Colonel Fox.

Oamaru Mail, Volume XIX, Issue 5905, 29 March 1894, Page 3

Colonel Fox.

Ms RESIGNATION DENIED. [FROM THE OTAGO DAILY TDlEii' CORRESPONDENT.] Welungton, March 28. The Times to-day says:—"The statement that Colonel Fox has resigned is not correct. He has, we understand, written to the Defence Minister, not resiening, but offering to resign on certain conditions and giving his reasons. These conditions and reasons have yet to be considered by the Cabinet, which they cannot do till the Premier returns. We understand that the Government surprised, as they are thoroughly satisfied with the excellent work done by Colonel Fox since he has been in the colony. The position is this: The colonel has not resigned, and the Cabinet, at his request, will shortly consider whether they will give him sufficient inducement not to do so. We hope that there may be nothing more than a misunderstanding which wDJ, in the interests of thocolony—wbichcannot, without regret lose the services of so efficient an officer—be removed without difficulty when the matter comes to be discussed." This is rather an involved and imperfectly expressed statement, but it does not follow that it is not a declaration by the Premier himself. It, is his habit to be obscure of speech when occasion serves, and since Ministers here profess to be without knowledge of the situation, or did so last evening, I think it may be fairly assumed that the paragraph of the Ministerial journal was inspired by wire from the north by Mr Seddon The contradiction notwithstanding, I believe it will be found ; that Colonel Fox will sever his connection with the Government, and that he has officially expressed his desire to do so. More than this, it comes to me as something more than a rumor that his attitude toward the Minister for Defence will, under the circumstance, be certain to receive the approval of the Imperial authorities. Colonel Fox, apart from his qualifications as a soldier, is a fearless and independent gentleman, and it is Mr misfortune that these are qualities that do not commend themselves to him so much as agreement with bis view and subserviency to bis desires. The Post this evening, in the course of a very trenchant leader on this subject, says :—" So soon as it was seen that he was a capable and. conscientious man, knowing his duty and determined to do it faithfully and impartially, all the powers of officialism were brought to bear to thwart him, and every "species of political intrigue | was resorted to in order to defeat the j adoption of his straightforward .recommendations. All real power was studiously withheld from him, and he was held up to public scorn because he would not lend himself to political purposes. Everything that Ministers—the Premier and Defence Minister especially—could do to tie his hands and undermine him in the respect and obedience of the forces he was supposed to command was done. His reports were pigeon-holed, and his recommendations were ostentatiously ignored. Officers whom he commended were got rid of without reference to him, his confidences were violated, and he was exposed to every species of contumely and neglect. He was kept in a position of utter and complete uselessness—a mere dummy,—powerless to prevent the gross improprieties committed on all sides, under Ministerial approval, in the force which he had been brought out from Home to reorganise and render effective. Instead of that force being: consoh'dated, improved, and ren- | dered effective, he was compelled to look on every day at its growing less efficient and more disorganised as it dwindled away. Useless corps continued to be maintained for political purposes, despite his remonstrances, and excellent material was every day lost to the service, until at last volunteering has been reduced to a complete farce.'