Untitled

Lyttelton Times, Volume LIII, Issue 5917, 12 February 1880, Page 4

We all remember Colonel Harrington, whose appointment as Commandant of the Volunteers was abolished by the House of Representatives in a moment of economical resolution. The House said “No;” scratch went the pen of the obedient Minister through the item, and the Volunteers were in a moment decapitated. . The jolly face and ample figure of the genial Colonel were from 'that time seen no more in Southern circles, where they used to be periodically received with the heartiest welcome. We all regretted the disappearance of the kindly soul, and our gallant defenders no doubt mourned their chief and anathematised the cheeseparing Government in good suitable terms. - But their period of mourning is now over. A little telegram a few few days ago informed the public that the Volunteers of the Middle Island have got a head put over them again. Having lost their genial ample Colonel, they have been promoted to be commanded by a General —General Davidson. Who is General Davidson? When the announcement of his appointment was made, nobody seemed to know. Since then we have heard that he is a friend of somebody’s, that he is to have £7OO a year, and that Nelson is to be his headquarters. We wonder if this is true. At first sight we should say that it cannot foe, because the pure moral Government- would scorn to do anything unconstitutional for anybody’s friend; and it is unconstitutional for a Government to revive without authority a well-paid office declared to he unnecessary by the Legislature and abolishedWe might be inclined to think the story untrue for another reason, which is that it has not reached those friends of the Government who have printing facilities at their disposal. We might adopt this as a reason were it not for the fact that the noses, which once prided themselves on their faculty for smelling out jobs, which, in fact, created jobs by their keen sense of smell, have come to he stopped up by the plethoric habit which is promoted by Ministerial friendship. The silence of the Governmental organs is therefore nothing to the purpose. Is the story then true ? Has the pure moral Government then actually been guilty of conduct grossly unconstitutional and wasteful of the public money? We might forgive them if it had suddenly become necessary to concentrate the volunteer force of the Island in distant Nelson to resist the attack of some relentless merciless invader. But it has not been shown that there is any relentless merciless invader for a full-blown general to exercise his fighting talents upon. It can not even be shown that Te Whiti meditates an assault on Sleepy Hollow. If the story is true, we fear the pure moral Government has become a shocking backslider. Perhaps some of its members may condescend to contradict the story, or, if that cannot he done, perhaps they will explain how they have condescended to revive a totally unnecessary appointment, and pay a heavy salary, without Parliamentary authority.