THE GOVERNOR'S ACTION CRITICISED.

Auckland Star, Volume XXVI, Issue 4416, 9 July 1884, Page 3

THE GOVERNOR'S ACTION CRITICISED.

(BY TELEGRAM. —OWN CORRESPONDENT.)

Wellington, this day. Regardi. a the appointment of Deputy Governor, last night's " Post" says:—" ' Somo men aro born great, some achieve greatness, and some have greatness thrust upon them.' The Hon. G. M. Waterhouso has achieved the greatness of being Premier of two colonies, the only instance of such a thing in the Empire we believe ; and now ho has had the greatness thrust upon him of boing made, if only for a month, Deputy Governor of New Zealand. We are fairly entitled to believe that this latter promotion must havo been thrust upon him, for it would scarcely bo likely that he would seek it; the more so as he bad apparently intended to take a trip to the South. Seas in the Wairarapa, leaving Auckland today. If Mr Waterhouso was as much astonished when the Deputy-Governorship was offered to him as most people wero when they heard that ho was to be appointed, he must certainly havo opened his eyes very wide indeed. He is no doubt a highly respectable, and in many respects able and useful, member of the Legislative Council, but thero is nothing in tho position which ho holds in that body to •juatify his being elevated, however temporarily, to a position which gives him precedence of the Speaker of tho Council, Sir William Fitzkerbert. The relative standing and public services of the two gentlemen are not to bo for a moment compared. If, for any reason (and only a very strong one could justify the step), the senior puisne Judge and acting Chief Justico was to be passed over, then certainly tho office of Deputy Governor should have been offered to the Speaker of the Council. Ho is not, as Mr Waterhouse is to a considerable extent, a party man, and his selection for the office could not have occasioned any political jealousy. In some of the colonies we believe the President of the Council holds a dormant commission as ActingGovernor, instead of "the Chief Justice as here. It may, we know, be said that some public inconvenience might have arisen if, with the Supreme Court already short of, one of its judges, and the usual quarter' sessions just commencing, the Acting Chief Justice had been called on to administer "the Government. This excuse, however, is a very poor one, as a very little arrangement would have alleviated all but the very slightest inconvenience. Even such a poor excuso is not available to account for the marked slight to Sir Wm. Fitzherbert, which is involved in the appointment of the Hon. Mr Waterhouse. When the new Parliament meets and Mr Waterhouse resumes his ordinary position as a member of that body, we trust steps will be taken to ascertain whether his temporary promotion was advised or approved of by the Ministry, or whether His Excellency selected his Deputy on his own responsibility and choice. If the latter, there will, of courso, be no more to say, but if tho Ministry is responsible for the extraordinary courso taken, the fact will certainly add another to the long list of offences on which thoy will be arrainged.'1 The " Po.t" further points out that amongst the powers entrusted to the Deputy there are nono under the Public Health Act, and that therefore although s.nall-pox is now known to be prevalont in Victoria, there is no one in the colony able to proclaim Melbourne an infected port or to enforce the necessary quarantine regulations.