NOTES AND COMMENTS.

Auckland Star, Volume XVII, Issue 135, 11 June 1886, Page 1

NOTES AND COMMENTS.

Hek Majesty the Queen has grantel a dissolution of Parliament, and the United Kingdom will very soon be in the throes of a general election. It is difficult to see how on any ground the privilege of an appeal to the country could have been refused Mr Gladstone at this juncture, which is really a national crisis of greater magnitude than that created by the great Reform Bill agitation. It now rests with tho people of the three kingdoms, in their federal capacity, to decide the momentous question of the future government of Her Majesty's realm. The people's Eense of justice and their instincts of freedom will, we are sure, lead them to recognise the necessity of conceding in some form the demand made by the Irish people for selfgovernment. The only question is whether they will treat that section of the empire in an exceptional way, or whether they will insist upon Scotland and England having the same measure of Home Rule conceded to them. The latter is the course advocated by Mr Chamberlain and the Radicals, and that it will have many supporters is foreshadowed by the fact of so many Scottish Liberals voting against Mr Gladstone's proposals. At all hazards, the Liberal party ought to be reunited, or the Conservatives, with their compact party and plain policy, will be sure [of an easy victory, with consequent revival of Irish outrage, coercion, and misrule generally.

In the House of Representatives on Wednesday last, Mr Moss urged on the Government the importance of preventing the introduction of French convicts to this part of the world, as they would overflow the port) where they were landed. He thought that the most effective way of- doing this was to . establish a species of quarantine for all vessels from French colonies to our ports. This might be done in an inoffensive manuor, and at the same time it- would show a determination not to allow these colonies to become a receptacle for French convicts. The Premier »aid this appeared to him to point to some federal action. We already had an Act passed in 1867 to prevent the introduction of criminals, but, of course, that Act did not apply to deportees from another country, like France. Unlesa Great Britain passed an Act saying she would not allow convicts to be landed, he failed to see they had authority to acfe in the matter indicated. Again, he could not see how we were to know whether new arrivals were convicts or not. It seems to us that Sir Robert Stout has in the qbova answer ehown a super-sensitiveness to .French feeling in the matter. If colonial Governments and Legislatures have power to prevent an influx of criminals of their own nationality, they can surely, without straining, shutout foreign convicts without any fear of international complications arising. The difficulty of knowing criminals would be overcome by a simple regulation requiring all Frenchmen arriving in the colony, to show satisfactory credentials. The French Chamber had quite recently uDder con. Bideration a proposal to tax all foreigners residing in France, and this suggests that we might effectually protect ourselveb against the French convict element by imposing a heavy poll-tax on all immigrants of that nationality.

Referring to the important question of what procedure will be adopted by the Government in reference to the Representation Act, our Parliamentary correspondent at Wellington telegraphs as follows;— "My information last week that Parliament would be called together early next year to consider tbo Representation Bill is absolutely correct. Sinne then other specials have telegraphed "that, not only would there be an early autumn session, but another session after tbo election of the New Parliamect at the ordinary time. This statement is repeated In yesterday's "New Zealand Tiracf," Stiff exception is taken to the country being put to the unnecessary expense of an extra session. I have Ministers' assurance that they have never entertained the idea of holding two | sessions, at«J that it is improbable that the"y will consicl.. such a proposal,