THE DECLINE OF COURTESY.

Lyttelton Times, Volume CXIV, Issue 16138, 15 January 1913, Page 8

THE DECLINE OF COURTESY.

Perhaps Mr Massey, who is now touring the North of Auckland district, has some good reason for iterating and reiterating his assertion that the Reform Government has abolished patronage in the Civil Service. Perhaps he merely realises with the ancient philosopher that " a thing is never too often repeated which is never sufficiently learned." "But if the Prime Minister persists in implying on every possible occasion that purity of administration began with his assumption of offioe sooner or later he will provoke a retort that will not be altogether courteous. Hints at bribery and corruption may have been permissible enough during the election campaign when they seemed to be the . only weapons of attack on which he and his friends could lay their hands; but now that he has had the run of those precious "pigeon-holes" for six months he ought to be giving us specific instances of ministerial impropriety instead of still, relying upon vague innuendoes. What does he mean by the abolition of patronage of which he is talking at large during his present tourP Surely he cannot expect even the simple folk at Dargaville to believe that the Reform Government has made fewer appointments to the Civil Service in a given time than the 'Liberal Government did. It has had more opportunities, and on the whole it has used them wisely, hut in mere numbers it has broken all the records. If we wanted to make unpleasant suggestions ourselves we should not lack for material. But this is not our purpose at all in referring to Mr Massey's unfortunate habit of casting jinworthy reflections upon his predecessors. We want to see the practice of fighting political battles with ■ discreditable weapons discontinued. When Mr Ballanoe succeeded Sir Harry Atkinson on the Treasury benches he did not think it necessary to be continually implying or stating in round terms that the electors had discovered his virtues just in time to save themselves from disgrace and disaster. In the House of Representatives he rebuked those members of his own party who wished to cancel the appointments that had boon made to the Legislative Council after the Reformers had been defeated at the polls and his criticism of his opponents though strong and pointed, was always courteous , and fair. We would that "the politicians of to-day—those of all colours—would follow his very admirable example and join in checking the growth of a style of party controversy that can bring only reproach upon the country and upon its publio men.