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Wellington Independent, Volume XXV, Issue 3087, 20 December 1870, Page 2

An extraordinary leader which appears in the " Post" of last evening begins thus : "It is curious to observe how the necessities of an adverse contingency set in operation the faculties of research to discover some ingenious contrivance for its amelioration." This rather obscure, sentence is explained further on. ' "We assert that there is no distinction between the motives which originated the scheme of 'Government Assurance' and those which developed the Post Office Savings Banks. If one was designed for " raising the wind" was not the other equally so ?" Such charges of "raising the wind" made against any government are too absurd to be enter-

tained for a moment, and few journals would have the indecency to make them. We may differ from the lion. Mr Hall for instance on political questions, but we would never suppose him capable of " establishing a department with a constitution sufficiently elastic to admit of a facile manipulation of its funds." We may not agree altogether ' with the hon. Mr Rtzherbert, but we would never charge him during all the time he was Colonial Treasurer with having brought matters to such a pass that "the financial exigencies of the Government were so pressing as to necessitate resort to unscrupulous measures for relief." Yetif we are to believe our contemporary, this was the purpose for which the hon. Mr Hall as Postmaster- General, and the hon. Mr Eitzherbert as Colonial Treasurer, " developed the Post Office Savings Banks." We thought that those honorable gentlemen would never have been accused, at least by our evening contemporary, of conduct so dishonorable. Perhaps, however, when we call to mind the language used against the present Colonial Treasurer, we should cease to express any astonishment at any language it might use against Ministers. If the Hon. Mr Hall and the Hon. Mr Fitzherbert are accused of having introduced the Savings Bank scheme as " a lure and a decoy," it is only to be expected that the Hon. Mr Yogel should be charged with establishing the Government Insurance scheme as a means of " raising the wind." We had hoped, however, that with all his malignity, our contemporary would not have made such sweeping charges, as they reflect on a gentleman who, we were told in a recent issue, is a fit person to represent Wellington in the Assembly — we mean the Hon. J. C. Eichmond. On referring to the Journals of the House of Eepresentatives, we find that the Post Office Savings Bank Bill (under which the system has been developed), partly repealing and partly amending the Post Office Savings Banks Act, 1865, was prepared by the Hon. Mr Hall and the Hon. Mr J. C. Eichmond, the Hon. Mr Stafford being Premier and the Hon. Mr Ktzherbert Colonial Treasurer. Having accused both the present ministry and their predecessors of grossly dishonorable conduct we are somewhat curious to know, what public man is next to be vilified.