MAJOR GORDON AND THE GOVERNMENT.

Oamaru Mail, Volume I, Issue 309, 20 April 1877, Page 4

MAJOR GORDON AND THE GOVERNMENT.

(AtKSsfcuvt CV>rve'.-p©n<l<siiS of the " Daily Times.") Major Gordon, on receiving a testimonial from the Volunteers upon retiring from the command of the Auckland district, made a string at tack on the Government. lie said :—" Yon have alluded to a reduction in the Volunteer vote as the cause of my removal. This was stated to me to be the reason by tine Government, but I have good grounds for believing that no reduction atfectmg me or my appointment was made by the LegisEature. It v*as a convenient excuse to put forward for disposing *>f * >{le who was l»y no means so obsei'jttioti* to one of the present Ministers (the Inwdgratiott Commissiixicr and present Premier), as he was expected to be. As I am on tins subject. 1 consider it my duty ti" withhold nothing from those who have ever been frank and confidential with tut,'. 1 deont it to be now no offence to place in your hands the correspondence which has been proceeding for a very long time past between myisif, the Governor, and the Government, which will afford you alt every insight to the way in which military affairs are conducted in this Colony. Oitc of my objects in this correspondence was to attempt to secure to the Colonial forces their tnte position, as in special Colonial forces froe from all potitifal rule and influence. Another was to ascertain if Governor of Colony (whoever he may be) is absolutely your Com-mander-in-Chief. The results of the correspondence leave no doubt on my nttml (and there is n»* need that anyone should adopt my opinion), that y-Ht all wear, instead of an imperial uniform, the garb of a minister, and t ? !at the Governor is an obstruction, exiting for tine convenience of whatever persons may be in otlicc as ministers. You have only to read the proceedings of an iruiuisltorial court, held during hist session of Parliamcn", presided over by the member for Taranaki, before which I was absent and unrepresented, and one of tuy Judges being, during the session before last, my chief accuser, the member for one of our suburban constituencies, which you will find with 'he correspondence I hand to yon, when you will be able to fonn your own inferences, as to who is. and who is not. Commander-in-Chief of the New Zealand Colonial forces. My appeal to the Governor against this inquisitorial court has not been accorded an acknowledgment."