The Ashburton Guardian. Magna Est Veritas et Prevalebit MONDAY, JUNE 25, 1883. The Resolution of Censure.

Ashburton Guardian, Volume IV, Issue 978, 25 June 1883, Page 2

The Ashburton Guardian. Magna Est Veritas et Prevalebit MONDAY, JUNE 25, 1883. The Resolution of Censure.

The first pitched battle of the session has been sharp, short, and decisive. The debate upon Mr Montgomery’s resolution censuring the Government for its conduct in relation to the Controller’s memorandum on the subject of the imprest advance obtained by the Colonial Treasurer on the 31st May last was, we think, the shortest want-of-confidence debate which ever took place in the House of Representatives, excepting that over Mr Vogel’s want of-confidence motion against the Stafford Ministry in 1873, when the speeches were confined to those of the

Ider of the Opposition and of the [ad of the Government, and then a vision was taken. For all that was id by the other speakers on Friday St, a similar course might wisely jve been pursued on the’present occabn, although, as it is, the colony must bl thankful that it was spared the bek or fortnight’s talk which usually [companies a motion threatening the tistence of a Ministry. The brevity f the debate is, we suspect, partly atibutable to its subject matter. Imprest Jvances and the Public Revenues .cts are somewhat beyond the depths f most members’ political knowledge, nd they are topics which offer but ttle room for platitudes, although the lev. Mr Green, untaught by exicrience, and once more illustrating the orce of the old adage which tells us hat “ fools rush in where angels fear to read,” proceeded to relieve his overbarged brain by pouring forth one of hose copious floods of inane verbiage fith which he periodically affrights the iouse. Mr Montgomery chose his jround well. The Controller was undoubtedly right in drawing attention to he fact that, in obtaining an imprest idvance of upon the last daj Dn which such an advance could legally 3e got; the Colonial Treasurer was, while observing the letter, infringing the spirit of the law; although the raort correct course for the Controller tc have followed would have been, as the Colonial Treasurer pointed out to-have reported the matter direcl the House. One of the mail p-poses of the Public Revenues Ac o 1882 was to make each financia yir a distinct and definite financia priod ; hence the gth Clause provide tit every Appropriation Act shall lapsi ai the end of the financial year t« nidi it relates, and all outstandinj Ibilities shall be carried forward to thi nxt year. In order, however, to mee cntingencies, the Colonial Treasure {authorised to expend moneys for tw< mnths after the close of the financia yar under certain restrictions. Wha lajor Atkinson did was this. Th fiancial year ended on the 31st March b continued to expend money for th

nxt two months under the authority jst quoted, and then on the last day othe two months he suddenly drew an irprest advance of L 1 which of curse enabled him to carry on for scne time longer without having recurse to the House for a supply. N)w, it seems to us that such a proceding forms an extremely dangerous pscedent. No real harm has been dne in the present instance -.but if tb plain intent and meaning o'i Vet (pssed, by the way, at Major sot's own suggestion), is to be over- \ riien in this rough manner, to what I leigth might an unscrupulous Ministry 7 gc? The argument used by Major I A'kjnson that the Government is ; enitled to spend as much money as it thnks is needed for the public good v wil scarcely hold water. Doubtless j inemergencies, or when necessity comi pes, the Government ought to take ) upm itself the responsibility of expend- / inj the public funds without authority, I tnsting to the Assembly passing a Bill ' oflndemnity afterwards ; but iu ordi--1 na"y times the Government is bound ' to observe both the letter and spirit of the law : otherwise, to what end are the Public Revenues Acts passed? To what purpose does the Audit Office exist ? If Major Atkinson's doctrine is to be carried into effect, the sooner the Public Revenues Acts are repealed and the Audit Office abolished the better ; and then the colony will clearly understand that to the discretion and integrity of the Colonial Treasurer for the time being it must alone look as the safeguards against misapplication of the public revenues. No special emergency had arisen in this present instance. The excuse put forward is that Parliament could not be called together before the middle of June, because the alterations in the. Parliament Buildings had not been completed. Now, seeing that the General Assembly was prorogued on the 24th September last, and that there was nothing whatever to prevent the plans and specifications of the intended alterations being ready by that date, one must feel sceptical as to the genuineness of the excuse. The fact is that beyond the circumstance of the financial year expiring on the 31st March there was no particular reason why the General Assembly should meet before the middle of June, and as even the best and most popular of Ministries are seldom anxious to face Parliament, Major Atkinson and his colleagues 1 probably put off the evil day for as long as possible ; and their opponents have as yet failed to point put in what way the public service has suffered thereby. While the defence of the Ministry was a weak one, and probably on the merits, of the case many Ministerialists sympathised with the Opposition, yet behind the nominal question at issue arose the vital one, Who was to govern the country ? When Mr Montgomery invited the House not to treat the matter in a party spirit, he was paying a poor compliment to its intelligence. His resolution was, in express words, one of censure, and if carried could only have resulted in the retirement of the Ministry from office : to be replaced by whom ? That was a question which could not have been answered in a manner satisfactory to the country and the House truly reflecting the prevailing opinion of the constituencies determined by a substantial majority to retain the Whitaker-Atkinson Ministry in office. We are nevertheless not sorry that the debate has taken place. The mistake made by the Colonial Treasurer was a proper subject for Parliamentary criticism; and now that the avowed want of confidence motion has been disposed of, and the respective strengths of parties measured, the House will be able to apply itself steadily to the ordinary work of the session.