TOWN EDITION. The Daily Telegraph SATURDAY, NOVEMBER 19,1881.

Daily Telegraph (Napier), Issue 3241, 19 November 1881, Page 2

TOWN EDITION. The Daily Telegraph SATURDAY, NOVEMBER 19,1881.

The Hon. John Hall has published a short address to the electors of Selwyn, in which is foreshadowed the policy his Government intend to pursue in the future. The policy of the Hall Ministry has been from the first to leave Sir George Grey without a feather to fly with. It is not surprising then to learo from Mr Hall's address that it is the intention cf big Cabinet to have another pull at Sir George's plumage. The Government appear to be in a constant state of nervousness lest they should get out of the swash of Sir George Grey's wake. To follow, not to lead, is Mr Hall's strong point. The country is already indebted to Sir George for the adoption of triennial parliaments, manhood suffrage, and single electorates. If he had not suggested tho9e measures it would never have entered into the heart or the Government to conceive the desirability of passing'them. Since then Sir George Grey has had a tilt at the Upper House. Mr Hall follows suit. If Sir George had held his tongue, the chances are that Mr Hall would not have thought it advisable to make the Legislative Council an elective body. However, taking his cue from Sir George, Mr Hall says in his address :—" I believe that a second Chamber of the Legislature is necessary for the successful working of national representative lustitutions, and I should, therefore, strenuously oppose any proposition for abolishing the Legislative Council. But the nomination of its members by the Crown, and the tenure of their office for life, are, in my opinion, open t3 grave objection. With the view of increasing the value aad usefulness of our second Chamber, I think its members should be elected ; and I trust that such an amendment in our Constitution will be effected by the new Parliament." In the succeeding paragraph of the address we naturally expected to find that Mr Hall advocated an elective Governor. But, perhaps, he has left this trump card for one of his colleagues to play ; or, probably, it is reserved as a piece tie resistance for a future occasion. On the subject of the waste lands of the colony Mr Hall believes it to be to the interest of every clas9 that they " should be disposed of on terms as liberal as are consistent with securing their hona fide settlement and utmost improvement. It is in this spirit that the land laws of the colony have been administered by the present Government, and that they will deal with the considerable areas of Crown lands which will soon become available for settlement in the southern portion of the colony. The result will, I believe, be a large and valuable addition to our agricultural population." Now the Bllesmere Guardian points out that liberal land laws are very good things in their way, but something more is wanted. America, years ago, had liberal land laws—far more liberal than New Zealand ever has had, or ever will have—but they failed to attract agriculturists until she had liberal railway tariffs too. It is no use trying to induce agriculturists to come sixteen thousand miles for the sake of making the State railways pay. So long as they can get 800 a3res in America for the same amount as they can get 100 acres here, and can have their wheat hauled 600 miles to port, shipped, and carried to an English market for Is Gd more per qaarter than they would have to pay here for putting it f.o.b. only 40 miles away, and then have to pay fifty shillings per ton freight home, they will prefer living in America to helping to make railways pay in New Zealand. The honour of living under the British flag would be rather too dear at the price.