The Temuka Leader. TUESDAY, DECEMBER 30, 1884. THE CIVIL SERVICE.

Temuka Leader, Issue 1283, 30 December 1884, Page 2

The Temuka Leader. TUESDAY, DECEMBER 30, 1884. THE CIVIL SERVICE.

A few days ago a Press Association telegram informed us that the circular forbidding civil servants taking part in public companies’ meetings in which they bad an interest had been withdrawn. The circular was as follows :

“Colonial Secretary’s Office, Welling" ton, Ist December, 1884.—Sir, —The at" tenlion of Ministers has been called to the fact that public officers are in the habit of attending meetings of trading companies in which they apparently hold shares, and taking a prominent part in the proceedings. I am directed to inform you, and to request that you will communicate the information to all ihe subordinate officers in yopr department, that, however desirous Ministers are to encourage thrift in the members of the CivdService, they think that the ; practice of taking an active part in companies of this kind in which the intereslsJbf'merchants and others are concern* is not desirable, and is at the same time a breach of the spirit, if not of the letter, df the regulations for the conduct of the Civil Service. The Government hope that after this intimation the practice will be altogether discontinued,— I have the honor to be, sir, your obedient servant G,’S.'Cooper, Under-Secretary.” Now, did anybody ever hear of such a thing before 1 The meaning of this ts that if, for instance, our local Postmaster held shares in- the Dairy Company he should take no part in its proceedings at a meeting of shareholders. His money might be invested in the concern, hut he must not, because he is a civil servant, say one word, even if he saw things prejudicial to his interests done. We do not bcl'eve that it is possible,to find in the records of officialdom such a sorry exhibition of pettifogging senselessness. What is the meaning of it ? What good could it do ? It is right and proper to prevent civil servants from identifying themselves too much with politics, but it is neither right nor proper to debar them from looking after their private interests. And this is the great reform the great Sir Julius is working in the Civil Service, and this is how be goes about it 1 Really, it is hard to believe that any six or seven men could be got together who would agree to such a silly nonsensical proposal. The Government have found out their error—they saw the whole country laughing at them, they realised no doubt they were demoralizing the Civil Service, and they have withdrawn this circular. What a ridiculous position for them to be in ! Making regulations one day and unmaking them the next! And yet we are told this is a highly intellectual Government, a Government of distinguished capable men 1 We have not yet seen any of it. The fact is they are at their, wits’ end to see where they can effect improvement on the policy of their predecessors, but they find it difficult, and the more they try the greater the mess they make.

OUR LOAN IN LONDON.

We pubijsh a cablegram this morning which states that the New Zealand Loan has been badlv received in the London market. When Sir Julius Vogel took office he insisted upon making us believe that his presence in the Ministry would restore confidence ; and in the angry debate between himself and Mr Rolleston subsequently he urged that he had already improved matters in this direction. “ What you want is confidence,” was the whole burden of his song. “ Want of confidence is what is ruining the colony ; the Atkinson Ministry have destroyed public confidence.” Now, it must be confessed that the Atkinson Ministry negotiated loans on more favorable terras than its predecessors and that there was no evidence of want of confid ance in the credit of the colony while they held office. The loans they raised were subscribed for on very good terms but they went about raising them in a judicious manner. They raised the £3,000,000 loan on condition that it would be spent at the rate of £1,000,000 per annum, and no doubt the English money-lender considered that safer than the scatter-cash policy reinstated by Sir Julius Vogel. Another thing is the Sinking, Fund has been abolished. When Sir Julius Vogel made the abolition of the Sinking Fund a cardinal point of his policy, we pointed out that it was right enough provided it did not destroy our credit in the London market. It seems that it has, for, unless we make a great mistake, the abolition of the Sinking Fund has had something to do with our loan being unfavorably received. However, it may all turn out well yet. Cablegrams are not always reliable, and it is possible the loan may go off well. And even if our credit were stopped we are not sure that it would be a great evil. It would compel us to be more frugal in the management of public funds ; it would put an end to political jobbery ; if would purify politics ; and we should not be one bit worse off. Besides, k would make us more self-reliant. Years ago the great Republic of America wanted to borrow 5,000,000 dollars, but could not. Their debentures would not sell under any circumstances, and so they bad to rely upon themselves. They resorted to “ the printing press and (he bale of paper ” policy and issued paper money, with the result that ih’j have never wanted money since. It may be said that by this step the currency was vitiated, and that the greenbacks were the cause of a good deal of monetary uneasiness for a time. This is true, but yet the country dtr creased, instead of increasing, its debt yearly till it reduced it to a minimum, and astonishing prosperity has been the

result. From being the most heavily burdened country in the world, it has come to be the least so, and in a few years it will have no debt at all. As regards the depreciation in the value of greenbacks, it was the result of a mistaken policy. They were made a legal tender by Act ot Parliament, -and\they, were not payable on demand. This is eX&Ctly what reduced their value, but this we in this colony can avoid. Let us establish a State Bank, issue convertible notes payable on demand, anti they will be just as acceptable, as gold coin. If this is done we need never again borrow money ; if not our case indeed is gloomy enough. If London money-lenders begin to throw cold water oh our credit, and refuse to lend except at usurious rates it is possible our public men may open their eyes to the fact that they have the means of making money in their own hands, just as the Americans did. If the stopping of onr credit led to this we should not regret that confidence in our stability had . been shaken.

COLONIAL OFFENCES.

We have received from the Government Printer, in pamphlet-form, the lecture delivered recently by his Excellency the Governor on the subject of Colonial Defences. Attached to the lecture are lithographed plans of torpedoes and harbor defences of Various kinds, which show that the whole scheme has been elaborated with much care and ability. Like everything Sir W. Jervois undertakes, it is well done. We have hitherto opposed expending money on Harbor Defences on the ground that there was not the slightest necessity for it. It appeared to us that war between civilized nations was a thing of the past, and that so long as there was peace Harbor Defences were unnecessary. Recent events, however, seem to indicate

that we took too hopeful-a view of affairs. France has lately developed a -great desire to establish colonies, and so has Germany, and both powers seem disposed to look with covetous eyes on the Islands of the South Pacific Ocean, Thus they have not only chosen places which are in such close proximity to British possessions as to be uncomfortable, but also Islands which the British have long learned to regard as viitually, if not actually, their own, For years we have been talking of annexing these Islands, and it certainly cannot be very pleasant for us to look on whilst other nations are appropriating them as their own. Under these circumstances it is not at alb improbable that this colonising mania may ultimately lead to war. We sincerely hope it will not, but at the same time it is better to be prepared for the worst ; and on this ground we think that some money might bo very judiciously spent on Harbor Defences. The Governor’s suggestions come in very seasonably just now, and perhaps it might be as well to pay attention to them.