THE Temuka Leader. SATURDAY, OCTOBER 19, 1895. SPOIL TO THE VICTORS.

Temuka Leader, Issue 2883, 19 October 1895, Page 2

THE Temuka Leader. SATURDAY, OCTOBER 19, 1895. SPOIL TO THE VICTORS.

The attack made on Mr Seddou in connection with the Porirua Asylum proved an instance of "the biter bit." The object nisi opponents had in view was to fix on Mr Weddon tho responsibility for some defect in the coostruction of the building. To secure this object they got letters Rout by the ougiueer from Western Australia, but the eventual result was that, while Mr Seddou came out of the trouble free from blame, he succeeded in lettiug daylight in on some of the trickery of his official predecessors. In a recent issue wo dealt with this matter, and promised to return again to it, but perhaps it would be as well just now to briefly recapitulate the whole story. A charge was made against Mr Seddou to the effect that he kept an incompetent inspector of works looking after the erection of the Porirua Asylum because he was of the right color, that the engineer recommended the man's dismissal, but it was the engineer himself who was dismissed, aud the result was defective construction. Mr Seddou proved by documentary evidence that the charges were unfounded, and he also proved a little more than his opponents desired. He proved how the " doctrine of the spoil to the victors " was not only believed in but practised in the past. Mr Arthur Bell, the engineer who was connected with the affair, and through whom no doubt the information came to Mr Duthie, is a brother of Mr H. D. Bell, M.H.R. for Wellington, and a son of Sir Francis Dillon Bell. His salary as Government engineer in 1885 was £3OO a year, but, as Mr Rolleston would fay, it was raised " silently, secretly, and surreptitiously " to £4OO, and again in 1888 to £SOO without any authority from Parliament. It has been the custom, and it is still, to submit such increases to Parliament every year, but Mr Arthur Bell was the son of | his father, and, of course, this was disregarded in his case. The result of these I increases of salary was that they made Mr Bell senior to the older officers, and thus not only was public money lavished on Sir Francis Dillon Bell's son without authority from Parliament, but a great injustice was also done to other officers. This was the way "the spoil to the victors" doctrine was acted upon in the past, and it is because those who denounce it now have no longer the power to provide for their "sisters and their cousins and their aunts " snug billets in the Government service that they are so very angry. It is no doubt rather hard oh these people to find that the Government billets which they used to reserve for their own friends are now being filled up with the children of the poor. There I is a certain way of disposing of younger sons closed to them, and they do not like it, but we do not expect that their grievance will secure any widespread sympathy. They have had theic day. Tho best positions in the Government service are now filled by their friends, and they must be satisfied with their share. Their attack on the Premier brought out the " hanky-panky" way in which favorites got large salaries without the sanction of Parliament in the past, and both Messrs Dtuhie and Bell appeared as if sorry they spoke.

THE LIQUOR BILL. We sympathise with the Tomperanco Party in Parliament in their desire to snub the Couucil by treating their amendments to the Liquor Bill with contempt. We cannot see the good of wasting time over the matter; the Bill is lost, and yet the House has appointed managers to argue tho point with the Couucil. Forty-six members favoured a conference with the Council, in the hope of bringing them to agree to a compromise, and only 12 supported the removal of the Bill from the Order Paper. The majority in favour of a compromise was large, but we venture to thiuk still that the minority is right. The Council has not the slightest intention of allowing the measure to become law. The Conservative party wants this Bill as au " apple of discord " for the next electiou. They kuow that a House divided against i self is sure to fall, aud they see every prospect of a division in the Libera) camp if this question remains unsettle'! until next election. It is, therefore, useless to expect that tho measure will pass in any acceptable form before next election ; the majority in the couuoil is so large that to attempt to couvert it into a minority is hopeless, aud it is absolutely cortaiu that the Lower HoUio will accept no compromise which will destroy tho measure. There are not wanting, too, indications of tho eventual outcome of all this. Mr G J. Smith aud Mr Earnshaw throw out hints of the Premier's insincerity because of the m mbers placed on the committee to ar<*ue the point with the Council. They said the liquor interest was over represented. Thu members wore the Premier, Mr Meredith, Mr McNab and Mr Mitchelsou. Hi \ opponents of course will insist on making the Premier tho champion of tho liquor interest. If ho is, ho certainty has a funny way of looking after the liquor interest, hut wo shall let that pass. Mr MuNab is the selected representative of the Tempranco party in Parliament; it was ho whom they entrusted with their Bill; Mr Meredith is a prohibitionist, and Mr Mitchelsou is moderately so. In the divi-ion list on tho question of closing hotels under the Shop and Shop Ass grants Act on halfholidays 'he same as other places of business, we find Mr Mitchelson's u'lmo (iii tho temperance 3tde. From this it will be soon that it was unfair to accuse the Premier of constituting the Committee of Managers so as to favour the Liquor Party, but to give no room for •■ ; lliug the Government proposed ~ > of Sir R>bd."t ~st:>nt SUCh , . i; 1 , , .. "t. as he diil to add the uaiuo .. t | That gentleman refund" to »..., not believe in goiuL; any ftmb'"' wiu. . I'.ill, and so tho four firsi-u.'.:::('! W-»\ appointed to crniei with tho Cohiicm. ; • he:-., can bo no .Mubr. as to the result, i No agreement will be a; rive! ■•", and Mr : Se.bion will bobi.im -1 I'.).- il -1' ' lu ' ro '. .vid bo a wi.l - -pi i in t!'° , l : ' l, "i , \"' xt ' • election, tho U,U - t,: ' I:, '"| otlice, and liiu Bill will be ro | the tomb of the Capu'.etsf >rth-->rollo>.iiig throo years.

HALF HOLIDAYS.

ly Parliament oa 1 is:, Tluirsd ly >-v :mi" , tlu, ll.mse of Representatives decided, by , a majority of three, to place hotels on I the tame footing as other places <>f | business with regard to a wooidy half ~ holiday. U this should pass Parliament, •

hotels must close as well as other places of business every Thursday afternoon, but we must remember that the moasure has yet to run the gauntlet in the Legislative Council, and, judging by the recent performances of that body, they will reject it without the slightest hesitation. The object of this half-holiday is to give shop as3istauta respite from labour, and, bearing that in mind, we cannot see why the employees of hotels ought not to bo taken into consideration. Tho work of shop assistants is child's play beside the slavery of some hotel employees. A barmaid or barman is supposed to be in the bar at 9 a.m. and remain there until 11 p.m. Those who talk of long hours know nothing about tho slavery of bar attendants in large towns. Why should not these get a half holiday ? There is no reason why they should not, and there ia no reason why hotels should not be closed like other places of business on half-holidays. What is sauce for the gooae is sauce for the gander. The man who argues that grocers and drapers should cbae and hotelß should keep open is illogical. His argument could not stand the test of sound reasoning for a second, but we regret to say that men are more frequeutly influenced by their prejudices than anything else. Prejudice overclouds their judgment. The proposal to close public houses on halfholidays ought certainly to be carried, but of course the Council will throw it out and this humane measure will be stained by the fact that its provisions will not relax the shackles of the poor slaves of the the liquor traffic.