WEAK AND CLUMSY INVENTIONS OF THE ENEMY.

New Zealander, Volume 13, Issue 1133, 25 February 1857, Page 2

WEAK AND CLUMSY INVENTIONS OF THE ENEMY.

The organ of the factious opposition which has so long obstructed the progress of our Provincial Legislation, has discovered a now grievance against the present Government. The Keeper of the Public Slaughter-house and Pound at Newmarket lias been informed by tlic Superintendent, it appears, that his services will be dispensed with at the end of the present month. 'The said Slaughter-house keeper, it would further seem, did not vote for Dr. Pollen ;i r the late Suburban election, although "warned that he bad better" do .so. He "has since been discharged ;" and it is added, " it is easy for the Government to say that the vote was not the cause of this discharge, but it will be difficult for them to obtain belief." Doubtless it would be difficult had the ex - Provincial Secretary the appointing of the jury to try the Government; but, happily, ids own journal supplies the most satisfactory contradiction to this alleged ease of political persecution.

11l the fourth column of the second page <>f the Cross of yesterday, the third from the bottom of the page, appears an advertisement from the Superintendent, announcing that tenders will be received from "persons desirous of leasing the Public Slaughter-house at Newmarket, for a period of one year." And on turning to the Estimates laid before the Council by the present Government, we find that no sum was put down, as had been the case before, for the person holding such appointment; while we further learn from the advertisement, that information as to term-, amount of income, &c, may be obtained at the Superintendent's office. From these facts it is quite clear that, in carrying out the necessary work of economy and retrenchment, the Provincial Government came to the conclusion that there was no need to impose upon the Province the cost of the Slaughter-house keeper's salary when the Province had so many other demands on its revenues : and that there was sufficient inducement to parties to tender fortius place, just as persons bid for turnpike toll-gate-gin England, seeing that there is an income to be derived from the speculation. The Government, therefore, would not have been justified in paying the Slaughter-house and pound-keeper out of the Provincial fundi when the fees would furnish him with a fair remuneration : and though his "services" are "dispensed with by the Provincial Government" in the light of a salaried officer, the letter notifying that fact in no way precludes him from tendering for the lease of the Slaughter-bouse if he thinks well so to do.

These are the simple facts of the case —thi> is the how and the why the present Slaughterhouse Keeper of Newmarket has been " discharged" by the Provincial Government. As for the party in question having been ••warned" that he had better vote for Dr. Pollen, we do not believe any such thing ever happened—unless the warning were given, as we do believe that certain alleged personations were concocted, by opponents of Dr. Pollen, in order to give a colourable pretext for a "cry" against the present Provincial Government and its supporters. The leader of the minority and his followers have shewn by their conduct in the Council and out of the Council, that they are adepts at contrivances of this kind. Our opinion on this head is borne out by the following paragraph, in which we have more of this Mfltruth-telling by implication: —

"Where will this end? The Province has already been deprived of Mr. Porter, the treasurer, and Mr. McCain', two of the most ciricknt officers in the serviced—the former one of the oldest in tin' Colony. Messrs. Mason, Simpson, ami others—-officers thoroughly acquainted with their duties, ami capable of carrying on the works—have also been got rid of to make room tor electioneering partizuus." It i> tine that the Province is about to lose the services of .Mr. Porter—ami we much regret that such is the fact; but it is not true that the Province has been "deprived" id* those services, as i- insinuated, in order to put some "electioneering partizan" of the present Government in his place. Mr. Potter quits the service of the Provincial Government of his own accord to return to that of the Genend Government, with which he was formerly con-

nee! -J. and by which he will doubtless be more suitably remunerated than the Province, in its present position, can afford, or will probably be able for some time to afford to do. J{r. Porter, we feel sure, has not complained of any ill-treatment at the hands of the present Provincial Government, for he knows that the economical measures resorted to by them are dictated by stern necessity. With respect to Mr. McCabe all that it is necessary to say (and without at all impugning his official abilities) is that his services were not recpiired any longer; that, therefore, it would have been an act of injustice to the Province to keep on an officer for whom there was no actual necessity; and that his place has not been filled up, any more than has the unnecessary Inspectorship of Police at the Bay, which office was created by the ex-Pro-vincial Secretary for the behoof of the son of the Speaker of the Provincial Council. With respect to Messrs. Mason and Simp, son, also, we shall merely remark that their offices in connexion with the Board of Works have been dispensed with on the score of economy as well as of public expediency. For a great deal of the unpopularity which attached to them as members of that Board, we firmly believe, they are indebted to the dogmatism, incapacity, and political manoeuvring of the ex-Provincial Secretary; and we, therefore, refrain from again referring to the proceedings of that Hoard as a justification of their not being con . tinued in the employ of the present Government. But surely, as regards the late Provincial Architect, the circumstances connected with the Government House Inquiry, and the course taken by him in so long refusing to attend before the Committee, should have led the ex-Provincial Secretary to have abstained from citing Mr.Mason's ceasing to hold office as a matter of complaint against the present Government.