The Wairarapa Daily. SATURDAY, JULY 16, 1887. GOVERNMENT JOBBERY.

Wairarapa Daily Times, Volume IX, Issue 2649, 16 July 1887, Page 2

The Wairarapa Daily. SATURDAY, JULY 16, 1887. GOVERNMENT JOBBERY.

Ministebs of most civilized Governments notoriously befriend their supporters in preference, to their opponents. This : is.;.but.':human nature, and a man does not cease to be human when he becomes a Minister. But such preferences among Governments with the faintest * pretensions to ; hones : ty are shown openly, and even depraved Governments.,- generally : exercise tneirpolitiqal patronage with some regard'to '-.the .public- interest. All other things being equal we see no just reason why Ministers should • not bestow their places on deserving men friendly, to'their policy. The peculi--1 arity.of the Stout-Ballance combination, however,'..is that they have always professed to be utterly superior to. even this- semi exorcise : of ;; tfio 'pnvilegtes-.'.af power. : .-Thegentleman named /have,always draped •thMseives in the; white robes of perfect political.chastity; have always declared they took-.office to "save "their-'country."■-; Th'oy possessed, by their own account; all possible excel.knees','hut'if ono jewel in the diadem of virtue was more radiantly .lustrous than another, it was their pearl of perfect purity of motive. Of such selfsubscribed paragons we have a right to demand incomparably moro than' of meaner men. But,.what have we found of these Bayards, who declare themselves without fear or reproach 1 Wehav'o found their administration befouled by,'some'of the gravest scandals; even with, their lofty protestations ringing in .our ear'swe have been sickened by their jgn.ob}G practices.' Tho country stood aghast'at tHeir childish quarrels, and', to see the timo which toiling men .

paid for wasted in exchange of passionate, but puerile personalities. Tlie country blushed to perceive that : thd political portraits of these men; portraits linned by.themselves,in all the warm tints of probity' and-:inde-pendence, revealed 1 beneath the paint

and padding, the skeleton fingers of greed and avarice clinging with the tenacity of death to.place, to power,

arid to' emolument' ■ The Ministry have just been accused of tlie grossest jobbery of which .they; have , yet been guilty. It is true .that ''the mere pecuniary interests involved are, compared with the Stark and other similar imbroglios, comparatively small; but the principle involved is largo and important, and if, as there is.reason to suppose, there are coi'responding scandals inthe-almimstration of pur Public Service riot'.ye't disclosed, it is indeed time, the ,fcountry should declare that Ministers, who/so wrong it by a scandalous .perversion, of. tlioir functions, should.•never'.'- again hold

any office of trust in New "Zealand. Mr S. E; 6. Vickers, .for' 24' years an . officer'■' in the Native'.!. Department, writes 'to the.New Zealand 1 ' Times : of yesterday,'- • stating • tli.at"'Jie ; ■ Lag-' been discharged; from the Native Department, by order of'tlie. Native Minister, on the ground ol" necessary retrenchment,"' -The letter of dismissal contained ■ the thanks of the 'Government for the " long "-and faithful ;servico" (24 years) of Mr Vickers.:' It is almost needless, to say tliat this gentleman has always beendistinguished for his zeal and capacity

and his intimato acquaintance with the affairs of his;department. Howeveii who can complain,of necessary retrenchment? and so poor Mr Vickers had to accept his conge, arid start life ..on' his own account,' after- a service of a quarter.of a century,"as hest he might.; But, mark the outcome! ■The' -salary of Mr Vickers- was; £3OO 'pet annum, and the fact of his discharge and the'having of his salary was telegraphed .throughout thel.colony t Here'was'stern' retrenchment indeed I

There was,, however, something aibf telegraphed. • In place 'of Mr Vickers five subordinates were taken on, and ther salaries aggregate £874 per annum. Thus, instead of retrenchment, \yehavo an additional 'expenditure'of £574 a year, and instead of retaining the services- of an old; trusted, and tried official, wo have fivo now men pitchforked into his position. Who were these men ? were they persons having directly or indirectly political power, or at least the power of influencing votes? We will reply to this question as regards ono of the individuals. The person to-whom wo allude was oditor of a newspaper which attacked certain transactions withwhich the name of Sir Julius, Vogel was. alleged, to be connected during the session before last. The gentleman to whom wo allude is remarkable fonviclding'a vigorous and caustic pen,' which has been heretofore wielded' against the Government. It is reason-

able to suppose it will be. so omployod no more, Nor dbes : Mr Tickers halt at a statement of the injustice done to himself only.' He proves that the expenses of tho-Native Department b'avb enormously increased, that the savings, made by Mr Bryce have, been spoilt',' and the Civil List Native. Purposes' Vote extended by about £2OOO. The thanks of the community are due to Mr Vickers for having torn off the mask which concealed tho wasteful extravagance of these Pecksniffian

politicians. To point out anything, which telh against the Government is to open .the floodgates of their supporters scurrility and abuse. We tear neither, and will continue unflinch,ing;ly to exppse these gross instances of jobbery, and''will feel sure that our readers of overy shade of political opinion will eventually thank us for. so doing... We care not which party is in powor as long as that party ; has for leaders honest statesmen,