The Daily Telegraph SATURDAY, MARCH 22, 1884.

Daily Telegraph (Napier), Issue 3954, 22 March 1884, Page 2

The Daily Telegraph SATURDAY, MARCH 22, 1884.

At the eleventh ho\ir, and not till then, tho expediency of retrenchment has forced itself on the attention of Ministers. We may :be sure that the necessity is less deplored than tho circumstance that it has fallen to the lot of tho Premier to carry out its behests. Major Atkinson's strong , point is his ability to spend. He lias more than onco asserted that the government of the country could not bo more economically administered. It has fallen to his lot to devise ways and means by which it can bo done. Ministers propose to dofine the public departments by Act of Parliament, so that it shall no longer be within tho power of any Minister or Ministry, either to create now departments or to appoint any new official. , ? of responsible standing. Rules ;is to admission to the service and promotion in the service, are also to bo laid down by law. The Christ-church Press is informed that tho Ministry intend to take upon themselves the responsibility of reorganising the Civil Service in accordance with tho requirements of this scheme, before the session; so that when Parliament meets, the House will have tho complete policy before them in a practical form, and will only have to decide the definite issue of whether they will accept it or not. We presume that the Government will make the adoption of the policy a Ministerial question. It is imperatively necessary that they should do so, if they seriously wish to carry it; for there will manifestly be many and wide differences of opinion regarding it; and if it is to be merely thrown on. the table to be done with as the House please, tho Government might as well save themselves the trouble of bringing it in. The Press is inclined to think they will have' no easy task to carry it even as a Ministerial measure ; but if thej r are defeated on it, they will, at least, have the credit of having devised c clear policy on a very important subject on which no other Ministry over ventured to make a stand.