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New Zealand Times, Volume XXXIII, Issue 5416, 6 August 1878, Page 2

The Government advertising arrangements are not, we think, by any means fortunate for Ministers, however beneficial they may bo found by the recipients of their largeeao andbounty. We have reprinted ,in another column an article on tins subject from the Taranaki Nona of-tho 27th July, in which it is shown that the rale of “ other circumstances being equal we’ll help our friends” is sometimes overstepped. Wo have seen that our Wanganui contemporaries have, as Wo think indiscreetly, been, quarrelling with each other about these " spoils,” although in that particular case what the Maoris would call the new, “law” had not been apparently .violated. But in the case of our contemporary at Taranaki there can ho no mistake a* to the facts. It appears that the Taramhi Nnw tetj'lerfd for t|>c insertion of

the Government Gazette notices in 1877 at the rate of Cd. per inch, whilst the tender of the Taranaki Hcmld/ma Is. 3d. per inch. The circulation of the ..papers is said to have been equal. The News got the contract, and all the tenders received were published in«the Government Gazette/. ~ For .the ./year 1878 the News tendered for the advertisements 'at . Is. per inch, ■fvhilst . the tender of the. '.Herald\a said to have been 2s. per inch. The Neivs asserts that its circulation in town and country is greater than that of its local contemporary. On- this occasion no schedule of the. tenders has been published, as was done by' the late Government.' The •Taranaki Herald, it is said, has got the contract at double the rate for which the News offered to perform the same service. If .this be true,—and our contemporary speaks with apparent confidence as to the facts, —it appears that two very material circumstances in the case are not “ equal.” The Herald, with the smaller circulation and'the higher price* for the work, gets the job. The News, with the larger circulation and the lowerprice.gets nothing but the unhappy consciousness of being on the wrong side. It will probably be admitted that in this as in some other cases, the Minister who charges himself withthenewspaperarrangementshas made a little blunder, inadvertently of course. It may not perhaps be altogether too lata to rectify it, unless indeed there are peculiar circumstances which make it necessary in the public interest to pay twice as much for advertisements in Taranaki as in other places. We should like to know you know.

It is impossible to over-estimate the importance of all legislation that affects the welfare of those engaged in pastoral pursuits in a pastoral country. We admit that Scab Acts are unattractive subjects to town readers, but possibly not more so than questions of sewage are to our country subscribers. Having published a summary of the Sheep Bill, we now in another column print a letter from a correspondent, proposing various amendments for the consideration of those concerned. Wc desire a stringent Act', and that it may came at once into force throughout the whole colony. The spirit of the Bill in its present form appears to bo to leave the unfortunate owners of scabby sheep entirely at the mercy of the inspectors. A law drawn up by the owners of healthy sheep is liable to be biassed by the fact of the law-makers knowing their liability to injury at the bauds of the owners of diseased sheep. A tenant of a house who applies for and obtains a license to keep, say twenty five tons of gunpowder in his premises, is to his next neighbor an objectionable tenant, whom he would gladly see evicted upon any pretence. The owner of a scabby flock is such a tenant in respect to his neighbors. Our correspondent thinks that a -ruuholder ought to he protected against a careless interpretation of the Act, against any declaration of scab unsupported by the presence of the scab acarus, against the lasting damage done to his sheep by being branded S, which brand would remain after the disease was cured ; and he especially desires to have the appointment of the inspectors vested in the County Councils, subject to the approval of the Governor, and subject to his power to dismiss an incompetent officer, or anpoint extra inspectors if required. These are matters of detail which need discussion and ventilation.

Tin-: Honorable Hoani Nahe, the native col- , league of the Premier, has recently been taking action, on his own account and in the interest of his native friends, at the Thames, by interfering with the Government purchase of the Aroha Block. Very unfavorable comments have been made in the local newspapers, in which the proceedings of the Native Land Court were reported, respecting thfa proceeding of the honorable gentleman and of Mr. Taipari. It appears that Mr. Nahe has been defending himself with much naivete , and seeing that he had, as he says, by his own vote been able to oust the Atkinson Ministry and to establish Sir George Grey and Mr. Sheehan in office, he thinks it hard that he should bo prevented from doing a little business for himself when there was a favorable opportunity. We call attention to a leading article from the Thames, Advertiser of the 24th July, which wo have reprinted elsewhere, in which Mr. Nahe’s defence is given. The Hon. Mr. Sheehan hastened to the relief of his colleague as we see, and assured him that both Taipari and he were at liberty to act as they thought fib in the matter, even if the Government should be a loser thereby. “ A majority of one” has great privilege, and R is always gratifying to see merit acknowledged and rewarded. Peaceful relations must bo “at last" established with the native race, we should think, when a Maori <sau boast that he lias by the strength of his own vote ousted one Ministry from office, and set up another in its place. Our exchanges to baud do not contain Reihana’s letter ; it is no doubt a curiosity, and we shall take the first opportunity to produce it. 1