The Otago Witness.

Otago Witness, Issue 1313, 27 January 1877, Page 13

The Otago Witness .

DUNEDIN, SATURDAY, JAN. 27. Economy in general, and the most lavish expenditure in individual cases ; a reduction of the estimates by fifty thousand pounds, and then a putting on of one hundred thousand on the supplementary estimates ; this is the general and popular idea of democratic economy. The Department of Justice must furl its sails and run under shelter of the good headland " rigid parsimony, " while Skippers, Tokomairiro> and even Arrowtown, want a magistrate, clerk of the court, and bumbailiff each. The Telegraph department is worked to a loss, say of ten thousand per annum, but the Mayor of Screwtown requires the use, gratis, of the line to send his congratulationsto the Mayor of Paris, and the Hon. William Fox; uses it freely to send cold water comfort to despairing hydrophilists. Vogel usede to sit im his gouty arm-chair and telegraph at a cost which has. never been estimated, because he suffered from trial de mer* and didn't like going to | Sydney. Mr Stafford said the other day that we were the most extravagant people on the face of creation, and wo quite endorse his sentiments. It- is only necessary to look at the midday ' meal of a carrier or shearer to realise i that they are living, to put it mildly, like fighting cocks, and that they are very unlikely to deny themselves any-

thing in the way of official luxury thsit they can by any possible means manage to enjoy. We entertain Sir George Grey's opinion — viz., that tlie Civil Service list might be reduced by £150,000 per annum. We have not the remotesb idea that this will ever be done, because the real truth is that the

people want the money all .spent, and

want a great deal more spent. They think they have it, and they don't

see why they should not spend it.

While the very ploughman on the farm thinks himself wronged if he does not

get fried rump steak two or three times a week for dinnei', it is not likely that he will be contented to do without a private Post Office at the nearest pub. to save his having to go three miles farther to the next shanty. Ib is im-

probable that he will consent to have

the wrongs proven by a broken head and black eye adjusted at the cost of a trip of twenty miles to Court, when he can get it done by going ten. The

true argument against economy in the

administration of the affairs of the State is to be found in the luxurious habits of life to which all classes have readily taken out here. We are very

much, struck by the development that

is being shown in this direction by the County Councils. Here was a noble opportunity of showing the bona fides of that hustings outcry for economy which rings so familiarly in all our ears. The young Councils were hampered by no claims, they had no old servants to

send about their business, they had no clientele hanging at their heels to demand a snuj»; little billet with nothing to do, they had the world before them and every chance for getting the maximum of utility out of their revenues at the least possible cost. To say that they are rushing into unnecessary expense is to descril>e their action very gently. They are seen to be utterly reckless and improvident in their arrangements. They are at once, and without waiting for anything, about to set up a staff of officials who will in the long run eat out the very life's blood of the County, and leave it

with a good revenue, and nothing at all to spend on roads and bridges.

Of course all Councils are not equally

foolish, but with the exception of one or two, they are all of them beginning after a fashion far too big for their

boota, to use an expressive colloquial- - ism. The Vincent County appears to be the, greatest offender in this respect * In. the Vincent County we have reason

to expect that ere long they will intro-

<duce all the sorrows of Provincialism and none of the good. We shall have tho ins and the outs probably — ere long, perhaps an usher of the black rod — and we fondly hope to see some r<4 calcitrant miner committed for con* tempt of the House — the House of the Vincent County. The staff of officers to be appointed for that County is ludicrous. Where the money will come from to mend the Morven Bridge, or to make Cromwell

communicate easily with Clyde, deponent sayeth not. The County Surveyor will grow fat and happy with a -comfortable salaiy and nothing to do. The Chairman, we trust, will live a long time to enjoy the ample revenue

which we axe suro his devoted friends

will mete oufc to him. The Clerk to the County will become respectable, and perhaps drive a gig soon. These are all pleasant things ; ib is a horrid thing to see public servants out at elbow 3. Toerjjoy the luxury of having your dependants snug, it is well worth while to do without bridges and roads. We all like comfort, only it will not consort, far less wed, with economy.