THE POLITICAL SITUATION
the position of affairs in Parliament is just now a somewhat curious and complicated one x and it is impossible to predicate its eventualities with any degree of certainty. It is abundantly clear to begin with that Sir Harry Atkinson's following is the smallest of the three sections into which the House is divided, and that if the Freetrade secessionists and the Opposition proper make common cause the Ministry can at any moment be displaced. At present there does not appear to be any intention of uniting forces for an attack u^on, the Ministerial posi^on, by a." direct motion pf wjin^ pf confidence, but it is not to be inferred from this that the Government are therefore safe. On tho contrary they are, wo think, in the most imminent danger, and wo imagine tbat that danger is in the direction of Mr Withy's and Mr Beetham's amendments on, Supply, j Mr Withy's amendment a£ i'V stands, ■ via., to. aSHQ the desirableness of rodvCcfpg tfce pqblio expenditure if possible, by a hundred thousand per annum might be accepted easily enough by the Government, because of the qualifying words which we have italicised, but it wity. be a ! very different thing if Mr Beetham sue- i ; deeds in 'eliminating the. words '.'if ; I possible " and so making the re&o.lu,tjon mandatory. In th{s pjwe ty is u,n.der- ! sto^d $$£ th,e "^o.Yern.rrieufc will decline to. accept fy and will leave it to those who carry it to Jgivo effect to it^The position as affecting private members is rendered still m6re difficult by the faot that Mr Withy openly avowed his desire to, cut down the wages of labor, a,nd in order to seoure that tho shall not bo so interpreted, amendments, by way of addition, have already been givon notice of, the object of which is to secure that no person earning less *J___ £120 a year shall be eil'coted. If tho r.e_p.^tipii 18 thus amended as tp. its *cope, and is made mandatory, the task of any Minister which tries to give effect to it will be no light one, for it is certain that so large a sum cannot be saved on the higher salaries and. amalgamation, of i offices. Indp?d., it is questionable ! whether so much as fifty thousand; can be saved in this direction, a^u* the 1 puzzle is as to where tho other fifty thousand is to oome from, especially as tho House is evidently determined that the school age shall not be raised, and that free education shall not be interfered with. Altogether the position is, as we havo oaid, a complicated and i curious one, and it will be. very interesting to watoh ifo development,
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Ashburton Guardian, Volume VII, Issue 1898, 21 July 1888, Page 3
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450THE POLITICAL SITUATION Ashburton Guardian, Volume VII, Issue 1898, 21 July 1888, Page 3
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