RETRENCHMENT.

Daily Southern Cross, Volume XXIII, Issue 3209, 29 October 1867, Page 4

RETRENCHMENT.

Suppose aland whose inhabitants arecomfortable and prosperous ; whose government is useful, yet simple ; efficient, yet cheap ; restraining the evil-doer, and protecting the peaceable and well-dinpoßed ; its legislation not extensive, but carefully drawn and well considered ; its officials of all ranks well, but not extravagantly, paid ; all active, upright, zealous, and civil ; each aware that misconduct will certainly and quickly be followed by discharge ; that no favour, no secret ties, will suffice to retain in office either the incapable, the unwilling, or the negligent ; where sinecures are unknown ; where jobbery cannot exist ; where the man who bargains to do this or the other for the publio has to fulfil his bargain as faithfully as if it were with a fellow citizen ; where honesty is respected and roguery abhorred. The dwellers in such a land may " rest and be thankful." Is such the happy state of New Zealand P Or is it not true that all our governing machinery is over-expensive, yet inefficient ; very costly, yet often valueless; sometimes mischievous, and actually injurious P From the City Board, who muddled away hundreds in blundering at roadmaking, and hundreds to that in law expenses, to the Government of the colony who squander tens, even hundreds, of thousands, there appears to be nothing but dissatisfaction. There is scarcely a branch of the public service but is charged, openly or otherwise, with corruption, jobbery, or partiality. All are epenly charged with extravagance. Nearly all are admittedly inefficient, by public consent, omitting only that of the culprits. Yet the colonists are expected to assert and submit to every new burden, and to acquiesce in every proposal made by those they l.aye chosen to be their rulers, and to place iaith in their assertions, on every increase of the public burdens, on every occasion of creating new berths, that it will be to the public advantage in thia or that way. Scarcely a year passes without some additions to the departmental expenditure, some new office created for this or that person. In 1856 our Government was admitted to be disproportionately expensive, but we were assured it would be equally effective for a larger population, without being materially increased, and consequently it would then be proportionately cheaper: our population has increased considerably, but our governmental expenses have increased in a still greater proportion. Those who uphold the existing state of things admit that our governmental machine is still inefficient, and propose the old remedy. " More offices : larger salaries. It has failed hitherto, but it will succed this time." We are told that our officials are overworked and underpaid; that they are miserable and halfstarved. Yet it is remarkable how eager people are to obtain office. It must be patriotism of the highest order that induces them thus ,to acoept martrydom for the public welfare, without even the comfort of knowing that their motives are appreciated, or that their conduct gives satisfaction to an ungrateful public— [Communicated.]