arrangements can be made for turning them out." There is this to be said, that in South Australia there have been about six-and-twenty changes of Ministry since the inauguration of Responsible" Goverrirheht in the colony. This is much above the average of "a change per year ; and on four occasions there were three changes within the year. - No other, colony has. had bo many changes by nine.

We are glad to learn that, in accordance with our recommendation of a few days ago, the Land Office at Patea is not to be removed. A deputation from.the district had an interview with the Premier and the Minister for Lands yesterday, and the result was that the standard maps of the wastelands of the district will be brought to Wellington, which is of course their natural place for deposit; but all plans will be kept in the local office for reference by intending purchasers of land, and the business of the office will be carried on as heretofore. It may be stated that, the jurisdiction of the Patea Resident Magistrate's Court will speedily be gazetted as extended to £SO. The main road fiom Waitotara to Opunake, leading through the country towards New Plymouth, ,wi!l in to-day's Gazette be gazetted a County road. The three members necessary to complete the Harbor Board have been appointed by Government, and their names will also, in all probability, appear in to-day's Gazette.