The Lyttelton Times. TUESDAY, JANUARY 8, 1867.

Lyttelton Times, Volume XXVII, Issue 1888, 8 January 1867, Page 2

The Lyttelton Times. TUESDAY, JANUARY 8, 1867.

ti is not -Soften;.- that -we, devote" our: columns, to the.-discussion of any sub-; ■ject in/ which ; we.: are, privately■ interestedi iEvea, wiien'Very postal service of the colony was under discussion in the General Assembly, and. iwheffproposals were.made which have; ismce been.- carried /into / effect to jraise, :the rates of postage upon,/letters;-and; ■to/:levyVfor ; the- first : time arate;upon newspapers,'■',we;, purposely/ /refrained: ftoiri : expressing:/ ; any !: opinion ? or; from endeavburingito/tinttuence/the publicmind with regard to it.// Not, indeed, ..that our views agreed with those of the committee recommending the new rates, //We hold that as Vmere 1 matter of policy",; with the-view; of business and -increasing the/general interest; taken in';colonial 'affairs' ;.at ! home;:and■ elsewhere,. the expense! for postal service is ■ well incurred and 1 Mtens tenfold advantages tothe commawe/reqiiirei above alignings' ;as a/^colony: is;'that, the. inducements ;.oSered; iathese ialands for the/invest:, ment/af capital and for th/e.exercise of industry' : should " be';.prominently; : brought before-all classesi /of .society; 1 But., as ith was apparent that the subject: was intimately connected/withi our own private; inasmuch as' we are specially engaged, in;: labouring to hcrease; ; thase;facmtieß: and to provide that/information to which; we have res ferredi: we judged it best-not to; publish: Opinions which might .havejia. /interestediandthereforesuspiciouaiook;Other/journals did not hesitate to advocate stoutly the opinions/we have, no w stated,: and we left! the matter ito '■ their advocacy without affording torn any/support either directly//or;Jin/ 'directly..--'" .;:.;...., ■ ,; ■ ,'/ ; .^". : - ///Still there'- are^circumstances : in; : iwhieh, /may/be, those, of the public are" ;too; closely .bound up to, admit of. silence ; oji.our;; : job has been 'perpetrated /or a /ques-. tionable'. manffluvre /executed/in /any; department of *■ Goyernme^ :: Zworfc:br service,it becomes' our duty;: tq; speak out: even though;-our : shbuiJ/b/b directlymvblved in /the mattery : -^:////,!/;. /.'

It is under circumstances of: cisely; o w: ;call; public attention.to v the contract:which: has latelylbeen centered : into: between; tHe : Proyincial;oovernment of': bury;; and vMrJames Edward -)Wiia- . [ tne;' printing of!?official • 'documents during the current year;,:',; ; 'The'' gentleman whom ,we.;■ have :named:.haß, as our readers'were lately informed, accepted the office of. Gotnptrolkr.:bf> Public. Eevenues .for .the" General Gt-bvernment. The ; Actinflfcituting this office is very precise in ■prohibiting'the holder of, it ■ from be-, spying; any place,of profit; ;;orjauy political: appointment whatever.;';; The ; Comptroller is, in fact; a superior kind. ■pf auditor, is prohibited from holding appointments which might even have a tendency,;towards influencing,;(his v ' 6fficiaKconduct,and is provided with a salary.supposed to be sufficient to .do away with all excuse for seeking.any further source of income of apublic or semi-public character.;'C ; i> Now, if there be one : ,■ than;another ; by which men ;are' : ; sup-pbsed-to be liable to be brought under. ..goyernment is]iby holding government contraefcsif Or/if there be any circumstances /.under;; which ; it is Suspected that iaeri; may; unduly influ;being; ; connected '.tbgether:;i;as government; officers.and. government cpntractbrfv; We'think we;could bring even 'the high authorityptthe;i?m«;to bear. upon this point, by Quoting; from its columns ; : certain "boldly expressed opinions y about.; government;: .officers even the highest, and government con- • traet6rs'; ; in; the matter.; of; ;works; ' -''.HX.^ ,--, ,■: ■i ; :->-' : ; ,Btti-:what .-,'sfaatl .we, bay-when the i Government'officer arid' ; the merit contractor are one and.the same ;pers6ri? ;If that person;has; : to deal with two V.different Governments it ; makeittie matter, worse jand'it: is still more objectionable if the connection is established at a time'when a;yeryconsiderable Jealousy exists ~ ■between' the two Governments, and when the one isi rightly or wrongly, suspected of planning the suppression of'the; other. Such, ire precisely, the- ..'positions which the General•.: and";Prpvincial. Governments of New 'Zealand at present occupy towards each' 1 otheri ,If is scarcely seemly thatthe same;person should stand so peculiarly related to bothi. . ":''Cv ; i.^i^^;

V to ; ; the date jGrerald's.. letter announcing// his j. with--drawal from tho"representation /of Christehurbb, and that.of his letter to: the:: Speaker jpfJhe /House of Eepr/e' Bentatives,.he must; have acceptjed the of previously.?to /the'; {close/; /of/, /1866 and ; hefore ./:the: :commericemejit of his contract•• with// the'! Canterbury/ Governments for "/the/ /present/: year. By .his/ •acceptance ?; trollership/ he virtually/ {disqualified/ himself; {frpm entering'! upon .tbp; con-! tract; ;If;he -holds on, to/:.the .contract for. the/ProvincialGovernment.iprint- ; irig he .violates,.the terras/presicribed; for.the office which 'accepted.{'■ ;: '/ : ■■'■''.''//:■'■■{: ■s'../v.:/'':/■/■/',,. : /. ;Nowwe/do riot mean:tojcharge{;Mr /FitzGrerald.with an!intentional yiolatioavof the duties of'either/jen'gage;meni. Neither do;we believe that the ;two, appbintm/ents/were:-irig brought / together/ at ; ,,the : : the year, with the/view of Mystifying :tho dates 1 upoii/which the actual

duties ;of each office were coinmenced. We : 4re 5 rather .inclined to regard of.,cirof which he himself: :<M ;not; clearly perceive, and;whic ; h;lesa;scrupulouß'adnserß did '// Sfcillxthe: facta re'maiiisas we have. stated' them; v ;Two. incompatibleveagagemente. are entered into by, the same. :person,tb:be;coiiducted::contemp6rane-; ouslyvby;him. //Between, tlie two, a choice must 1 be; made i?and tlie- more speedily ; this.;' i 5.,./ done the better, ;for the Q , ufcieslhemselves ) ;whp:'ir implicated;- transac-. tionel ■ :...'.■'■:..'■';'. .".'■"■■':.■ o:-' :i