PROVINCIAL GOVERNMENT DIGNITY.

Auckland Examiner, Volume IV, Issue 277, 30 June 1860, Page 2

PROVINCIAL GOVERNMENT DIGNITY.

When the bailiffs worejn the Superintendent’s

office, it was disgraceful for his Honor and hisßj yeaeve U be forced to be sitting companions to ed bums. So soon as these unple-,, ders were sent away; and t he m ? < been settlod by Judge Arney, i not return, Mrs Slipslop labored h( : y «>nli :to clear the government of the odi„ m aSSl<iD *lv up as much. as possible its t a rn& d .M by proclaiming to the world that u had not a legal claim. There happened just about tint ther small affair, in which the i a »t WaS CqUall y c °ncern c da. •, Of J the Bailiff case. A public officer ,, U his public duties, and uneeremoncon.l in gaol, because he was unable to n J six pounds (£6), the government time being indebted to the said offi hC Sam « amount of sixteen pounds p “Jttlebird” got wind of it, the f “'f man’s case was laid before the publi ° rl " D ’ l ' ment dignity was again tarnished Thence to this case Mrs Slipslop tefe '< -claim of the officer, and all thef acls were too true and too clear 'obe d i explained away by Slipslop- SoDhi Wot government supporter seeing bow A and not reh'shfog this exposure, qui ced the money and released tbeoflp ” 11 ' was afterwards taken to task f Z !* e things to proceed things so f out making his case known to some ’J of the government. Shortly after th' our auctioneers had a small debt owin'L° M government put into bis hands for °F was under twenty pounds (£2Ol pr ■ ' Yons were to sell for what woX''", 1It would have been sold by auction ac 2 ' ly had it not been short of the person who could not then be'found ■got to the ears of the government 3 “ heard no more of it since. I’erL? ’ e friend came forward in this instance IS the dignity of the government. ' “

In this day s Examiner appears an tisement from two government contractor f faring for sale government securities 7 have finished their contract, and re'ceX certificate of approval from the officer in e J ■of the works. They obtained the conlntZ public tender,, on specified conditions that fe would bo allowed- to draw while the work /• going on., and to receive the balance W after its completion, The would have been down on the contraotoisH they failed in the performance of tbeirew, The work has been done, bat the contract have been kept out of their money, Cisq and Simpson fully expected to be paid« once—they made arrangements with ife various creditors on-that understanding T|» could not meet their creditors because tfej could not get paid themselves.. The dignilj of the government suffered here very sereteb, Ten per cent, on the whole-amountsincilb 24th of April is what was reoominendcd bjtb Finance Committee—which fecommenta was adopted by the Council- This wl done by the committee as a fill' mcasittj justice to contractors. Double or treble lb amount of percentage, if you will,.and m then these men have been very unjustly I® oI by tlie government. Not a word al«t t'icir money beir-g kept back, or ofreciiiitji percentage was in the written contract. T»j knew nothing of this till they had completd their work, and got their certificate. They ti-, fer from breach of con tract. They arejiiill eititled to compensation. What is tea M cent, when compared with the ai.xiety,sssfei| and disappointment these men bare is! fered in reference to transactions nilblfei creditors. The government would not hareffl t'ie work done for some hundreds 1s than it was offered to bo done lj . ther contractors, if Casey and Simpson M not felt confident at the time that the j>wa ment would perform its share of the batji. The Finance Committee rccecmemied ll)[« cent, on the debts as a general principle—f** not to palliate or screen the gore*® 1 from their disgraceful breach of coni® l. We would advise all contractors to deiaini” future that the government producerespctli-® and suitab’e bond, before they sign anj tract. They might find pure honoring zens, if there were nona in the government. 1 would give us much pleasure to hear that® 1 * friend had stepped f rward ai d paid fe l men their demand —to preserve govennW dignity ! I OFFICIAL RESPONSIBILITI. Voltaire accused Rousseau of about truth and virtue that noWrg what truth and virtue were. ' , # not altogether unjust. OU , SS !k e si dwell upon the beauty of truth ‘ J limit.y of virtue, but we defy any o ' from his writings an J uo , conf yjJ re | l iii one or the other. Indeed, a: sardonic impertinence to. read bis eloquent t ' ec ’ amat ' On .‘v p . f i| e rdi* l virtue without beingmuch lte ill I enlightened by it. In hke I ourselves far I'ess enlightened tha " by what some of our first clas p about responsible government- (i , | Let no one suppose that i - I plain a matter there can be a os iiiiaS | nor difficulty, for such simp s | incompatible with sctt ed /' C .|’„i ) |)inioiio| 1 lustrative of settled foct:aie ■ time to time enunciated by Ke ■ done for responsible govenunerj iii|iar , ■ assures us Rousseau du o.fj B A Scotch divinity studen , f H tient enquiry into the uat “X ff so B that after all there was not'' b fIJj S ■ virtue! What we are able » I I Cat about the politically nnOj ponsible” is that after afi ■ anything so responsib e a 1 .H Official responsibility sC d toPjB men elected to govern arc sup L ref I for the good of the governed- act0 |P ■ able failure, as well as ev y ■ administration, they she .. _ er vant*>P > ■ answerable. arc I by all just means to promo k ■ The prime minister ■ tire policy of his a {’ llll , n , lS . l] j sW er f« tlie ,s H each department sll0 “ d Jtinent o'*' ’ I management of that dep , H Pr SGatandh fe quite different do p ct " H J at is their responsibility- Re G have r man, and hed C-. s . lllie way ‘ 1 ministers responsible 1 , olis ible M , viu cial Government ae « I bi „ e ™ illegal appropriatin'. ( 1 rdh. .JH says Posttmaster Gene K of ■ whatever to do with the

.„„ nr dine to his idea, making the holder of a ftular office, such as the ofiiee held by Tan--ed responsible for postal mismanagement, or gleet, or dishonesty, is absurd. According nC ° lir idea, no office should be merely titular,' t 0 office holder should be irresponsible. We "ould have responsibility direct, honest, uniW sal think that all concerned in the of public affairs should be made to render periodical and strict account of their stewardship.