New Zealand Mail. PUBLISHED WEEKLY. SATURDAY, JANUARY 11, 1879. WEEKLY BULLETIN.

New Zealand Mail, Issue 361, 11 January 1879, Page 14

New Zealand Mail. PUBLISHED WEEKLY. SATURDAY, JANUAR Y 11 , 1879. WEEKLY BULLETIN.

Ws last week commented at some length on the dislike of Ministers to (e the sober, “ plodding duties which are always await- “ ing them in the Government Build- “ ings.” Two days after the publication of that article Mr. Edward Wakefield, in an eloquent speech addressed to his constituents at Temuka, spoke strongly on the same failing of Sir George Grey and his colleagues. He said: —“ The Govern- “ ment has neglected the affairs of the u public to go on a wild goose chase after “ some theory or other. Our gaols are “ overcrowded ; our lunatic asylums are “ a disgrace; and our local institutions <l are all but in a state of collapse. But ££ what do we find? Why, that the Go- “ vernment, instead of attending to the “ large public matters demanding their “ attention, are meandering about all “ over the colony. There has not been a “ single member of the Ministry in Wel- “ lington, except the Colonial Treasurer, “ for some time past. The Premier, the ££ Native Minister, and the Minister for “ Public Works are in Auckland. The “ Colonial Secretary is, as is seen by tele- “ grams published in to-day’s newspapers, “ at Hawkes Bay, where he is said to be ££ taking soundings for a private harbor iC near his place of residence. Mr. Stout ££ is in Dunedin attending to his own “ private affairs, while Mr. Ballance is “ the only member of the Ministry in “ Wellington, and he does not know any-

“ thing about the requirements of any of ££ the various districts except that one in “ which he lives. I believe that that ic should be put a stop to.” We have quoted the above seuteuces because they go to show that our complaint is one which is • finding a strong echo in other parts of the oolony. ’ Matters have pretty nearly come to such a pass with regard to these innumerable journeyings that the country would be as well off if the Ministry merelj' drew their salaries, and left the conduct of public business avowedly in. the hands of the permanent heads of departments. Perhaps it would not be going too far to say that- the public would be great gainers by the change, for the permanent heads are intelligent, hard-working men, who understand the routine work of their respective offices, and have, moreover, a fair knowledge of the ordinary public questions of the day. As matters are carried on at present they are continually hampered in their action by the absence of their political chiefs, and not a daypasses without inquiries having to be made by telegrams as to the whereabout* of the Hon. Mr. This, or the Hon. Mr. That, in order that some simple affair may be settled without any great delay or inconvenience to some section of the public, which affairs, let it be understood, could be settled in five minutes if the Minister to whose department they properly belong were in his right place in the Government offices in Wellington. W r e say with Mr. "Wakefield, that that way of conducting the public business of the country should be put a atop to, aud we have little doubt that when Parliament again meets more than one hon. member will be very pressing in his inquiries as to the good done by these eternal wanderings, and the cost they have been to the country. Mr. Wakefied’s speech, judging by the newspaper reports, must have been an eloquent one. It was, as might have been expected, exceedingly unfavorable to the Ministry. The speaker said he gave Sir George Grey a firm and loyal support until it became fully apparent that all the fine promises of the Premier’s groat stumping tour were' destined to end in smoke. Even then he felt a difficulty in deserting them. He says:— c ‘Still, although I saw many thing* ££ going wrong, and saw that the members “ of the Ministry were only attending to ££ private affairs of their own, I thought “ they should have an opportunity of “ bringing in the measures they might ££ frame, and when Parliament met I was£C prepared to assist in any beneficial ££ measure, while, at-the same time, pre£C pared to criticise fairly. When those ct measures came down it was found that te they were mere shadows of those which “ had been promised during the recess, ££ and it was quite evident to anyone ££ with an unprejudiced mind that they £C were not in a position to carry out their ££ professions of reform, and that the real ££ object of Ministers was to act so as to ££ retain their seats, whatever else hap- ££ pened.” It was then that Mr. Wakefield went, as he says, boldly into opposition ; and notwithstanding all the mean insinuations which have been made by Government newspapers as to the hidden reasons for his defection, the country will be prepared to accept hi 3 own version of the facts, and to admit that his conduct was both honest and wise. The speech is far too lengthy for analysis in our columns, but it may be taken for granted that the Ministry will have no more consistent opponent than Mr. Wakefield during the next session of Parliament. In his opinion the country will demand a measure for the re-distribution of seats ; a dissolution will probably follow ; and the result will be greatly against the Grey Government. They will either hare to give way to better men, or bring in measures based on good Government and sound finance. That is Mr. Wakefield’s opinion. It is ours also, but we are sure that the present Ministry will fail to bring in these ££ measures based on good Go£C vernment and sound finance.” They have already been amply tried and found wanting, and the coming session will assuredly usher in the day of retribution.

The Native Minister is still in the North, and on the Bth instant arrived at Alexandra from Kihikihi. He was visited by several native chiefs, amongst whom were Tapihana and Tikia. There was the usual amount of speech making, and if we can judge by the Press Agency report of the proceedings, rather more than the usual amount of “gammon.” It must have been very edifying to hear Tapihana calling Mr. Sheehan “ the father” of the Maori race, and adding ££ Let your guid- “ ing of us be fatherly, for we are bad children.” But the climax was reached when Mr. Sheehan, in his reply, expressed his belief that the time was fast approaching when the principles involved in those great words—love and truth—would regulate and govern the relations between the two races. There has been some little talk in town duringjthe last week on the subject of the Thames railway, and the manner in which Sir George Grey has contrived to evade the clear provisions of the Railway Construction Act, 1878. Up to the "present

moment there are no properly prepared and specifications, and the Eugi-aaer-in-Chief has not given his certificate that the best available route has been chosen. All these little preliminaries are naa-de distinctly necessary by the Act, but the Premier has apparently paid no attention to them. Ugty questions will no doubt be asked on these points also when Parliament meets.