The New Zealand Herald AUCKLAND, SATURDAY, MAY 21, 1864.

New Zealand Herald, Volume I, Issue 163, 21 May 1864, Page 3

The New Zealand Herald

AUCKLAND, SATURDAY, MAY 21, 1864.

si-KCTKMUn a(;kni)o. r.ive ovcry man thine cur, but few thy voire: Take each mail's rensnre, hnt reserve thy juilxmont. This above nil. —To thine niviistlf be tme ; Ami it must follow, iw tlio niirln tlie clay, Tlhhi canst not then be false to any man."

ills Honor the Superintendent has been making what in olden t hues would be called a progress" through the northern portions of the Province. The visit has doubt less given liiiu a good deal of valuable information oil a great many points that it was necessary for him to have in order to form a correct judgment, and come to a right: decision 011 numerous questions affecting the districts ill question which lie is constantly called upon to consider and give a decision respecting them. We may also conclude that his Honor's visit indicates a desire to seriously consider the wants of the outlying districts in a practical and comprehensive manner, and not let them constantly experience so much of that " hope deferred that maketh the heart sick," to which too many of them have been doomed. Due great demand evidently exist st hrough all these districts, and that is for practicable mails from the inland settlemenls to some outlet that will enable the residents to have tolerably easy access to a market for their produce. Another requirement of certain districts is the improvement of the harbour accommodation. Pmt the importance of every block of land having the advantage of "ood roads through and m connexion with it is so patent that we need not insist upon it; ami yet like a great many other plain truths and self-evident lacts, it has not had that attention paid to it which its importance imperatively demands. And we cannot but think that this " htissrt/ Jirirr'' system tliiit has liilherto been too much pursued is very detrimental to the best, interests of the colony. The question seems to have been looked at from too confined a stand point', and no comprehensive system devised, the parts of which being gradually completed, shall form one harmonious whole, each part dove-tailing into the other. The idea of tin.' Provincial Engineer accompanying the Superintendent was doubtless a good one, and a step in the right direction. J lis practical knowledge and engineering experience being thus at hand, would be of great value. But it cannot, and ought not to be expected, that a Superintendent can do more than p:iy a very occasional and necessarily hasty visit to the outlying districts ol' the Province: while yet it is necessary that he Should be frequently in them in propria persona, or by deputy. And as he cannot be so personally, it- is evident that ho inust.be so by deputy. .Now as tiie various queslions that-most nearly aflect the settlers in the country have almost all ot" them a direct reference to engineering works of one kind or another, such as bridges, roads, harbors and so forth, it follows that the best representative of the Superintendent to visit these districts, and personally investigate their requirements and necessities, and devise plans for supplying these necessities, is the head engineer of the Province. But the stall" of the Provincial engineer has been ridiculously small in comparison with the work that ought to be performed by that most

important department, and we venture, to sav, than has been performed by it. And the result in must necessarilv lie, that the head of the department, whose'time ought to be occupied in obtaining a tholough knowledge of the country and its requirements, both as to harbor improvements roads, bridges, and carefully maturing plans ot improvement in all matters, hitlers his time away in doing routine work that ought to be performed by a clerk. But surely this is false economy. The salary ol a subordinate may be nominally saved by it, but then the salary of a head ot a department is being paid for performing what would otherwise be done by t he subordinate under hissupervision, leaving ins mind free trom the constant worry and anxiety that attention to numerous details must: necessarily cause ; and enabling aim calmly U> examine the requirements of a district, and indeed of the Province at large, and mature plans that all converge to one centre, and are intended to meet the present and Inture necessities of the country. We presume this evil grew to such a mag nitiide that it was decided to appoint an engineer-in-chief whose sole attention could be given to the duties proper to such an olliee, That gentleman has lately arrived among us. A little time will necessarily be taken up in gaining necessary local information. At present the Taranaki bridge, is. we believe, occupying his attention, and there are a great many other topics of very great importance that require liis speedy and careful consideration, and the exercise of his knowledge and engineering ability. This new appoint incut of engineer-in-chief will probably necessitate some slight readjust men i o I'duties now performed bv ot fields, and it may be well therefore to suggest, that his duties, authority, and powers be precisely and properly defined. This will be placing both tiie engineer-in-chief and the heads of other deparlincuts of the public service each in their proper position to the government and to one another, and the boundaries of their jurisdiction being carefully noted, may prevent little jealousks and disputes springing up, that might be of serious hindcrance to tiie proper performance ot the public duties each tias to perform. It is also quite evident that as the situation of cnginci'i'-in-chicf to this Province is an exceedingly important and onerous one, his hands should be strengthened and the fullest assist a nee given to him in the exercise of his duties. llis capacity and ability to fill such an olliee, having, we presume, been properly and carefully sifted, bis hands should not Ik; tied behind his back with red tape ; and his decisions, emanating from a professional}"educated mind accustomed to deal with the subjects that will be brought before him, should not be lightly set" on one side, llis decision, in fact should be final, and from it there should be no appeal except on weighty and good grounds. Having thus laid down a few general axioms iliat are applicable, to ail such eaces, and the adoption of which will be found a necessity and a great public convenience in I lie particular ease under discussion, we will make a lew other remarks and suggestions of a practical nature, bearing on matters connected with the subject. It' we mistake not. new lines of road through un-opened up country, are now primarily decided by tiie contract surveyors employed by the land olliee department. We doubt whether this is (he best possible plan 1 lnit can be devised for securing, in all respects, the best practical road. \Y e rather think it is just one of those cases in which it would probably be better for this duty to be performed by an olUcer direct ly employed bv the Government .in the ordinary way. And we think therefore that the determination of the line of any road, as well as the const ruct ion of it, should be a part ot the duty of tiie Engineer in chief, and that he should be held responsible for it. Any complaints or dissatisfaction could then be sent to the proper quarter, and an intelligible answer be given at once, without any circumlocution or delay. 'The work would be both much better and much more satisfactorily performed when one head was responsible i'or it, and the necessity for reference to ibis, that, and the otherdepartincut and consequent delay was altogether avoided. Another advantage would be gained bv the engineer in chief having his department thoroughly under his control and management. A vast deal of correspondence thai now is addressed direct to the Superintendent. and that; takes up a great deal of his time in tin; considcrat ion of it, and in replying" to it, would naturally be addressed to, and disposed of, by tiie engineer in chief: thus greatly relieving the Superintendent ol mere routine drudgery, and giving him lime for the careful thought necessary lor the right fulliliuent. of bis responsible and stiliicicnt I v onerous duties, without this ex! raucous" work that appertains not to the olliee of a Superintendent of a- Province, but to the subordinates employed by hitu. This \ iew may seem somewhat; novel in connexion with Provincial matters, ami wnile we were a verv small community, the present system might perhaps be a clumsy way of answering the required purpose. Hut now that our population is expanding, and is likely to expand, we hope in a much greater rat io during t lie next ten years than it has done during the past ten, it is quite evident that our system must be changed. There must be a division of labour —and while the Superintendent ol the Province is the head and the lirst authority in Provincial matters, vet at the same time he must delegate the carrying out of details to the heads ol departments under him, whom he must hold thoroughly responsible to linn lor the title and proper performance ol all that appertains to their respective departments. Tins is, of course, the system universally adopted in cases where t here is a large amount of business to transact, and the extended adoption of it in the Provincial Government is now a necessity, for properly and satisfactorily carrying on the public uork. Aim there need' be no feeling that the power ot the Superintendent wili be lessened one jot by its adoption, any more than is the power ot Queen Victoria lessened by the existence of the same system in the Imperial Government..