The Waipawa Mail Published Tuesdays, Thursdays, & Saturdays. Thursday, December 9, 1886.

Waipawa Mail, Volume X, Issue 1020, 9 December 1886, Page 2

The Waipawa Mail Published Tuesdays, Thursdays, & Saturdays. Thursday, December 9, 1886.

More than one Judge of the Supreme Court lias had his time occupied, during the current sittings, in hearing charges of letter-stealing from the Post Office, by clerks of the department. The criminals have been differently treated, one being practically let off altogether and another being sentenced to some years of hard labor. But it is not with this that wc intend to deal. Wo wish to consider a wider question, and one which affects the safety of every member of the public, and which these letter-stealing cases and the remarks of the Judges suggest. No one can extend very much sympathy to a mail who has delioerately opened letters addressed to other persons and appropriated the money which they contained, he ho young or old, promising or nnpromisiug, of previous good character or the reverse. The act is inoro mean and aggravating than any other kind of steal ing, for the offender must necessarily be a man that is trusted and who abuses the conlidence that has been reposed in him. Now, the cheapness and completencs of the postage system, and, wo may add, its safety (for it is theoretically safe at any rate, and as a general rulo is, perhaps, actually so) educates every class of business man and every private individual to make use of it as a means of conveying messages 'and valuable articles to a distance. If there is to be a risk attached to the post-office, it will cease to be a blessing and become a danger, a trap, a snare, in which the unwavy will always stand a risk of being caught. And if the Government permit that danger to continue, they will bo virtually accessories, and answerable for the defects of their service. The Postal Department is an extremely efficient one at present, considering the immensity of its operations, and allowing for an occasional misdemeanor, and we do not mean to imply anything to the contrary. But it must be admitted that it looks a little alarming when Dale is brought up for letter stealing in one city and Hill in another. It is not calculated to instill confidence in the minds of the public when servants employed by the Post Office

Department turn out thieves and appropriate what they have no right to do anything to beyond mechanically reading a line of address and stamping the date of handling. It may be argued that the troubles which have recently arisen have been caused through the employment of too young hands, and there is much truth in tliat contention, [t is impossible .to test the moral qualities of a lad of 18, and yet it comes to this that the Government deliberately place young fellows in positioris which none should fill except those whose integrity and good sense have been practically proved and are to ho thoroughly depended upon. The Government may be blamed in. one sense, therefore, for 'having acted injudiciously ill selecting unreliable novices "and* putting them in billets which theyjnny possibly disgrace. And there is a second sense in which coin-

plaints may be justly made'. Lads Are being worked into places which, but tor them, responsible men would have a chance of occupying. This is because cadet labor is to he had at a cheaper rate. A married mail could not hope to support himself and those Who depend upon him

jiis a bread winner, at less salary than double what a lad of 18 years could scrape along with. The consequence is that the lad is Chosen, and a pretty mess he makes of. it. It would seem that previous good history does not augur much for both of the recent offenders have had their antecedents held up to the judges as glorious And admirable examples. So that it is only logical to conclude that wo must not put faith iu the best of young men, for they may yield at any time to the temptations which their new responsibilities bring them in contact with. In other words,

unless tried and trustworthy officers ore employed by the post office department, the public must always transact their business as little through the post office ns possible. “ How this will aifect the revenue it is easy to see. But what we say is true for all lliift. The feelings of retrenchment which no doubt prompt the Government to employ' cadets instead of fully paid and qualified officers are commendable, and we much regret to have to criticise them. But when a department acts blindly and involves the public by its stupidity and carelessness, in fact makes victims of them, then, we say it is highly necessary to protest against the practise of placing too young men in responsible positions being continued any longer. There are plenty of honest, hardworking men who know not which way to turn for a living ; who have others crying to them for food and clothing and home. These are the men who have a fair claim upon the Government for employment, and who, by their honesty and diligence would amply make up for the increased salary' they would he drawing. Perhaps the working of the Cadet System may be the subject of consideration with the ommicient powers that be ; perhnps the unfortunate experience of the past may be the means of some good being done in the future. We hope so. There nre steady cadets who will suffer much by the recent offences. Or rather, if their own integrity were not known to have stood good test, they would suffer. That is a misfortune. In fact the question is besot with difficulties. Our own feeling is that appointments should rest largely upon the shoulders of the heads of the departments, in whoso hands the responsibility of selecting might rest. But when heads of departments make such poor selections, then the public cry out and claim protection. That protection must be granted. If it can be given without fronting welldeserving young men harshly, then a doubly satisfactory state of things will be brought about.