PROVINCIAL WORKS.

Daily Southern Cross, Volume XIV, Issue 1018, 31 March 1857, Page 3

PROVINCIAL WORKS.

To the Editor of the Southern Cross. Sir, — Knowing you to be a well-wisher of this Province ab well as myself, and desirous to have the public money laid out on roads and improvements for the good of the Province at large, (which evmy honest man knows is not the case at present) I think you will agree with me in thinking the sooner the public money is placed in his Excellency the Governor's hands the better, to save the Province from bankiuptcy, and from waste of the public money upon useless worksfor electioneering ends,and upon the payment of incapable officers. Here is one paid for nothing else but to write out useless tenders. Both he, and those who employ him, well know that no man dare take the tender for Queen Street Wharf; even under the altered specification. Only to think of advertising for 430 Totara piles 50 feet long and 2 feet 6 inches in diameter. I do not believe there is one of that length and size in New Zealand. All the services that that useless officer is paid for consist in writing impracticable tenders and walking Auckland streets with a roll of paper ii» his hand — every one ciying " therehe goes." It is worth any one's while to watch T. M-, another of the Half-printer's favorites, walking from house to house, and from shop to shop, first " yarning" with one and then anofher— enquiring what scheme is next best to get votes for his master, cursing the Member for the Bay of Islands, and the Speaker Mr. Bartley, (almost every word he utters an oath), until some of his own associates cry shame. But it is an old saying, "what can you expect from a pig but a grunt ?" The next useless officer is worse than all, that is A.ON., for all that is doing he is going round the Pensioner Settlements along with the Half-printer, canvassing for another election, telling the whole of the Pensioners if they return him again there shall not be one out of work that votes for him, as he expects a new election immediately, and the sooner the better— before the Electoral Roll is altered. But I am informed, by several of the most respectable Pensioners, that a great number of the Pensioners have dropped down to Mr. Dead Lock's false promises— seeing that he is now only throwing a sprat to catch a mackarel, and they are too old to be bit the second time. A good many of them tell me they were very glad that the " dead lock" was put on before that iniquitous bill was passed that Mr. Dead Lock and his Executive brought forwardto give the rich man six votes to their one. If I am not troubling you too much, it is worth one's while, as I lnvc done, to take a walk to llobson's Bridge to see the uselebs work that is being carried on — ten tiinijs more harm being done than good, Certainly there is no icar of their doing any very gieat amount of harm or good, for all the wbik they do in a day a lazy man would do in his dinner hour. But the bust of it i* there is actually an Oveisecr. of the name of Mr. — , over the two old men there employed. If theie is not some alteration shortly in spending the public money, I do not see what the place is to come to. I remain, Sir, A AVell-wisheu ot Auckland. 2Glh Maich, 1857. /'*