The Daily Telegraph. WEDNESDAY, OCTOBER 31, 1883.

Daily Telegraph (Napier), Issue 3835, 31 October 1883, Page 2

The Daily Telegraph. WEDNESDAY, OCTOBER 31, 1883.

I That there must be i reconstruction of the Ministry shortly adnits of no doubt. Mr Johnston has made arangcments to leave for England early next year. There is tit least a possibility of Er Conolly being appointed to the Bench, "vhcre a vacancy is in almost immediate piospect. And the position of the Governmont in tho Upper House is hardly what honmrablo councillors havo a right to expect. Iy our Auckland files we observe it is takoi for granted that some one belonging to the North will be asked to. join the Ministy on tho; mere qualification of being an Auckland man. And on the strength of tbs supposition the local press has gone to a /ood deal of trouble to ascerttiin wdio amongstprobablecandidates is the least objectionabS. It ia not contended that any of the Auckland members have shewn such abiUb as to warwuit the appointment. '. It is, hwever, offered to the Government as a suggatfon, that a gent cman who has been in jrominont public hfe but a very short time Jiould bo appointed Simply because he is an Auckland man We cannot say that iro sympathise very much with our Aucklaid neighbors in their J

distress. It seems that they must have an Auckland man in tlie Minishy, aud tho best they can say of any of their present representatives is that he _, not so objectionable as some one else. Mr Dick, it is said, is not unwilling to resign, provided as good an Otago man could be found. By " good" is meant one who is staunch to Otago interests. If such a man cannot be obtained we shall, probably, have to put up with Mr Dick for some time longer. Now, R appears to us that if this colony is to remain one, united in all respects, it will bo necessary to drop this intense localism. This local jealousy undoubtedly exists, and as long as we have Governments prepared to choose Ministers principally on account of their place of residence so long shall ■we find the existence of a united colony threatened. Wo would recommend our Auckland friends to ask some of the leading mon in tho colony to represent them. Let thorn then show that there man is entitled by virtue of his ability to occupy a scat on tho Treasury benches, and his right to ha there will bo at once accepted. If, on the other hand, this question of locality is still to be acted on, we might argue that, as Hawke's Bay has not been represented in the Ministry since 1579, it is only fair that one of our members should be chosen. Wo think, however, that it would be well for the colony if the Government were composed of the ablest men the dominant party offers, without consideration of the districts they represent. Does Mr Gladstone represent England one whit more or less because he now sits for Midlothian instead of for Greenwich ?■ Did the Hon. John Bright and Mr Chamberlain give any dissatisfaction to the House of Commons because they both happened to represent Birmingham ? Has London, the metropolis of the world, ever stipulated that her members should be represented on tho Ministerial benches ? Such a demand would not be listened to in England. We hope the day is not far distantwheu'the Governor of Now Zealand will be recommended to call to his counsels tho seven best men the electors can place at his disposal.