DOCUMENTS v. MEMBERS' LIVES.

Wellington Independent, Volume XVII, Issue 1741, 17 July 1862, Page 3

DOCUMENTS v. MEMBERS' LIVES.

: The Southern Cross is determined to. make. the most of the Swan's wreck, though marvellous to say it distinctly informs its readers " that ft does not blame Mr. Fox for the accident." "The 'loss of documents is very considerably magnified, and the necessity for not again en- _ trusting public records to tbe risk of removal insisted upon :— • • " We do not blame him (Mr. Fox) for the accident. With that he had nothing to do; but we ■; do say that the original records of the Colony * ,* should, not have been in the White Swan. It was . .-^not impossible, to have proem ed clerical assistance in^ Auckland sufficient to have made copies of, the s A documents in sufficient time for the meeting ; HU oJthe,. Assembly ; hut Mr. Fox must have the origi-

nals, and no mistake. This was the first step towards removing the seat of Government to the Empire city ; and it was requisite to have tho originals at all risks. Mr. Fox had a reasonable hope, no doubt, of landing them safely on Wellington beach. In ninety-nine cases out of every hundred, steamboats arrive at their destination without a hitch, but at any moment a casualty may occur, baffling the wisest calculations. Such has been the cate in the instance before us. "

Fully admitting that "in ninety-nine cases "out of evety hundred, steamboats arrive nt " their destination without a bitcli, but at auy "momenta casualty may ncc.n, b.iffling the " wisest calculations," we have simply to say tbat better far the risk should fall on documents than on members lives. If there is a risk in the passage of records, tbere must be an equally great risk in the passage of members, We leave it to the Assembly to decide as to where tbe risk shall in future fall — on papers and parchment'; during their transit ti Wellington, or on the lives of the very large number of gentlemen who will have the length and risk of their voyage doubled by journeying to Auckland ?

It is worth noticing that while in Wellington, the party opposed to the present ministry never tire of cryiug out about what they call the de seriion of Wellington interests, in Auckland tbey view every ministerial, movement as tending to an opposite policy. The persistence in holding the Assembly in Wellington (notwithstanding the very favourable excuse for calling it iv Auckland afforded by the Kaipara fend, &c.) and the removal of original documents, are alike debited by the Cross to Mr. Fox's design for making Wellington the Seal of Government; wbile every shadow which any ignoramus here fancies he sees lurking under ministerial actum, is used to damage the ministry in the eyes of a Wellington public.

It will, no doubt, be a source of great gratification to the Cross to find that the Seal of the Colony is not lost as it states it to be, but is perectly safe,and that the loss of documents is very considerably less than that which it outwardly, so pathetically mourns over.