The Waikato Times AND THAMES VALLEY GAZETTE. THURSDAY, MAR. 20, 1890.

Waikato Times, Volume XXXIV, Issue 2759, 20 March 1890, Page 2

The Waikato Times AND THAMES VALLEY GAZETTE.

THURSDAY, MAR. 20, 1890.

Equal and exact justice to all men, Of whatsoever state or persuasion, religious or political*

In a previous article we denounced, from a public point of view, the action of the Government in appointing unqualified persons to judgeships- in the Native Department. Thm: is, however, another aspect of this question almost equally important, from which to criticise it, and that is the demoralising, chilling and depressing effect it must have upon the junior members of the Civil Service engaged in that Department. How can the public expect faithful service or that the officers should exercise an intelligent interest in their work, if their hopes of promotion are continually being blighted by appointments of outsiders and, this, too, aggravated from the knowledge that they are utterly unfitted for the position. The Civil Service Reform Act passed in 1886, distinctly lays down that after the date of the passing of the Act, no person shall receive an appointment in the Civil Service who has not passed certain examinations, and whatever appointments are made are to be of a junior character, clearly thereby providing that the channel for promotion shall be clear. Exception, V.owever, is made were specialist or professional services are required. But what is there special in not being able to speak or understand the Maori language, which are all the qualification for the Judgeship, that even Col, Trimble's friends can credit him with having. How manifestly^unfair these kind of appointments are to old and qualified officers of the Native Department. One would naturally suppose that "with few exceptions the Native Department would he manned by officers who are Maori linguists of the very first class, skilled in dealing with the natives, and thoroughly conversant with their history, genealogy, and the nature of theii laud laws. But instead of this, what do we find ? Why, that officers connected with the Department who combine the above qualities can be counted on one's fingers. The Native Minister himself has, we believe, some slight knowledge of the Maori languago, the UnderSecretary has absolutely none, and the whole of the staff in Wellington, with the single exception of the translator employed, are similarly ignorant. In fact, with the exception of the native agent for Waikato and one or two Government laud purchase officers, all the prominent officials connected with the Native Department are totally unacquainted with the language, the habits, and laws of the people with whom they have to deal, and whom officially they represent. One wOuld naturally think that officers skilled in native matters would certainly be found in the Native Department, and from that source would be dravvn persons qualified to be judges of the Native Land Court. What training could be more suitable for the position than that which an' officer has had to go through, who lias been in charge of, and successfully managed, a large native district for a number of years ? He evidently must have been highly thought of by the Government, who employ him, or he would not, in these days oi favouritism and partisanship, have been able to retain his position, through successive Governments, each of which must have had its " little job" to perpetrate and friends to reward. lie must also have been trusted and respected by the natives, otherwise his labours amongst them would not have been successful. The public know, and the Government know, too, that there are still in the Native Department men of the above-mentioned class. Why then are they so studiously ignored, and men of the Barton and Trimble type put into the position that the others are more highly qualified tc fill 1 It is to be presumed that during the necessary retrenchment of the last two years that officers who were not fully qualified for the work required of them, or whose services have not been actually necessary, have been dispensed with, and that, choosing who should be retained in the service, the Government have selected the best men that it had. These, although their services were retained, presumably because they were good men, and were doing good work, had to put up with a reduction of salary, and why not? The colony demanded a sacrifice of that sort, and, therefore, no ono sympathised with them so long as the reduction was fair and in proportion to that suffered by others; but when we see them so grossly ignored by the Government and the avenue of promotion entirely closed to them, or rather blocked in order to make room for men of the Trimble and Barton class, then wo do sympathise with them and cry shame upon a Government which allows such injustice to be done. As a matter of fact only two out of all the present Native Land Court judges, have been drawn from the Native department, namely, Judges Puckey and Mair, the former having been for years, Native Agent at the Thames, and the latter in Waikato, and there is no doubt that these two are far and away the best of all the judges at present holding office. WhytheudoesnotGovernment continue to draw its supply of judges from the some source ? It cannot be said that the supply of experienced uud -qualified pen, though, limited,

is altogether exhausted, that it should be necessary to full back upon the ignorant and inexpert. The whole matter has now got to be quite a scandal, the press denounce it, the public are thoroughly disgusted with it, and the natives themselves, who are the real sufferers have most unmistakeably cried out against it. A reform is necessary, and we know of no one more likely to set his face against such acts of palpable injustice and injury to the public service, from every point of view, than the present member for Waipa, and the public are looking forward anxiously to the time when he will be. in the poeition to do so.