The Telephone. PUBLISHED EVERY MORNING. GISBORNE, SATURDAY, JANUARY 26, 1884.

Poverty Bay Standard, Volume I, Issue 50, 26 January 1884, Page 2

The Telephone. PUBLISHED EVERY MORNING. GISBORNE, SATURDAY, JANUARY 26, 1884.

Undkb this heading, the Wairoa Guardian expresses the “ digust and indignation' 1 of the settlers on its part of the East Coast, “at the recent refusal of the Government to grant the prayer of the petition for an overland mail-service here and Gisborne.” It sets forth that “ the petition was signed by over %00 of the leading settlers and principal men—including high Government officials—of Poverty Bay and Wairoa; it was strongly recommended by the various local bodies in both districts; and, finally, it was backed up by the member for the district. Yet, in the face of this unanimous and wide-spread testimony in its favor, the Postmaster.

General at once puts his veto on the project, and states, in reply, that the time has not arrived for the establishment of such mail-serviee.” No doubt “ the time has not arrived”—in the opinioa of the wily PostmasterGeneral—for granting the request of the petitioners, and we can hardly endorse the remarks of our contemporary that in making “ such an unwarrantable assertion, he displays discreditable ignorance," feeling as we do that the sin of omission in this case

is simply caused by wanton disregard of the interests of the East Coast. That remarkably-talented “ Minister” is acute enough to understand that he must satisfy the cravings of the cormorants who can bring much pressure to bear upon the Government, and he ia loath to part with even a crumb of the pickings from the Ministerial pie to a

district that has no great weight in the political field of battle. It is notori, ous that both the Wairoa and Gisborne districts have been wantonly neglected so far as the distribution of public funds are concerned; while those parts of the Colony in which a clamor can be raised by the “ representatives of the people” have received the lion’s share of the favors dealt out by unscrupulous office-seekers. The Government has had a difficult game to play, it is a case with them of retaining office at any price,-the most unwarrantable acts have been perpetrated by the worthy associates on the Ministerial benches, and how can it be expected that impecunious hangerson to the emoluments of office will turn a thought to the requirements of the district that has no influence to bolster the worried conclave up in a position for which Nature never intended them ? Be charitable, good Guardian, and withdraw your charge of ignorance against an Oliver, who, may-be, has a great struggle to make two ends meet, although permitted to

dip his fingers into the Ministerial pie. The worthy associate of a motley congregation of place-hunters has, no doubt, often, “ put in his thumb and pulled out a plum” for pressing friends, and it cannot be expected that the official pie will serve to satify the cravings of Tom, Dick, and Harry. Our friend Oliver may in his simplicity, exclaim, “ What a good boy am I,” and “ lay the flattering unction to his soul” that his little movements are not generally understood ; nevertheless, all “ saints ” are not, like Cwsar’s wife, above suspicion, and it requires no very keen observer of human nature to gauge the consistency and justness of the actions of those political mudlers who have managed to keep good men out of office. Our contemporary assigns, as a few of the “ grounds in which the petition was barred—-the number of settlers living between the two places who would derive direct benefit from the establishment of the proposed mailservice ; as a means of opening up the extensive area of Crown lands border-

ing on or adjacent to the inland road ; and otherwise as an additional inducement to settlers to take up the back country in the vicinity.” But, it forgets that such conditions have but little weight with the Ministry now their term of office is, it is to be hoped, nearly expired, and that the most reprehensible act of meanness would pass current in the struggle to retain office at any price. In conclusion the Guardian mildly puts it thus ;— “ But taking into consideration the

establishment of the Wairoa-Crickle-wood mail-service, which only benefits at the very outside some half-a-dozen persons, and for which £3O of public money, in the shape of an annual subsidy, is paid, in what light are we to regard the refusal of the Government to accede to the petition for the establishment of the important and much-needed service under discussion, which the former will not bear comparison with in any respect ? In the former case the interests of a few are considered, while in the latter case the interests of the many are ignored. If it is right to have a mail-serviee between Wairoa and Cricklewood, of how much more importance is it to have one between Wairoa and Gisborne ? It appears to us that the re-

fusal to grant a mail-service between the two latter places, after granting the former service, is a piece of blundering inconsistency on the part of the Government. Unless we are much mistaken, something more will be

heard of the matter next session.” Again we differ with our contemporary, —there is no “ blundering inconsistency on the part of the Government ” in refusing to grant the request made for a mail-service on i— —b — —-growm —unrae or procedure of the heavenly crew, and the settlers of the East Coast must rest content to await the sweepingout of the rubbish from the political arena, in which might, not right, operates on the “ helm of state."