The Press. MONDAY, APRIL, 22, 1878.

Press, Volume XXIX, Issue 3975, 22 April 1878, Page 2

The Press. MONDAY, APRIL, 22, 1878.

Me. ELlkman is very persistent in his endeavours to bring about a system of

defence for liytteltoh. Hβ has addressed himself to the Government, to the County Council, td the Harbour Board, and to the Lyttelton Borough Council. Bnt so far it would seem that his efforts have not . achiey&l the success they deserve. Of fair words, plenty; of action, none: such has been practically the result up to the present. "We confess that we sympathise with Mr. Harman. He is, as we imagine, entirely in the right. And yet it is not difficult to understand in a great measure the. apathy with which his attempts have been met by the people generally. As a matter of fact, bis arguments aie perfectly true and unanswerable. We have here an enormous amount of property, a harbour quite open and easy of access, and scarcely more than the shadow of a force wherewith to repel an attack. It is undoubtedly true that if Mr. Harmans premisses are granted (as they must be), we are acting in a decidedly foolhardy way. Supposing England engaged in war, supposing the arrival in Lyttelton of a hostile ship, or ships, supposing a demand made for enormous ransom or the alternative destruction of property; it is certain that we should have to give in, and that our prosperity might be ruined for years. As for the pop-guns at present in our possession, and the few toy soldiers who now and then appear in our streets, it would be idle to imagine that they would avail much for protection. It is scarcely necessary for us now to enlarge upon these points, we have ere now done so frequently. Wo noeil only repeat that in our opinion Mi , . Harman is quiio right. And yet the indifference of the public is not altogether unreasonable or unintelligible. In the first place, there seems to be a general doubt whether England will sjo to war or not. As a rule the news from London is pretty evenly divided. On three days of the week, say Monday, Wednesday, and Friday, we get telegrams breathing fire and fury, and threatening battle; on Tnesdsy. Thursday, a ad Saturday, we get tele-

grams of a peaceable and soothing character ; and so the days go on with their oscillations and their uncertainties. It is scarcely to be wondered at that amid all these daily contradictions people should have but little faith in the approach of war, that they should believe that— The nations only murmur, snarling at each others' heels. Of course, a telegram may come tomorrow announcing an absolute rupture between England and Russia, but they bare cried " Wolf " so often that one is tired of it and sceptical. It is therefore hardly matter for wonder that there is not amongst us a feverish impatience and desire for fortifications, torpedoes, or soldiers. We are still, for the most part, inclined to look upon our danger as something certainly existing, but in all likelihood pretty remote. Besides, it must be remembered that the defenco of the harbour is a colonial, not a local matter. It would not do to fortify Lyttelton, and leave Dunedin, Auckland and Wellington unprotected. And for this reason, too, the people very naturally are not solicitous to put themselves in energetic motion. It is a very old habit of the inhabitants of Canterbury to place full reliance upon the Government, to lean npon the Government wherever it is possible. And in a matter of colonial interest it is only natural that the public should believe that their Government must be aware of the necessities of the caso; that they must, in their wisdom, foresee all chances, and that if they are not making any preparations, there is no great need for popular excitement or terror. We do not say that this notion is a correct one; we only say that it is natural, and that it accounts in a great measure for the indifference of the public. It would soem to be abundantly clear that there are very good grounds for the view which we have just alluded to. Beyond the usual stereotyped phrase that the subject is under the consideration of the Cabinet, Ministers have not as yet given any indication that they fear an attack on thß ports of the colony. If they have had the time to form any plan of defence, they have kept it very quiet, and have rather given the impression that the subject has not been deeply studied by them. We are inclined to think that no plan exists, even in embryo. Tho constant peregrinations of Ministers, and the necessity under which most of them have laboured of employing their time iv receiving deputations and promising unlimited favours, must have precluded them from turning their attention at all seriously to such a snbject as colonial defence. Mr. Ballance, Mr. Macandrew, and Mr. Sheehan are all men of peace, and moreover have other pressing occupations. Colonel Whitmore and Mri Fisher, more inured to war's alarms, might possibly have some crudo ideas on tho question; but it is more than doubtful if they can impress them on their colleagues. And the head of the Ministry has been so busy for some time past in stumping the country, in crying out, like the clown in the circus, "don't keep the "poor working man down," that he, of course, could not be expected to waste his energies upon anything so degrading as the protection of property in any shape or form. Consequently it may, we think, be taken for granted that there is no plan of defence as yet existing in the mind of the present Government; and, this being so, it is not to be expected that the public mind will be generally greatly exercised on the question. As we said just now, we sympathise and agree with Mr. Harmar. Wβ trust that he will, in course of time, succeed in his laudable endeavour. But we feel suro that ho must make up his mind to fight against an apathy amongst the public which is likely, unless rudely aroused, to last for some time, and which is, for tho reasons we have given, not altogether astonishing or unintelligible. Let us hope that the awakening will not come too late.

Majob Charles Heaphy, who for some years held the office of Commissioner of Native Reserves, is said to have been appointed Commissioner of Annuities, in connection with hie present office. The appointment has not yet been gazetted, and it may still be hoped Major Heaphy's excellent sense will not suffer him to bo betrayed into acceptance of an appointment for -which he must be aware that he is not at all the right man. To speak in any way disparagingly of Major Heaphy himself, regarded as a citizen of New Zealand, is very far 'from our intentions, and we are quite certain thatl any remarks having that tendency would find few, if any, sympathisers. Major Heaphy is one of the oldest colonists, and if affection for the colony is an element to be considered, is one of its best. As a professional civil servant ho proved himself a man of great energy and, so far as we are aware, a very competent surveyor. Of his military prowess, and the gallantry for which he received the Victoria Cross, it is unnecessary to tell New Zealanders. As a legislator it cannot be said that Major Heaphy was a conspicuous success, but neither was there anything to be said against him. Possibly, if he had adhered to parliamentary life he might with time and practice have developed statesmanlike qualities which remained unperceived during the short period that he held the seat for Parnell. As Commissioner of Native Reserves he at least succeeded in making a fair commencement towards establishing order, where previously confusion and uncertainty reigned supreme. Perfection in this work was, from the nature of the case, impossible, and will be, so long as native title is still in process of extinction, new reserves being made, and the surveys of native lands are not yet everywhere linked up to our colonial system Such are Major Heaphy's great merits and his just title to esteem in the colony. If we have omitted to mention anything which conld count in his favour the omission is unintentional

Looking then at all this array of excellencies to which one conld tho impartial observer point as marking the worthy Major out for a suitable Commissioner of Annuities ? It is no disparagement to the bravery which urges the rescue of a comrade from the enemy's fire, to say that that same bravery may well fail where all possible lives of citizens have to be taken from an insurance point of view. It is no detraction from the surveyor's ability to point ont that probable insurers cannot be calculated by magnetic bearings, nor can age, except in tho case of ancient spinsters, be regarded as a matter of angles. To such purposes triaugulation is wholly inapplicable, and for this work the trusty Dnmpy shows a ridiculous inaptitude. It can scarcely be necessary to elaborate our argument at greater length. But in conclusion we may say that if there is one department more than another in which thorough business training and great tact are required, if there is one department more than another with the administration of which it is

dangerous to play tricks, it is that over which Major Heaphy is said to be appointed. Knowing that this gentleman lacks these business qualifications, we cannot regard the appointment as a happy one either for Mm or the colony, and he will best show the real strength of his patriotism by not suffering this greatness to bo thrust upon him. Possibly he might become a better commissioner on the wholo than Mr. Bnnny would have made. But surely the field is not so narrow, or deserving men, friends of the Government, so scarce as to limit the choice to these two.