Public Opinion.

Clutha Leader, Volume II, Issue 91, 6 April 1876, Page 3

Public Opinion.

A CARICATURE. The Auckland ' Star' makes the following humorous commentary upon portions of the Premier's speech hy telegraph : — " •* The Bank of England caused inscription, and will again receive bonus. Nobody but the Bank of England could carry out the twofold inscription of issuing bonds to bearer. This would give the character of either speculation or investment.' We are sure this will give our readers a clear idea of what the great financier meant. For ourselves, we are quite au fait on the subject. The much- vexed question of the Colonial port is dismissed with a wave of the hand. "* The management of the harbor should not be confined to municipal representatives, whose government must be more or less successful in theory, but should be on a larger scale in Wellington.' The principle of the thing is just so, but if the abstract theory of the thing is equal to the fundamental basis, then the thing is just so. In speaking of the l true theory of representation,' the statesman says, *' The members should be in a measure elective, but not of a nominal character.' We quite agree with Sir Julius here, for the 'nominal characters' are often bad characters, and it is highly desirable that men of genuine character only should be elected. We presume that is what he means, and he is quite right.

. . But all these matters are beside the 'question, and it is to Sir Julius' views of the great land question and the allocation oi the land fund, and the Compact of 1856, that the whole Colony has been bending its neck, and straining eyes and ears to gather the first and faintest indication of his purposes. And it is here, if anywhere, that he is lucid, aud New Zealand will sigh a sigh of relief now that suspense is past and that we know tbe worst. Thus said Sir Julius : ' The Compact of 185G is not undesirable if we consider so, but some of those who speak of it think that it is only sacred that they regard it so A It is needless for us to 'say. that we entirely agree with these sentiments, ancl we believe a debt of public gratitude is due to the Minister for having in so bold and unequivocal terms defined his own position and that i of the Ministry in relation to the ' vexed and enthralling subject. . . . . . Says the Minister : lAs to civil servants, a great amount of money may be saveel by dispensing with a great number, but if there is not a large amount of money the theory of the thing won't work.' As most of Sir Julius' theories ' won't work' without a ' large amount of money,' the proviso is a very prudent and becoming one. But this theory of retrenchment is, we assert, surpassed by the economical principles on which the country boai*dsj?are* sustained. 'Any country wanting assistance for public works,' says the Minister, ' may carry it out aud save expense of management' Admirable ! That is the simplest method of Government assistance we have heard for many a year. But among the many noble conceptions interwoven in the address, we find nothing hotter than the proposed Canterbury railway. Talk about a line leading from No Place to Nowhere. This is to lead from Canterbury to the middle of a river ! Says the Minister : ' Next we are going to carry out a railway between Canterbury, the boundary being the middle of a river, which would make the ageounts difficult/ This would look mysterious enough • but the immediately succeeding sentence^ leads us to the painful belief that the object of this mysterious railway to the middle ofthe river is to drown the Superintendents For im--1 medially after exciting our curiosity by leading ,us to the queer terminus, he adds, * When the change in Provinces takes place, you might visit it without missing the Superintendent. This is horrible ! Indeed the perusal of the whole address, has unstrung our nervous system by reason of startling, propositions and the unsatisfied longings of the spirit of inquiry."