The Waikato Argus [PUBLISHED DAILY.] A Guaranteed Circulation of Over 7500 Weekly. MONDAY, JUNE 19, 1905.

Waikato Argus, Volume XVIII, Issue 2906, 19 June 1905, Page 2

The Waikato Argus [PUBLISHED DAILY.] A Guaranteed Circulation of Over 7 500 Weekly. MONDAY, JUNE 19, 1905.

Tue feverish manner in whicli the Premier is rushing from one end of the colony to the other, in order to endeavour to confute the statements of the Leader of the Opposition, goes very far towards showing the justice and consequent effectiveness of his attacks upon the policy and administration of the Government. Mr Seddon told the people ot Mastcrton last Thursday night that ho was convinced that the great majority of the electors do not desire a change and that the Opposition do not represent public opinion. The enthusiastic receptions which Mr Massey’s speeches have received in all parts of the colony go to show that the Premier’s statement is an exaggeration, if not an absolute perversion of fact. Mr Massey’s remarks with regard to appointments to the civil service appealed, and not in vain, to the sense of right and justice of bis bearers, very few of whom could have failed to have an example of abuse of patronage before their eyes, so numerous are the cases. So large is the proportion of the civil service to the whole population that the patronage at the disposal of the Government is a serious danger to the liberties of the people and the good government of the country. The vote of the civil servants is only a small matter compared with the votes of his friends. We go further in the direction of reform in this respect than does Mr Massey; we would not only place the power of appointment in the hands of a non-political board, but would in addition re-, move the name of every man receiving regular Government pay from the ordinary electoral rolls. Instead we would give the civil service special representatives in a proportion to be arrived at by equitable adjustment. Mr Seddon stated that the control of the railways by commissioners had proved a failure; had the commissioners had the same discretionary power as is exercised by Ministers it is fair to presume that their administration would have compared favourably with that under the present system, As regards the Fair Kent Bill, to which some of his colleagues are wedded, Mr Seddon was wanting on this last occasion in the audacity to state that it was not in effect equivalent to a Revaluation Bill. Thanks to Mr Massey and independent press, the holders of land under lease from the State arc now so thoroughly educated on this point that they can no longer be hoodwinked by the Premier or any other man. As regards the Legislative Council, the Premier took the high stand that as the constitution of the chamber was under consideration he would refrain from appointing to the two seats which were about to become vacant. This assumption of political virtue, coming from whence it has, is astonishing, so much so that those versed in Mr Seddon’s ways will ask themselves what have the two retiring members done that they should not be re-appointed, or for whom the two seats are being reserved ; or again, how much political influence for the coming election it is expected to purchase with the probability of appointment to the vacancies 'I By astute working at least a dozen men could be kept on the string. On the other hand

the two scats may l»c promised to men who propose contesting scats in the Government interest and are likely to be defeated. L here are many such defeated men in the Council already. Why not some more ?