The Patea Mail. Published Wednesdays and Saturdays SATURDAY, SEPTEMBER 11, 1875.

Patea Mail, Volume 1, Issue 44, 11 September 1875, Page 2

The Patea Mail. Published Wednesdays and Saturdays SATURDAY, SEPTEMBER 11, 1875.

While those who govern ns are kept in a continual state of party strife and struggle for political existence, there seems but little chance of a reform which is quite as much needed as the Abolition of the Provinces. Need wo say we allude to the greatly wanted reorganisation of the Civil Service of the Colony, which has by degrees grown to such dimensions as to constitute an intolerable burden and tax upon the industrial and producing classes of the

country. The civil list at present numbers 5,250 members, to support whom a very large yearly appropriation lias to be made out of the revenue of the Colony, which is drawn from the pockets of all within its limits. M r e do not complain of the Civil servants being over paid, as wo hold the opposite opinion, hut we do think that there are at least 1,500 of these State-supported individuals who might be struck off the Civil list and allowed to help in the work of developing the resources of the country. And as each immigrant we land on our short's costs ns at least £3O taking everything connected with his introduction into account, it will readily be seen that besides saving the very large yearly sum hitherto drawn by these 1,500 Civil servants wo should' throw into the labour rnnrkot of the Colony a body of men with a fair share of cob ival experience, who to put it fairly, would be quite as useful in the work of colonization as 1,500 new chums imported at a cost to the country of at least £40,000. This is perhaps a novel view of the case, but we contend it is a logical one, and one which will commend itself to the general reader whose yearly income is called upon to contribute to the maintenance of a large army of officials,, for many of whom no proper amount of employment can bo found in the positions they now fill. While some Civil servants arc over paid and underworked, there arc others under paid and over wrought, and who go in year after year workinglike mill horses, and maintaining an unequal struggle of keeping up appear ancos, for a Civil servant must keep up the dignity of his position. Wc see married men with large families, holding offices, calling for both continued industry and no small amount of ability, who have to pay their way on salaries varying from £l2O to £IBO a year. There is no hope for these men ; they have no future ; nothing hut a "wearisome straggle for existence; they are virtually slaves, as they arc fit for little else than what they now arc ; and yet we see parents moving heaven and earth, so to speak, to got their sons into a service where they will, as likely as not, sink into a slough of despond, from out of which rescue is unlikely. There must be something radically wrong when such a state of affairs as this can exist, and we unhesitatingly ascribe it to the overcrowded Civil list which renders promotion both slow and uncertain. If the Service were rc-organiscd and a better division of work made, those who really performed the labour could be paid proportionately instead of being, as at present, mulcted for the support of official drones, whom it is high time the political hive should bn freed from. It has been reported th t the Hon. Mr Stafford is likely to accept a position in the present ministry ; if he does, we trust he will carry out his oft-promised reform of the Civil Service. He is eminently fitted for the task, and will earn the grateful thanks of his country on its successful completion.

A communication, addressed to Mr Sherwood, received from the Hon. Major Atkinson, anent the petition forwarded by the settlers of the Patea district, urging that a section of the railway line should be commenced without delay within the district, has boon handed to ns for publication, which we cheerfully accord a place in our columns; but it affords no additional information to that contained in the communication received

by Mr McGuire several days back, and published by us. From our knowledge of the manner in which petitions are generally considered in the committeeroom, we were not surprised at the steoreotype reply recorded to our appeal, but we regret that a subject of so great importance to the welfare of every person, having the smallest stake in this district, should not have been considered in open House, and our claims asserted in no uncertain sound. The matter is now, however, quietly shelved, and in the mean time the loans are being exhausted in the construction of lines of far less importance than the WaitaraWanganui line. Every credit is due to Messrs McGuire and Sherwood in agitating the matter, but we sincerely trust that it will not be allowed to bo thus quietly disposed of. The followingis the unwelcome epistle : To G. F. Sherwood, Esq., Patca. Sm. —I have the honour to inform you that I duly presented to the House of Representatives, the petition signed by yourself and other residents in the Patea district, to the effect that a section of the railway line should be commenced without delay within the district. 2. The petition was referred by the House to the Select Committee for Public Petitions, by whom it was again referred for special consideration to the Public Works and Immigration Committee.

3. The latter Committee have now reported to the House as follows : ‘‘The Committee have examined the petition, and are of opinion that it would be highly inexpedient to interfere with the course, already entered upon by the Government, in the construction of the line in question, as compliance with the prayer of the petition, must of necessity add largely to the ultimate cost of the work, which is already in progress at cadi end of the line.” 4. I beg to assure you that full consideration was given by the Committee to the circumstances set forth in the petition, and I cun only express my regret in the interests of the district that their report should not have been of a more favourable nature, I shall be glad if yon will comunicato this letter to the other gentlemen signing the petition. I have the honour to be, Sir, Your obedient servant. 11. A. Atkinson. Wellington, September 4th, 1875.