The Waikato Times.

Waikato Times, Volume XV, Issue 1259, 24 July 1880, Page 2

The Waikato Times.

Equal and evirt justice to all men, Oi \vhatc\cr state or persuasion, religious or political. IJerc shall the Pres,s the People's right maintain, Hnawed by influence and unbribed byg.iin.

SATURDAY, JULY 2J U 1880. ♦

We are in receipt of the Hansard report of the speech delivered by Mr A. Saunders, M.H.R , on the 12th instant, being a defence of the report of the Civil Service Commission, of which he was chairman. Although they have a general reference, Mr Saunders remarks are mainly directed towards the South Island Commissioner of Railways. It will be remembered that the report dealing with the Civil Service contained some very serious charges against various officers in the Railway service of the South Island, on the grounds of extravagance, confusion, and irregularity. Since its publication, the report has passed through a most fiery ordeal, and has been vigorously attacked not only in the House but throughout the length and breadth of the Colony. For this the Commissioners have themselves to blame. The report was, we think, an excellent one, but its tone lacked firmuess and decision, and this deficiency has been of more assistance to its detractors than anything in the report, per se, which may have been out of harmony with established fact. The Commissioners stated at the very outset that they had enquired very superficially into some branches of the Service, .and had gone exhaustively into none. They- were probably prompted by conscience to say this; but in the light of the conclusions arrived at, and to which utterance is given in. the report, such an admission was a fatal one. The Commissioners'' investigations, it is more than probable, were of a very hasty, though we should say pot a,perfunctory, nature. But, it'is very much to be regretted that they allewed themselves so far to be influenced by conscientious scruples as to say anything at all about the matter. To our mind the report bore internal evidence of its having been drawn up by men who had put forward every effort to inform themselves on the subject '^hey had undertaken to deal with,' and who were actuated simply by a desire to reduce the enormous cost of the Civil Service. The task of coping successfully with

so^tgwiliPan opponent, would not, wo think, have been undertaken without misgivings, even by a veritable knight of Arthur's Table, and the Commissioners must have been aware that they would inevitably bring down a hornet's nest about their ears. They ought, there-; * f orortohave^rmed themsel vcb~coih* pletely, and not leave any vulnerable part exposed as they did. ..The re-pPi'tu^-RP^ l^ °A or about the 18th of June, and on the 2 3rd of the same month Mr Conyers, the South Island Commissioner of Railways, fovwardgd' ttiost extraordinary letter to the Minister *for Public Works, which Mr Oliver, ' with' the leave of the House, laid on the table. . A cursory perusal of the letter would most surely leac\ on^ to suppose that every charge in. the report had not only combatted, but overcome. It is only by a careful examination of ' document,: ,< in conjunction with the report, that' the ingenious character of the former v can be seen, language, it has been "said, was given to us to conceal our thoughts, but the use to which Mr Conyers has put it is to conceal the thoughts — or, more properly, the meaning of the Commissioners. By interpreting the report according to his pleasure, occasionally introducing fresh matter into it y he has foifght merely his own bogies ; and it cannot be wondered \f he should seem to have conqured them. In the first place he affects to assume that the whole and sole purpose which animated the four Commissioners was that of, an attack upon him. Mr Conyers is apparently greatly incensed at this, but when we see to what excellent use he turns it, we are almost tempted to believe that it is a _ matter from which he had received much secret satisfaction. He runs over a list of charges against the Railway Service, and dismissed 1 them with the remark that, although this, that, and the other might be utterly wrong, it so happens that he had not " the remotest connection, with them." The few things which he acknowledged as belonging to himself he takes peculiar care to justify and defend. The impression therefore left upon the partially informed mind is that the Commission brought an infinity of accusations against a man, the majority of which did not in the least apply ; while those that did have been substantially refuted. If people come to regard Mr Conyers as a deeply injured man, and the Commissioners as a wicked set of ogres, eager to devour everybody, it is only because they have only read the ambidextrous performance of the former, and have disregarded the report rsf -the latter.- For in truth all the , charges which Mr. Conyers appropriates and so jauntily rebuts, were not by any means brought against him. They appear to have been brought forward with a view to show that there have been great abuses in the service from its commencement; and the Commissioners took the liberty of suggesting that, as these abuses had not been removed, and, according to his own evidence, could not well be removed, this gentleman should give place to someone possessed of the ability and judgment necessary to clip "the enormous and growing expenditure connected with that, in common with all the other branches of the Civil Service. The circumstance upon which? Mr Conyers lays the greatest stress, and upon which lie bases liis- highest, claim for protection against what he calls the attacks of the Commission, is that since he has been in charge of the Middle Island the demands of the grain trade have been much more successfully complied with' than before. He says : — " I. shall now be " stating- matters witliin the know- " ledge of" persons whose business " brought them into connection " with the railway, when I say that, " on my appointment to the charge " of the Middle Island railways — " when I was first transferred to " Christchurch — a standing diffi- " culty annually recurring was the " block of the grain traffic Many " Christchurch merchants warned " me that, coming from the South, I " had under-estimated the difficulties " of the grain season, and should " break down. The same gentle- " men can vouch for the fact that " no such breakdown ever occurred. " System and regularity were intro- " duced. Each successive grain " season has been worked more " easily than the preceding, and this " year, with a heavier grain crop " than ever before known in this " Island,, the produce is being car- " ried, without jar or difficulty, " with greatly increased despatch " and economy. I do not claim " personally the credit due to the " success of each detail \ but I can " fairly claim to fyave organised the " system under which these results " have been produced." Mr Saun- [ ders, however, somewhat upsets the claim here made by stating that since Mr Conyers' accession to his present office the number of trucks has been increased threefold. As the carriage of grain or any other merchandise is after all very much a matter of rolling stock, the value of Mr Conyers' great power of organisation may bo seen at once. If we have gone thus far into a question apparently of little moment to this portion of the Colony, it is not without an object. We have likened the Civil Service of this Colony to the monster Frankenstein ; but Mr Saunders has supplied us with a happier figure than this. He says that it is a standing army, while the body of the colonists is only an unorganised rabble. The Civil Ser-

vants, mirancalry Ssr6ng, «ge much bettor informed on' the subject of the Colony's affairs than their neighbours. When therefore, they are attacked, they are not -unprovided : with the means of defence, and we may depend that all the influence at their command will be used to the titmoat-to resist- those reforms which .the attered circumstances ' of ., the -Colony .demand. The letter of the South Island Commissioner, who lias assumed the position of leader^ cannot be regarded otherwise than as a note^ of defiance. Its tone is lofty and contemptuous, and certainly does no, become a man in the writer'sjpTJsition.' We ard not* lovers of " Government by Commission/ r but we fail to see how the task, which has to be done, can be better accomplished. In any case, if we have Commissions we must be prepared to accord their results a just consideration, and we ought not to be led away; by, the outcry • which an interested, pampered class is sure to raise.

The Hamilton Rifles are certainly 'unlike any other body of Volunteers in the Colony. How they have kept together so long, and turned up at their parades under such disadvantageous circumstances is a mystery. They are evidently men who love Volunteering for its own sake, or else they are actuated by a patriotic resolve to be always in a state of readiness to defend their homes. It is certain that they receive very little encouragement from those whose business it is to look after them. Ever since the organisation of the corps, about twelve months ago, the men have continued without uniforms and with very indifferent arms and accoutrements, notwithstanding that the Government promised to provide for them. It cannot be expected that the men will continue to keep up their spirit under such depressing circumstances. Everybody must know that with ordinary mortals the uniform is a great attraction, and combined with good management it is the most powerful > means of maintaning the efficiency of a corps. It must be remembered that so long as the men have to drill in mufti so long will they be deterred from participating in those military displays, which give such a zest to the movement. The Hamilton Rifle Volunteers are the only ones, so far as Aye know, who are placed in this unenviable position, and the sooner the Government sees its way to improving their condition, the better will it be for the Volunteer service in Waikato. 1

In Victoria Mr Berry has ousted the Government of Mr Service, and „th:e .$o - cafte4 » liberals " of the New Zealand Parliament have been pleased to send him ' a congratulatory telegram. There can be no possible objection to the gentlemen who form that party signifying their individual appreciation of Mr Berry or anyone else ; but we hope they do not intend by so doing to signify their approval r»f the policy which MiBerry has been for years endeavoring to carry out. None but a truly Liberal Government can ever hope to command a majority in this country, because here everything is merely tentative and Conservatism would mean nothing but obstructiveness. But we think there is a great and marked difference between that Liberalism which seeks to advance the prosperity of the country, and that wild spirit which is only satisfied by change, and which is known as Radicalism. We much mistake the temper of the people of this Colony if they will ever consent that those safeguards of our Constitution, the Legislative Council and the Governor, shall be removed to be replaced by a beggarly rag of republicanism. The history of the last Parliament has shown us how far it would be safe to trust the destinies of the Colony in the hands of the Lower House, the members of which, elected during times of high political and fanatical excitement, represent very little else than their own particular interests. We yet hope to learn that the telegram was sent, not from a political party as such, but by a few gentlemen who happen to be members of our Legislature, and who are numbered among the personal friends of the present Premier of Victoria.

The example which has been set by Mr Reynolds and Mr McDonald in presenting trees to the Hamilton West School Committee might with advantage be followed by gentlemen in a position to do so in other districts. The schoolhouses in Waikato invariably present a bare appearance, which might be altered were a little consideration bestowed upon the subject.

The last remnants of the Land Court left Cambridge on Thursday laßt, when Mr Biggins' menagerie, with his majesty "Leo" took their departure for Auckland. The proprietor of this collection lias bad no reason to regret his long sojourn here, although one casualty in the death of a fine monkey took place.

Sergeant Sanderson, A.C., for some time stationed at Ngaruawabia, has been transferred to the provincial district of Marlborough.

A meeting of the general committee of the Cambridge Wesleyan Bazaar was held at the parsonage on Wednesday last. The English goods sub -committee reported that invoices had been received of a large variety of fancy and useful articles, toys, &c, selected in the London market for the bazaar, at a cost of nearly £100. Messrs G. E. Clark and J, Gane were appointed to take charge of and mark the articles on their arrival in New Zealand. The balance-sheet of income and expenditure in connection with the preparatory work of the past six months was read by the Rev. H. Bull, and adopted by the meeting. After the transaction of some detail arrangements the committee adjourned for one month.

TBlb Cambridge football team will leave Hewitt's corner at half-past 12 sharp for OhaNpo this morning, to try their strength against the combined team of jWaifla. The visiting team will comprise 'Messrs Moore (captain), Ring-, Mackintosh, Cotton, Kayll, Pillinjr, Rhodes, Graham, McKinnon, Hutton, Martin, Stubbing-, Norgrove, Morrisaey, McNeish, and Worrell. Waipa will be .repxesgfited by Messia Grieraon, Drabble, McFarhTno, Graham, Higginson. Box, Johnson, Hunter, Lang, Bodilly, Eogers, Gonnell, Thwaites, and two others. This is Cambridge's first Club match of the season, several engagements having fallen through. They now go abroad to seek houors, and, whether victorious or vanquished, it ia not likely to damp their ardor for this grand old game. Manly in its truest sense, in a physical point of view it exercises all the muscles and bringV the body into good healthy tone. It has its moral aspect too, as no qualities but those of good fellowship, good temper, good feeling, and pleasant rivalry are by right all allowed to be exhibited. The Cambridge team will leave, in one of Carter's coaches and four.

We learn that the well-known and favorite trotting stallion Merrilegs has been sold by Messrs J. ami A. Martyn to Mr George Bond, of Gisborne, and that he has proceeded to that district, where he will stand this coming season. Merrilegs is well known in Waikato, where he has a large number of very valuable stock. Since he became the property of the Messrs Martyn he has taken no less than four first prizes in Waikato and Auckland, making seven first prizes in all secured by him in this Provincial District. Verrilegs is by the imported horse Shales, imported from England by Mr Bernard j his dam being Duchess, imported by MrK J. Wakefield

Nothing much has yet been done towards erecting the bridges at Whatawhata and Te Rore. We believe the contractors are getting the piles dut, and, no doubt, the work will be commenced in earnest by the spring.

The Raglan road has felt the effects of the late wet weather, and is now in a very muddy state. We understand that the Public Works Department lias two or three men engaged on that portion of the road which runs over the range, who repair all damages as they occur. A few days ago the experiment was tried of using some of the limestone found in the vicinity for metalling the road. Although the state of the ground tells much against the experiment, it has produced a great improvement. We trust that witli the return of fine weather something more will be done in thi direction.

■The usual monthly meeting of the Hamilton West School Committee was held at the office of Messrs Whit.iker and Sheehan yesterday. Present : Messrs Gwynne (Chairman), O'Neill, McLernon, Yon Stunner, Knox, and Gr. Edgeoumbo. The minutes of the previous meeting were read and confirmed. A letter was read from Mr J. M. Murray, forwarding his daughters resignation as pupil teacher. The Secretary of the Education Board wrote intimating that Miss E. Davis had heen appointed pupil teacher. The action of the Boai'd wa* confirmed. Mr Knox reported that the out-offices at the school were in a very bad state. It was resolved to draw ths teacher's attention to the matter, with a request that he should see that the evil is remedied. It was stated by the Chairman that ho had procured a number of trees from Eureka, which had been planted around the school, Mr Reynolds very kindly sending them in for the purpose. He also said that Mr McPoriald, nurseryman, of Newmarket, had offered to send some trees up for the same purposp. It was resolved to forward the thanks of the Committee to Mr Reynolds for his present of trees, and to Mr Forrest for planting the same. Mr Knox drew attention to the bad state of the approach to the school near the Commercial Hotel. It was resolved to write to the Borough Council asking that this path and that in Anglesea- street be gravelled.

An emergency meeting of the Borough Council was held last night. Present : His Worship the Mayor' Crs. •Tone«, Mc(rarri}rle, Dcavis, Mullious, and "White. The Council having gone into Committee, the Mayor intimated that he had considered it incumbent upon him to call them together for the purpose of taking into consideration the state of the Bridge approaches on the West side, the late bad weather having caused considerable damage, and would soon cause the traffic to be stepped altogether. After discussing the question the following res>o. lutions were carried :— " That tenders be invited for building a stone retaining wall at the bridge approach on the West side." " That the Mayor, Crs. McGarrigle and Jones be appointed a committee for the purpose of conferring with an engineer on the subject of a retaining wall for bridge approach and getting specifications for same, and report at next sitting of the Council." "That, in furtherance of the foregoing resolution, the Mayor be autho-i-ised to submit the following telegi'am to the Colonial .Secretary : — ' The Mayor to the Hon. the Colonial Secretary, for reference to Public Works Commissioner. — Earthwork approach collapsing and threatening to stop traffic over Hamilton traffic bridge. Retaining Avail inevitable. £220, after paying interest on loan of €7000, left credit at Bank on special bridge account. Required authority of Auditor-General to devote this sum to purpose of building said wall. The District Engineer sanctioned the said earthwork in place of land spans in original plans of bridge to which this difficulty is attributable." The Council shortly afterwards' rose.

We are in receipt of Mr J. J. Millers' pocket pamphlet publihhed. in Melbourne. It contains last season's principal performances of all horses nominated in the Hawkesbury Handicap, Sydney Metropolitain, Melbourne Cup and Champion. The compiler of the little book, Mr Miller is from his long experience as a Turf Commission Agent well qualified to speak on the matters touched therein. A list of entries for the more important events in Australia, together with an account of "remarkable performances ' ' in racing 1 trotting, pedestrianism, billiards, &c, ia added to the pamphlet.

A cablegram from London, dated Saturday, announces that the oricket matjh which was commenced on Thursday between the Australians and eighteen of "Wernett Club, at Oldham* in Lancashire, was concluded to-day, and resulted in another victory for the Australians, in one innings with 21 runs to spare. The Australians in their first innings scored 119 runs, McDonnell being- the highest scorer with 53 runs. The Wernett Club in their first innings scored only 38 runs, and, being 81 runs behind their opponents, they had to follow it. In their second innings they wero all disposed of for 60, and the Australians thus won the match as stated. In the first innings of the Wernett Club Spofforth took 1 1 wickets. The wicket was very dead. The attendance of the public at the match each day was very large. The Australians have now played 18 matches, 13 of which they have won, and the balance (five) drawn, mostly in their favor.

Support Local Industries. — Messrs, Ridlor and Dalton, Kiwi Mills, are producing the best of flour from Waikato grown wheat. For prices, see advertisement in first column, page two.— [Advt.]

Mr Macgregor Hay's large circle of friends will learn with satisfaction that he is rapidly approaching convalescence . The do otord think that in three week's time he will be nble to resume the duties of his large practise.

Tm. first annu.il meeting of the Young Men's Christian Association, Cambridge, will bo held in the Oddfellows' Hall, Cambridge, nc\t Tuesday evening at eight o'clock. Thh second of the scries of social gatherings in connection with the Church of England, Te Awamutu, will take place in the Public H.ill, Te Awamutu, on Tuesday e\ening, 17th August, at half-p.ist se\en. Ovi. of the "NVaikato Times' apprentices has dropped a pound note out of his pocket. The finder will be rewarded on returning it to this office. Mr Chitty, of Hamilton, has four choice dairy cows for sale at calving. Tk\diißS are invited for building a bridge (labor onlj-) o\ cr Heather's Creek, on the Alex-andra-Newcastle main road. The Cavalry Band Concert and Ball, at Te Awamutu will be held next Tuesday evening. Ti.ndi.ks for supplying material, constructing bridge, and forming approaches in the matter of the Kohore Bi idgc contract, are invited by the District Engineer.