OUR PUBLIC MEN

Observer, Volume XXI, Issue 1178, 27 July 1901, Page 2

OUR PUBLIC MEN

Their Services Not Sufficiently Recognised.

Mb J. C. Macky was not far astray when he said at the presentation to Ex - Mayor Goldie that we do not sufficiently recognise the effortß of our public men. This is equally true of parliamentary as it is of munioipal politios. It is too muoh our oustom to give full play to our party prejudices, to judge tbe work of our publio men more by its politioal oolour than by the results aohieved, and to attribute to them selfseeking motives rather than to oredit them with tbe publio spirit by whioh they ought to be inspired.

Tbe effeot of thiß perpetual carping at and depreciation of the character and motives of publio men iB to deter conscientious and disinterested citizens from embarking upon the turbulent sea of publio life. Unless they really have selfish purposes to serve, there is no prospective reward for tbem, while tbey are made a target for publio abuse. Indeed, once their oandidature is announced, they realise, like the novice in American politics, that they are not the blameless citizens tbey thought themselves to be. Muoh of tbeir electioneering work lies in endeavouring to prove tbat they never ran away with another man's wife, that they never spent a month in gaol for chicken stealing, and tbat their grandfather was not hanged for oomplioity in a brutal murder. We are gradually approaohing towards the methods of Amerioan politics. The candidate for Parliament must submit himself to be pelted with eggß on tbe publio platform, or to be boo- booed and catcalled for half-an-hour at a stretch while he makes frantic endeavours to raise his voioe above the din, and be must be oontent to bear his most sacred family affairs pioked to pieces in tram and 'bus and at every street oorner. And, granted that he wins his seat at great expense to his feelings and ooßt to bis pooket, and that he serves his constituents faithfully and well, he must needs be satisfied to finish his labours without a word of thanks, even if be does not retire with a thoroughly bias ied and blackened reputation. In view of all thiß, it is little wonder that the control of our publio affairs is gradually being left to the selfseeking professional politician and the loud-mouthed carpet-bagger. They have no feelings to wound, their sense of honour is not easily hurt by tbe insults and abuse flung at them, and they know that the ordeal of the election campaign having been successfully negotiated, they oan make the game of politics pay tbem handsomely. This is the state of things we are ooming to. We are driving the honourable, disinterested, and conscientious man out of publio life, and, in his plaoe, creating a olass of hard-faced, loud-mouthed, self-seeking professional politicians. Mr Goldie is a man of the conscientious olass, having no selfish motives to serve, and Baorffioing bis time and health in the publio servioe. It iB no ordinary debt of gratitude that tbe people of Auokland owe bim, and in view of his two years aud abalf of thankleßß but valuable servioe to the oity, he was more than entitled to the presentation made to him the other nigbt. The task accomplished by Mr Goldie was a herculean one. He stopped the cobwebbed system of mismanagement, irregularity,incompetence and extravagance, and initiated a system of reform whioh will bear an abundant harvest of good things in years to come. It has been said, satirically, that the water supply is no better than it was when Mr Goldie took offioe. Bide a wee ! Public works are not oarried out in a day. Mr Goldie started the scheme of bringing in an auxiliary water supply, and the work is now well in progress, so that the benefits of his labours will be I realised by and bye. So also with our [ streets. The neoeßsity for improvement i haß been made manifest. The plans for I improvement are now taking praotical j Bhape. This is also the ease with the Fire Brigade and other reforms that have I engaged Mr Goldie's attention. The old system has been broken. The new one is being modelled. But above and beyond everything else, Mr Goldie has worked wonders with the oity finances, leaving offioe with credit balances of £19,000 instead of the leakage that was taking plaoe. Truly, he has done well.