The Temuka Leader THURSDAY, OCTOBER 12, 1882. THE GOVERNMENT AND MR E. G. WRIGHT.

Temuka Leader, Issue 1016, 12 October 1882, Page 2

The Temuka Leader THURSDAY, OCTOBER 12, 1882. THE GOVERNMENT AND MR E. G. WRIGHT.

The portfolio which the Government have kept vacant for a long time has been offered to MrE. G. Wright, member for Ashburton, and refused by him. Mr Wright was not averse to besoming a Minister. On the conti ary, so far as can be inferred from the rumors which have been in circulation for some time, he was quite willing to accept a portfolio, but he wanted the one of the Minister of Public Works, and that the Government would not give him, hence the cause of his refusal. Of all the members of the House there is none better fitted for Minister for Public Works than Mr Wright. He is an engineer of considerable experience and ability, and has made a great deal cf money as a railway contractor, he has made the management of railways a special study, and has frequently made very interesting suggestions with regard to railway tariff while acting in the capacity of a member of the Ashburton County Council, He was also a member of the Railway Commission of 1880, and in that capacity gained a practical knowledge of the way railways are managed. His experience lias therefore given Mr Wright an insight into the working of the whole system, he understands it thoroughly, and it is not wonderful that he should, if he were to become a Minister at all, desire to get the portfolio which he knows he could manage with credit to himself and advantage te the colony. There is no doubt that the colony loses more than Mr Wright in this transaction. Had he become Minister of Public Works, the fearfully bungling way in which the department has been managed for years would have been altered, and a considerable improvement would, undoubtedly, have been effected by him, but our wise Government decided not to give it to bun, for what reason nobody knows. Mr Wright has been looked upon by every one who knew him for the past two or three years as the conning Minister of Public Works, and In's accession to that position was looked forward to with a hope that our railways would he managed by a man who knew something about them. There is not the slightest doubt but that there is not in politics in New Zealand at present, a man bettor suited for the position, and why the Government has refused to give him the portfolio he wanted is what passes the comprehension of the uninitiated. One would think that they would be very glad to secure the cooperation of a gentleman of Mr Wright’s experience and ability, and that one of the first objects of any Government would be to allot the various portfolios to the most suitable men. Mr Walter J. Johnston, the present Public Works Minister, is a merchant and landowner. lie has been a merchant all his life, and is the son of a merchant. How can he possibly know how to manage the Public Works department as well as Mr E. G. Wright, who has professional knowledge and education for the position, as well as actual experience of the department in more ways than one ? Mr Johnston might make an excellent Commissioner of Customs, etc. ; because of his mercantile knowledge, but he could not possibly possess that thorough knowledge 1 which Mr Wright has acquired by 1

actual experience, and, therefore, is not so well adapted for the position. Why, therefore, Mr Johnston could not have taken some other department, and given the Public Works to Mr Wright is difficult to understand. Mr Wright did quite right in refusing a portfolio of which he had no special knowledge when ho was refused the one which he felt he coaid fill satisfactorily. It speaks well for Mr Wright’s disinterestednes; it shows that he is not to be bought with a mess of pottage, and that the eclat and emolument attached to office have no allurements for him. The Government, however, hare found one ready to take anything that would be given to him. Mr E. T. Connolly, member for Picton, has, we are informed, taken the office of Minister of Justice. What Ministers mean by giving the portfolio to Mr Connolly, who has only one session’s experience of politics, is just as incomprehensible as their relations with Mr Wright. The constituency he represents is an insignificant one, he is only known as a lawyer, and cert only no one, not even himself we dare say, ever dreamt of his accession to office so readily, But it is very probable that he was found to possess an elastic conscience, and to hold principles which, like the Yankee, he could alter if they did not suit Ministers’ qualifications, which Mr Wright did not possess, and that that was the reason he was selected as a member of the Cabinet. But what could be expected from a Ministry with Mr Whita'-er at its head ?