THB SITUATION.

Ashburton Guardian, Volume VII, Issue 1691, 20 October 1887, Page 4

THB SITUATION.

The task which the Ministry have before them — that of elaborating a policy wbich shall prove acceptable to a majority of the members oi the House of Representatives — is one of extreme difficulty, considering the present constitution of the House, and also of the Cabinet. The feeling with which they enter upon the work must bz very similar to a " shaky " undergraduate m the Senate House, when he finds himself confronted with a difficult examination paper, designed m his estimation solely with the view of securing as many "plucl r s" as possible. Whether Ministers will achieve success, remains to be seen, Judging, however, from the indication they have already given of the insincerity of their professed desire for retrenchment, we look upon the probabilities as being decidedly against them.

Even supposing their proposals with regard to retrenchment " pass muster " m the House, there is another difficulty looming ahead — ths question of the administration of Crown lands. A rumor was being circulated m Wellington on Monday that Captain Kussell was to be appointed Colonial Secretary vice Mr Hislop. We do not attach any great importance to rumours if not contradicted, and this has been so treated. •' A straw thrown up shows which way the wind is blowing," however, and the rumour, taken m conjunction with Major Atkinson's declaration that he expects to raise by the sale of Crown lands, will render stronger the fear which has been expressed that he intends to raise this sum by forced sales of lands m large blocks for speculativejpurposes. Tbe Stout-Vogel Ministry studiously conserved the people's heritage for the purposes of bona fide settlement," and we cannot for a moment suppose that Parliament will tolerate a reversal of that policy. The present time, no doubt, is peculiarly favorable for the acquisition of large estates, by the big Companies and land monopolists. -The position must prove an embarrassing one, for if Major Atkinson refuses to accede to the demands of his quondam allies — the large landed proprietors—in whose interests, and by whose influence the majority of his party were returned, they will withdraw their support and render his defeat an easy matter. If he accedes to their demands he will retain the support of the majority of his party, but the others, to whom such a course must be most objectionable, would combine with the Opposition, whose numbers thus swelled by their defection, would be able to carry all before them. Thus we see that jeven if the financial proposals of the Government be not rejected, there is this other difficulty to be overcome before the Ministry can deem themselves safe, and, of the two, we consider the land question by far the more formidable.