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New Zealand Times, Volume XXXIII, Issue 5282, 28 February 1878, Page 2

We have no desire to cavil at any reductions which Ministers may think desirable to make in the Civil Service of the colony. Through a variety of circumstances the service has outgrown the colony. All that is asked for is that fair play should be shown to the officers whose services are dispensed with, and that all should be treated alike. That such has not been the case there is ample evidence. Some ffioers who have got their discharge have been treated in an exceptionally harsh manner, and there is little doubt that their exceptional treatment is attributable to their being unable to bring any political influence to boar upon the Government. The discharge of Major Lockett without compensation is a case in point. Tiiat gentleman will sever his connection with the militia and volunteers in a day or two. He has made application to the Government for compensation, but has met with a refusal on the ground that he could not produce a medical certificate that he was unfit for other work. Other officers who have occupied a similar position have received compensation without the production of such a certificate Colonel Gorton and Colonel Moule’s services have been dispensed with, and they both have received retiring allowances, whilst Lieutenant Rowan, who we are informed resigned, has been treated in a similar manner. Now, these three gentlemen had joined the colonial forces since Major Lockett, aud have certainly no more valid claim to have their services rewarded than the la-,ter gentleman, who has faithfully discharged hie duties during the seventeen years he was connected with the forces. Not the slightest charge of neglect of duty or inefficiency has ever been alleged against him. This makes his exceptional treatment the more extraordinary. But it is not only in the matter of compensation that the Ministry has shown favoritism. Amongst those officers whose services have been retained is Major Lusk, who is in command of the Auckland militia and volunteers. Now, Major Lusk is simply a civilian who has donued the uniform, and has not had one-tenth of the experience of Major Lockett. The latter, besides seventeen years’ service in the colony, has been in our Indian array for eighteen years, and in both services it is not denied that he acquitted himself creditably. But then Major Lusk has a relative a member of Parliament, whilst Major Lockett is not possessed of such influence at Court. Such a gross piece of favoritism has seldom come under our notice, and we trust some inquiry will be i made into the reasons which induced the Government to retain such a novice as Major Lusk in the public service, and at the same time discharged an experienced officer like Major Lockett, against whom we are not aware any charge of iueompetency has been alleged. The inquiry might also extend as to grounds for debarring him from compensation, whilst other gentlemen who had more recently joined the force received it.

The Wairarapa Standard was very near being wise in its generation. There was a plethora of candidates for the Wairarapa on the Gray ticket, and the Standard . had been sorely exercised as to whom it would support. At first Mr. Hutchison appeared to be the favorite, but after his defeat for this city our contemporary was somewhat dubious of his return for the Wairarapa; aud as it would never do to be on the dosing side, the Standard quietly, but respectfully; dropped him for somebody else, which eventually turned .out to be Mr. R. J. Duncan, aud for the most extraordinary reason ever given by a public journal. Mr. Duncan in his address stated that if his candidature imperilled the return of a Ministerialist he would withdraw from the contest. There are not many people who would not do likewise when they saw they had no chance of being returned. However, this display of disinterestedness, which would come natural to nine men out of every ten, quite captivated the editor of the Standard, and he straightway declared himself in favor of Mr., Duncan. Here was a man who was not only willing to sacrifice himself on the altar of his country, but was willing to forego such : sacrifice if the electors of the Wairarapa would not have him tor a representative. However, by this time he of the Standard will be aware that he spoke a trifle too soon. Had another day elapsed there would have been no need to canvass the merits of the different candidates, a very difficult matter when, they are professed friends of the Ministry the paper supports. However, it is still hinted at that Mr. Bunny may be provided for before the session. The Standard lets Mr. Hutchison down in a very graceful manner. This is what it says of him;—“lncur opinion, politically, morally, and intellectually, ho would have been a credit to the constituency, the party, aud the House ; but as his high character, great talents, and intellectual attainments are not sufficiently known to the electors of the Wairarapa to ensure their votes in his favor, more particularly after his recent defeat at Wellington, we have unhesitatingly withdrawn our support from him as a candidate at the ensuing election ; aud we should as unhesitatingly denounce him as a traitor to the cause he professes to have espoused if he'now went to the poll under the circumstances. We do not love him less, but we love the cause more. Clearly only oae candidate in the-Liberal interest should have the support at tire poll of the Liberal party, however much individual members of that party might have preferred some one else.” As there will be no election, for some time at least, Mr, Hutchison cannot possibly go to the poll, and the editor of the Standard will be saved the unpleasant duty of denouncing as a traitor the man who, in his opinion, would morally, politically, and intellectually have been - a “ credit to the constituency, tire parsy, and the House." Some people have strange ideas of what is due to party. If Mr. Hutchison deemed himself the best man to represent the constituency, he would have a perfect right to go to the poll. It is for the electors of the Wairarapa to say whether they will be represented by brains or bunkum.

The recent visit of the Australian Eleven will be of advantage if it rouses our young men to take greater interest in cricket. Emulation iu athletic exercises is of greater advantage to a community than, at first sight appears, and those who sneer at the importance given to manly sports are not aware of the evil results of neglecting them! The flags and guns dragged out at the reception of visiting teams are perhaps fair subjects for ridicule; indeed the fuss made in the streets is often in an inverse ratio to the practice on the cricket ground The enthusiasm and excitement should bo there, and ought to be the result of good, honest, steady work and esprit de corps. Now there can be no useful work' at cricket and no esprit de corps without organisation, and the cause of the failure-in Wellington can be readily accounted for by the neglect of , organised practice. The only cricket club in New Zealand that was successful against the Ana tralians was the club at Christchurch. There they have the advantage of a very fine ground and plenty of room to practice, and they bad what we lack—thorough and perfect organisation. In Wellington there are as many men who have played cricket in the old country as in any part of New Zealand, and there is no reason why we should out so had a figure amongst the cricketers of the colony. If an earnest effort were made, the ground at the Basin Reserve might be greatly improved for practice, aud a better ground be made for matches and weekly games somewhere out of Wellington, within reach of the railway.

Perhaps some reduction of fares to bond fide members of cricket clubs might be conceded on cricket days by the Railway Department. We throw this out as a suggestion to the clubs, and hope they will t;dce energetic steps to put cricket on a bett-c footing in and about the Empire City. Too much stress cannot be laid on the importance of encouraging the rising generation to take a pride in manly sports, and to despise w.th all their hearts the slouching, lazy, brandy-aud-water habits that most of our youth are apt to fall into for want of active amusements.