GOVERNMENT EXERCISE OF PATRONAGE.

Auckland Star, Volume V, Issue 1485, 13 November 1874, Page 3

GOVERNMENT EXERCISE OF PATRONAGE.

WELLINGTON. (From our own Correspondent.)

~ , _, .. , This day. Madame Goddard will arrive in Auckland about the 10th of December. MrHalcombe, manager of the Fieldin* block hauls the editor of the Post over the coals for his stataments regarding the treatment of Government immigrants, per Douglas, at Foxton. Mr Hakombe denies all the insinuations and «harpes made, and says it is not the first time he has been compelled to give that journal the lie direct. The editor retaliates by heaping live coals of sarcasm on the head of Mr Halcombe, and sticks to all he stated before ; also twits him about sanctioning the opening cf a public house at Fielding.

The next mayoralty election is exercising the minds of a great many. The latest move II « Ji n. g a multiPlicity of candidates into the held m the hope of getting a new man. An old Wellington settler who has come out a second time in the Star of India describes the Government immigrants as a fine well-behaved body. It is wonderful what becomes of all the new arrivals. There are no idlers in town, and no unemployed are to be seen in the country districts. The Court of Appeal business, so far, is only of local interest.

The Post condemns the mode in which the Government have conducted their investigations into the working of the Friendly Societies by entrusting the work to a young man named C. G. Knight, who has no actuarial experience, save what he picked ixpin the service. He says he got £300 as bonus for the work. The article concludes as follows : —" In addition to this, and to enable Mr Knight to qualify himself for duties, the performance of which he has undertaken for the past year or two, the Government has sent him home to study as actuary and pass the Institute of Actuaries. Mr Knight of course continues to draw full pay, and all his expenses are borne by the Government. We need not comment on the facts we have stated."