The Waikato Times. SATURDAY, NOVEMBER 9, 1872.

Waikato Times, Volume II, Issue 83, 9 November 1872, Page 2

The Waikato Times. SATURDAY, NOVEMBER 9, 1872.

It is rumoured to be the intention ol the Government to reduce the number of civil servants by eliminating incapablcs and supernumeraries, and to increase the pay of good servants. We are very glad to hear it, and venture to predict that if this be honestly carried out, a good per centage of the 110 a civil servants will lind that in tiie opinion of their superiors they eome under one head or the other. We can hardly expect to gain the credence oi any not acquainted with New Zealand when we point out that tlici e is an official to every 153 of the population, not including the Civil Police, Armed Constabulary, or officials of the Provincial Government; if these were taken in, wo should doubtless find that there is a paid servant foi less than each hundred men, women, and children in the Colony, or one to 25 male adults, it is to be sincerely hoped that the Government will commence at head-quarters and not spare the thousand and one clerks, who are living a life of ease and elegance, because they happen to be brought in immediate contact with them. It is there the reform must commence ; we have on more than one occasion watched the army of officials issuing from the Government offices as the clock struck the hour at which their labours terminated —labours they no doubt were, as doing nothing and pretending to do something is about as hard work as a man can be set to do. It is in Wellington where the majority of aiv be found who are provided with a Goveruuiei.it 6tool and deck solely bccaiuia iauier, mother, aunt, or uncle happens to have intluence with some constituency, or with some intermediate person who has. The result of all this jobbery has been that the pay of the civil servants of New Zealand in many cases is little more than a miserable pittance, and our service in consequence not likely to tempt men of ability to enter it, or iu fact any man capable of getting a living [ by any other means. A reduction in the number of civil servants will render it compulsory on the Government to get men possessed of ability and industry, and such men will have to be paid an adequate salary. If the telegram conveying this rumour is to bo relied upon, the Government is alive to this fac t , and purposes increasing the pay of those whom it may think fit to retain in the service; a government official should be able to maintain his position n the society into which his office entitles him to an entree —at the present time it is impossible in many cases that his pay will permit him to do so. Get rid of the incompetents and increase the pay of valuable s rvants, and a situation under Government will be looked upon as an honourable position, instead of, as is the case at present, a disgrace. It will also throw a large number of young men on their own resources ; necessity will soon compel them to work and thereby become useful members of society in place of bemg a burden on the country. If the present Government will relieve us from the incubus of incompetent officials they will be entitled to the gratitude of the the colony, not only for getting rid of them, but because it will have the eii'ect of setting a large number of "waiters" to work; if it is once clearly understood that billets will only be given to men who are peculiarly fitted to hold them, the majority of these waiters will give up the constant dunning of their friends, and their maligning the Ministry of the day, not avowedly, but really because thev could not, consistently with their duty to the colony, give, them employment. The class of waiters is a large one ; they, as a rule, are not gifted with a superabundance of brains, but nature has compensated this deficiency by endowing them with., very

lung uii.'guc; uuu Very Caay consciences, or more prupeny speaking, none at uii. Tnese men are spread liirougu tuc population, and by dint of their long tongues, ungoverned by conscience, exercife a greater iijiluoucc over public opinion than is generally believed; l-is iio assertion that they wiJjl nut make tiusxiiigo- . . eiiai'licter of a Minwtry whose only sin is inability to appreciate a head without brains and take 11 into the service of the colony. i-hc/.-Luvj an object beyond that of spite; they know t;.u; : Liej. h u ve no chance with the Ministry of the aay, and L.:e:e is one, although remote, if they can oueceed m getting them out of office. To many we shall appear to have overdrawn the picture but alas, it is too true to life. We call attention to an alteration in the date at which Mr iv. llill's sale of cattle will be held, viz., from tiie 14th to the 27th nistant. We regret to learn that Captain Freer, late ot the 2nd Wuikato Regiment, died at 6 p.m. yesterday evening. We are glad to notice the arrriyal from Auckland of two handsome chandeliers for the church at Ngaruawuhia. The want of some means of effectually lighting this church has long been felt. The few " wicks " hitherto used, only made darkness apparent. A meeting of the members of the Waikato Rilie Association resident in and in the neighbourhood of Ngaruawahia was held last evening at the Delta Hotel, for tiie purpose of electing a local committee and disposing of other business. Mr J. M. Carpenter was voted to the chair. The following were elected members of the local commtitce : Messrs Carpenter, Rayner, Hollo way, B atelier, and Giii'ney, (Secretary.) Each Saturday, at 4 p.m. was the time lixed for practice. There are now twenty-two members in the Ngaruawahia district. The meeting passed a vote of thanks to the chairman for his conduct in the chair, also for the interest he hud shown and the trouble he had taken in forwarding the movement.

It was impossible, as we stated yesterday, in the briei space of a few lines, to do justice to all the exhibits ot Wednesday's Agricultural Society's Show, and many articles which in themselves were well worthy of extended notice, were passed over with but brief mention. We should particularly notice drain pipes and tiles, exhibited by Mr Boyd, of Newton. Among the exhibits -were casks of beer from the breweries of Messrs. Whitson and Son and Messrs. Scccombe and Son. This, and the tobacco, created a lively interest among those who do not favour the United Kingdom Alliance. The " tasters" pronounced the drink excellent —the quadruple X especially, which was a most potent liquor, in the highest condition. Mr Go toll's tobacco plants were the objects of something more tliau attention. They grew remarkablv less m bulk and brilliance as the day advanced. The snulfs, black rappee, brown rappee,"bore the mark of many lingers. We were invited to " take a pinch" of yellow-looking powder, called par excellence "Scotch." ise! No thank you! It was certainly a most important feature ot yesterday's exhibition that the " local industry" had evoked a very manifest feeling of interest. This disposition should be fostered, and we hope that it may be so. It undoubtedly widened the interest taken in the show by hundreds who had no immediate interest in the goods exhibited. There were between 3,500 and 4,000 visitors and the sum taken at the gate represented as many shillings, so that Mr Bainbridge must have profited by his enterprise. Messrs. E. Porter and Co.'s imported agricultural implements secured a great deal of attention and admiration. They obtained first prizes for their onewheeled and two-wheeled ploughs, and both first and second prizes for their zig-zag harrows, whilst amongst important items were their two splendid combined reaping and mowing mac hine, manufactured by Messrs Porteus and Co., of Haddington. Their chaff-cutting machines combined all the latest improvements, whilst the portable boilers, both imported and of colonial make, drew special attention. We fell into an error in stating that Mr Proude's splendid bull, " Alarmist," was by Mr Maclean's magnificent bull. He is an imported animal, got by a bull of the same name, namely, " Earl Derby," 21,638, bis dam being "Alarm Bell." Mr Wiseman, in the saddle and harness department, was awarded six first-class prizes. He had gone to considerable expense in providing a large awning, and his numerous exhibits were arranged with great taste, and drew marked attention. The

mx -clnss prises awarded were cei tainly welldesorvcd, as many of the articles exhibited would have done credit to any firm in the old country. The awards tor sheep-shearing were of two classes, viz., boys under IG, and for men. Nine entered for the latter. The first .pviz« way awarded to Henry Routley U2 ; the second to Luke Bollard, £1. There were but two competitors for the boys' prizes; and the first prize was'giyen to Charles and the second to Thomas Gillard.—Herald. During the Wiuibledom meeting the astonishing number of.ninety-seven rounds were fired from the Sloner rifle in three minutes.