The Evening Star. PUBLISHED DAILY AT FOUR P.M. Resurrexi. FRIDAY, NOVEMBER 23, 1883.

Thames Star, Volume XIV, Issue 4645, 23 November 1883, Page 2

The Evening Star. PUBLISHED DAILY AT FOUR P.M. Resurrexi. FRIDAY, NOVEMBER 23, 1883.

The Press of the Colony has—as a whole —used its utmost endeavors to point out the flagrant abuses existent in connection with the administration of the Civil Ser* vice, and the strong denunciations of the gross corruption existent in its management, which have from time to time been expressed has, we regret to say, only met with a partial success. We, amongst the number of those desirous of wiping out disgraces, have pointed out glaring, cases of waste of public money, and continued useless expenditure, but alas! without avail—the evil is much top strong. The present expensive machinery used to govern this small colony has been pointed out so frequently that mere reference to it seems but dreary reiteration, yet the sore remains, and although budding legislators, while on the hustings, promise that they will " see to it;" they—well, we suppose they do see to it, and use their little patronage in getting friends •' planted " in snug billets, as their predecessors have done before them. The last stir in the direction of civil service reform . was a spasmodic sort of attempt, made in an abortive kind of way, last session. In all sincerity—as Government promises are always made—Ministers promised to curtail expenditure, and all but indicated how various savings were to be made. It was hinted, but not stated, that a great saving could be effected by the amalgamation of offices, by the abolition of— only partially recognised—sinecures, and by placing unnecessary officers, which should be removed, in positions to be created. This sort of "rubbing down the back " was accepted by the House, and they had no doubt, of course, that the political promises would be kept, as such pledges generally are. We find since the session, however, that the neat little patches of sophistry used have been used with effect, and that their result is, as is generally anticipated in such cases, a barren, one. The most recent illustration of this is the newly made appointments of Trustees in Bankruptcy for the colony. Instead of abolishing some of the useless offices now existent, and appointing the holders of them to the newly-created appointments, as should be natural with those having a desire of saving revenue, reducing colonial expen-, diture, and utiliaiug the material in hand to the best, advantage; we see several highly remunerative " billets " granted to persons, doubtless most estimable, but who h&ve no claim whatever on the

Government, and less claim on the people. The only way of ' accounting for their appointment is that most abused "patronage." Over £2000 a year might have been saved by removing ornamental serrants from Sjate departments, and placing them in positions where they might be of some use, but this opportunity has been neglected. It is only natural that a certain amount of dubiousness should attach itself to promises mado in this direction in the future, and that a very small measure of reliance should be placed upon any assurances given by people, who it is perfectly well known have not the courage to carry out what they, in the wildness of their honest imagination conceive, but in the realisation of (heir corrupt existence find impracticable.