The Southland Times. TUESDAY, NOVEMBER 19, 1872.
Ne"W Zka.la.nd, next to the United States, may be regarded as the paradise of professional politicians. The facilities which the political sysrem of the Colony presents for the cultivation of this form of native industry would furnish one of our numerous emigration agents with excellent material for a lecture, to be delivered in any of the manufacturing towns of the old country. The opportunities for entering on the career are numerous, and have been ingeniously multiplied to the utmost possible extent by the fratnera of the constitution. Nowhere else, we believe, are constituents more confiding or Jess exacting. No candidate possessed of the necessary qualifications Deed despair of success. Ability to read and write, and some acquaintance with the elementary rules of arithmetic, are all the artificial accomplishments which are required, although the last is not absolutely indispensable. To these must be added certain natural endowments, which, though rarer perhaps, are by no means uncommon — a pair of good lungs, to wit, fluency of speech, and unlimited assurance. "With such a stock-in-trade, and sufficient energy of character, the political aspirant may start on bia career with every prospect of success. It is by no m< j ans necessary that he should be a man of high moral character, or scrupulous integrity. Such a characteristic, if not kept in careful subordination, might prove rather disadvantageous than otherwise. But there are many ways in which a man may earn an honest living by politics, without reoortiu^ to cApiidicutt* <_>!' ~n hazardous or questionable character. Three months' service in the Provincial Council ought to be worth uearly a hundred pounds to anyone who knows how to make good use o£ his opportunities, without even stretching a point. Then, as soon almost as the Council is prorogued, the Assembly ineetp, aud if our professional politician has been fortunate enough to secure a seat in that honorable body, he must certainly be deficient in force of character if he cannot make another hundred pounds out of it also. It may be said that there is nothing very extravagant in such a rate of remuneration, and that if the work is done as it should be, the money is well earned. With this view we most cordially agree. Two hundred pounds for six months' work is certainly not a prize to tempt men of a very bigh class into the service of the couutry, and in the case of many of our representatives there i3 no doubt that it barely covers the extra expense which their position involves. But there are other considerations" to be taken into account. "While it caunot be denied that there are men to whum the two hundred pounds alone would be no contemptible inducement to give up six months of their time annually to their country's service, we must not forget the prizes in the lottery. The total yield of gold in the Australian colonies, divided by the number of men engaged in its production, affords a much lower average than the rate of wages which these men would be willing to accept for any other kind of work. But the fascination which binds them to this special pursuit derives its main force from the chance of acquiring a fortune in an hour. And though this oau hardly be done in New Zealand politics, yet the career offers inducements of a somewhat similar kind. There are many colonists who would by no means despise two hundred pounds as remuneration for six months' work, even if there were no contingent advantages to be considered. But the possibility of exchanging this somewhat scanty pay ■ for an income of £400 or £500 a year, and a good social position, may be supposed to have even more influence in such cases than would be justified by a rigid mathematical application of the doctrine of probabilities. When we consider further that the sahry of a member of the Colonial Cabinet ia £1000 a-year, with travelling expenses, and that such a prize may certainly fall to the lot of any professional politician who pursues his calling with assiduity and prudence, the attractions of the career are considerably increased. It is true that to secure and retain such a position r quires a certain amount of tact and ability. But then no community would like to be governed by men who could not manage their own affairs Co advantage, and from this point of view the necessary conditions of success in politics as a profession need not be regretted. While it might appear somewhat ungenerous to point these remarks with anything like a personal application, it cannot be denied that.
t!ie T>rinc-iples ws have endeavored to illustrate appear to bays bpen thorousHy uaderstond by the three Superintendents who held office in the lato Stafford Ministry, bat wisely declined to relinquish their Provincial appointments till the close of the session. By that time there was evidently no reason why they should do so. Mr Donald Retd. not beine; a Superintendent, but only a ."Provincial Secretary, Jinble to be dismissed by the Superintendent of his Province, who unhappily was an adherent of the opposite party, was not ao fortunate ; but he certainly vindicated his reputation for prudence by avoiding the Quixotic magnanimity of a voluntary resignation of his Provincial emoluments. Ha has iudeed been offered h'i9 old position again, now that he is no ! longer a Colonial Minister, but the quantity of humble pie which it would have been necessary in the circumstances to consume appears to have proved an insuperable difficulty. From a perusal of the correspondence we cannot help coming to the conclusion that Mr TJ,Er'> did not treat the Superintendent wiih sufficient courtesy in the matter, and the justification which he made of his conduct in reply to His Honor's offer to reinstate him should have been made before the dismissal was consummated. But the independent tone adopted by Mr Keid in the early stage of the correspondence may possibly be accounted for by the fact that at that time he had two strings to his bow. Another member of the Provincial Executive, Mr Bathgate, having been promoted to a higher sphere, theremainingthree, not apparently enjoying, by themselves at least, the confidence of the Superintendent, have been invited to resign, but this they seem in no hurry to do. The result will probably bo that m one m\y or another we shall have a new Provincial Executive, which may last at least till the Council meets. We shall then no doubt have further opportunities of studying the admirable working of the Provincial system. In the meantime, notwithstanding' the pathetic appeal of the Otago Daily Times to Mr Donald Keid, to resume his old office at whatever cost to his own feelings, as the interests of 70,000 people were involved in his decision, we imagine the 70,000 people raay be content to believe that their affairs will be reasonably well managed by Mr Tolkte or Mr Turnbull, if either of these gentlemen accept office in the new Executive.
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Southland Times, Issue 1665, 19 November 1872, Page 2
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1,176The Southland Times. TUESDAY, NOVEMBER 19, 1872. Southland Times, Issue 1665, 19 November 1872, Page 2
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