"WELLINGTON.

Hawke's Bay Herald, Volume XXI, Issue 5000, 25 January 1878, Page 2

"WELLINGTON.

(prom our own correspondent.) January 17. " Reduction in the Civil Service " has long been a great, and for many years to come will be a great, rallying cry. It; would bo a difficulty to find a more delusive one, a bigger sham. Every Opposition will use it as a weapon wherewith to attack the Government, but directly that Opposition is changed into a Government, it finds that the cry is unfounded. In all the colonies there is alwaj's the cry " Reduce the Civil Service," but almost always, instead of reduction, there ia ex- ' •penditure. What is cut down in on© department, is added to another. Parliament last session ordered slight reductions, but it added an education department. Soon there will be a specially-paid Minister of Education ; already there ia an Under-Secretary, in the persota of Mr John Hislop, father of Mr Brislop, M.H.R., who so zealously supports the Government. A crowd of clerks will Boon be added, and the cost will soon, surpass the amount saved by reductions. The canard, that 40 clerks are about to be dismissed, is utterly absurd. Ad.di« tions, not dismissals, may be expected.

- Colonel Whittnore has reduced the expenditure in the military department by rwlucvng the number of officers and ■weeding^ in efficients. Colonel Monle's resignation permits a saving of upwards of £400 a-year, his duties being performed partly by Colonel Reader, and partly by a new arrangement whoreby the Minister for Defence slightly adds to his own duties. This is the sole foundation for the silly rumor that Colonel Whitmore meant to resign his neat in the Council and Cabinet to become permanent head of the military department. As Minister for Defence, he is head of the force, but the moment his Cabmet is forced to resign, he ceases to have any connection with it Colonel Reader, the :new Acting Undersecretary for Defence, :1s a good man, well fitted for the post. Mr Ballance will find the duties of Commissioner of Customs very light. It is the easiest of all the portfolios, the work being light and routine. The Undersecretary is a very able officer, and the duties of the Commissioner are nominal, j consisting almost entirely in frequently signing his name. As Minister of Education he -will of course have much to do. If Mr Ballance has really great abilities, hehas a fine chance of displaying them in this new department. Colonel Whitmore astonishes everyone by his power of working. He works with great speed and gefis an immense deal done in a very short time. He is not at all fussy, or in the least a muddler ; goes straight to the point, writes, very quickly, clear, and accurate minutes, and, unlike any other member of this or the late Ministry, gets through his work during office hours, and then finds plenty of time in which to enjoy himself. There are again rumors that a morning paper will be started in opposition to the JV.Z. 'Times, to be conducted in the interests of the Grey Government. Probably, any paper which backed up the (government would get but little support in Wellington. Moreover, it would cost :faany thousand pounds to successfully establish a morning paper. rThe Italian Opera troupe have drawn a succession of crowded houses, earning £200 and even £300 a night. The success m- of these and other " stars " in New Zealand will have the effect of inducing many more to come. The members of this troupe form a company, dividing the spoils ; some are entitled to one or more benefit nights — these are making nearly £2000 a year, which is an immense deal more than they could expect in Italy or elsewhere in Europe. Fancy a singer in New Zealand getting over £200 in a night, even though that night is a benefit ! The troupe will play for about 20 nights in all, and as an average night is about £200, they will get about £4000 in this town, which shows that the people are not paupers. ' Everyone expected that the Wellington cricketers would be easily beaten by the Christchurch team. In batting:, bowling, and fielding Wellington was wof ully weak, and, with the exception of Kennedy, not one of them was worth a place in a Christchurch team. A single innings defeat may be expected from the Australian team. The railway will this year be extended for Wellington as far as the racecourse, which will be a great boon, for hitherto it has been 2|- miles distant. If the weather be fine upwards of 10,000 people may be expected to travel by it. Kakapo, the great Wairarapa horse, has been taken from the shed this year and put into training. It is said that he can do the Wellington Cup distance in several seconds better time than the best in which it has yet been done. Ariel, Trump Card, and Ratcatcher are believed to have very good chances. . There has been a good deal of murmuring against Mr Travers, M.H.R. , because he is going home in a month or two, it was believed that he would not resign his seat. Mr Travers will resign shortly ; in fact, he has waited only for Major Pearce's return from England. Mr Travers really has at heart the ' welfare of Wellington, and never intended to keep his seat and yet be absent. It is highly probable that Mr Pearce will be returned unopposed. He is a capital member, and would make an excellent Minister ; indeed, two or three sessions ago he was asked to join the Vogel- Atkinson Ministry. Major Atkinson will gain a firm instead of a shifty supporter. The "Wellington people are particularly anxious to have both, their members in the House, because if there is to be a re-distribution of seats, Wellington might be unable to get a third representative unless both its members were present. It is nearly certain that Mr Bunny will yet be made Commissioner of Annuities or Commissioner of Railways. If this be so, Sir George will probably lose a supporter, because Mr Richard Barton would most likely succeed him. Yesterday, as usual, no water was to be had till the fire had burned half out, and then it was really interesting to see the brigades deluging some smouldering harmless embers. The water supply is stopped all clay, and as the water is turned on at a place just two miles from the fire, and it then must travel two miles, it is scarcely wonderful that the fire was allowed to burn itself out. Several recent fires have occurred, and no water was ready. The feature common to most of the fires is that they usually break out in old, tumble-down, or unfinished houses.