The Waikato Times AND THAMES VALLEY GAZETTE. TUESDAY, JULY 24, 1858.

Waikato Times, Volume XXXI, Issue 2502, 24 July 1888, Page 2

The Waikato Times AND THAMES VALLEY GAZETTE.

TUESDAY, JULY 24, 1858.

Equal and exact justice to all men, Of whatsoever state or persuasion, religious or political.

From the factious opposition to Mr Withy's resolution which proposed to make it an in struetion to the Government that they shall, during the recess, reduce the departmental expenditure if possible, by ,£IOO,OOO, it is manifest after all that the people's representatives in the present House do not recognise the country's will on that absorbing question. The Government are willing to accept the responsibility of making further large retrenchments if the Mouse will strengthen their hands. The obstruction offered to the passing of Mr Withy's motion, together with the recent vote of the II ouse refusing to place the Legislative officers under the control of the Government, are not only perplexing to the Ministry, but will also tend to arouse the disgust and indignation of the people against Parliament. The real work of the country is seriously hampered by the insane conduct of the Assembly, and in place of devoting all their energies to removing glaring abuses and bringing the expenditure within our income, members are dancing round the question like naked barbarians filled with fiendish glee over some, tortured victim. They are frittering away valuable time, all of which costs money the country can ill afford to spare, in party tactics. For the sake of' perpetuating a scandalous abuse, which originated in late years of gross maladministration, under the sickening plea of preserving their Parliamentary privileges and so-called dignity, the Government are deliberately prevented, by representatives of a people crying aloud for reform and economy, from effecting a great saving, and putting • an end to the payment of large sums of money to the biggest drones in the Public Service. The Legislative Department is not only overgrown, but the officials whilst under the control of the Speaker, draw salaries ranging from £000 a

year for performing duties of only throe or four month's duration. The remainder of the year is spent in idleness. Although it has been demonstrated, and very generally admitted on all sides, that reductions can be effected in the Legislature, Civil Service, Railways, Education, Police, etc., to the extent of two hundred thousand or three hundred thousand pounds, that is to say, remodel our whole administrative machinery to fit it for the conditions of a country restored from lunacy to sound reason, wo very much fear the present session will end without one half of the people's desires and expectations in that direction being realised. If that is so it will, perhaps, be necessary, in order to save the country from national disgrace and financial] disaster, for the people to ask themselves whether the present system of representative government shall continue. A comolete change must be made in the personnel, of the Assembly, which should be purged of that class of men, at present so largely represented in it, who would let the country perish before their sullish petty interests and party intrigues are abandoned. The electors should begin to prepare their minds for the course of action they will find it necessary to adopt at the next general elections to secure true representation by men who will devote talents, time and energy to the country's welfare before all other considerations.