POLITICAL NEWS.

Daily Telegraph (Napier), Issue 4095, 5 September 1884, Page 3

POLITICAL NEWS.

|_HY TELEGRAPH.]

(From our Special Correspondent.) Wellington, This day. The House is dropping down to work very badly indeed, and notwithstanding all the press of work of which we heard so much when the deadlock was on, it appears that tho House does not think it necessary to meet after the dinner adjournment unless the discussion bo a want of confidence motion. Mr Smith is moving again in the direction of getting a subsidy to free libraries, and he accordingly gave notice that lie would question the Government on the subject. An attempt is to be made tn got the postage on newspapers done away with, but it is safe to say the answer will be the state finances will not admit of such being done. But even if such ' should not bo done, I X think at least the intercolonial postage on newspapers should be reduced to a halfpenny, as in that matter, not only arc our Newspapers handicapped, but our book-Bdler-are at an unfair advantage as he half-penny stamp will carry an English |_ag__i_e from Melbourne to any post-office

in New Zealand, while a similar stamp here would not carry a magazine from Napier to Hastings. Taiaroa is evidently afraid of small-pox, and wants to get all the natives vaccinated. Mr Dargaville intends t„> find out the intentions of the Government with regard to federation and annexation, and what is to come of the celebrated Conference. I don't think, us far as New Zealand is concerned, there is going to be much result from the deliberations of that body. Captain Russell and Mr Smith have both addressed tho House as to the delay which occur in the delivering of the 'Frisco mail m Napier after its arrival in Auckland, ihc latter su<-»ested that the Auckland steamer leaving on the Thursday before the arrival of the mail (to put it in au Irishman s way; should not leave till the following Monday morning. Captain Russell said it was dis-o-raccful that the East Coast mail could not be delivered without two sides ol a triangle bein" traversed, as the mail frequently left Onuhunga for Wellington, and then went overland from Wellington to Napier occupying a week sometimes in doing bo after its arrival at Auckland, which was a ridiculous time for a place only two hundred miles

away. , .. ~ A return is being prepared, on the motion of a Northern member, as to the amount expended on the unemployed, which will show conclusively that the South m that matter does not carry the North on its back. llic expenditure during the period _ covered by the remrn on the unemployed in Wellington, Otago, and Canterbury amounts to about a quarter of a million sterling, while very little has been spent in Auckland, and nothing at all in Hawke's Bay and Taranaki Mr Bradshaw was unanimously elected Chairman of the Natives Affairs Committees this morning, and so yesterday's deadlock was solved. On Tuesday next Mr Smith will ask the Commissioner of the Telegraphs whether he will cause the telegraph line to be extended from Makatoku to Danevirke, on the NapierWoodville railway line. . . If an additional Minister is proposed, it is understood that it will entail no extra expense on the country, because Ministers will reduce their own salaries so as to more than cover the cost of such extra portfolio. Thursday's Post, on the question of a dissolution, says the plain constitutional course tor the Governor to take up is, _" I 'can only consider tho question when it comes before me. I cannot give a promise one way or the other to be used ;for political purposes." We, therefore, come back to the question of what would be the grounds upon which Mr Stout {could advise a dissolution. First, as between him and Major Atkinson's party, it is very clear he would have a preferent right to a dissolution, since the last two Parliaments were elected in the Atkinson interest. Next will come the question, is a dissolution more likely to conduce to the progress of business than a continued game of putting up and knocking down Governments ? On this point there can be but one answer. If an election now took place, whilst any one not belonging to Major Atkinson's party is in power, a distinct response would be given to the preference of the country. For example, from the action of various constituencies it is quite clear that the first Stout-Vogel Ministry would have had a majority if the representatives had consulted the wishes of their constituents. It is remarkable that in no single case has any constituency complained of tho vote of its representative who voted against tho Atkinson Government. Besides, the test of the comparative expedition of business consequent on a dissolution or non-dissolution. It is apparent that a Ministry that has well defined lines of policy which havo not been submitted to the country, and which was not in power when the elections took place, has a strong claim to a dissolution. In the absence of very substantial objections to it, it would be a grave matter to refuse a dissolution if by doing so great material questions affecting the welfare of the colony would be burked. All things considered, it seems to me clear that Mr. Stout and Sir Julius Vogel would have strong grounds to urge in favor of a dissolution, if they came totiie conclusion to recommend it. All I can say in reference to the above is there is not a shadow of a chance of a dissolution. Tlie solution which some people see to our present difficulties is that Sir Julius Vogel may return to England, which would mean a strong Government under Major Atkinson, for, look at it as we like, Mr. Stout _is not popular, nor do members approve of him as Premier. On the question of an additional Minister the same journal says:—"lnstead of increasing the number of fortfoliosby creating an additional Cabinet Minister, it would, wo think, be preferable to follow more dosely than is done the precedent of English parliamentary government, and create a couple of political Under-Secretaries, the holders sitting in the House, going in and out with their party, but attending solely to departmental work, and not having seats in the Cabinet. This proposal was first mooted in these columns many years ago, and subsequent experience has confirmed our opinion of its usefulness. The Political Under-Secretaries would be a medium of communication between tlie Cabinet Ministers, and permanent heads of departments. They would relieve the former of an infinite amount of routine and departmental work, and would answer ordinary questions in the House and carry through non-political bills. The position would be an excellent training for future statesmen, and the cost of two such secretaries would be little if at all greater than that of ono full portfolio holder as now proposed." Telegrams in the Post give the opinions of the press on the new Ministry as follows: The Auckland Star says:—"The second Stout-Vogel Ministry has now been finally constituted, and on looking through the names one wonders why the former Ministry were driven from office three weeks ago, and why the intervening delays and vexations have occurred. The new Ministry has all the general characterics of the old one, is dominated by the same master minds, and professing the same policy. The Auckland representation is different, but that is only because members who refused before have accepted now. We havo repeatedly avowed our inability to discover why it is that these chances wero spurned then, and a Ministry accepted under less favorable conditions now. It cannot be that the conversion is due to Sir J. Vogel's utterances on radicalism and land tenure, nor have we been able to perceive that the material interests of the North were considered. These things are quite beyond our ken. The key to them must be left for the futuro to disclose. Hitherto not the slightest explantion has been vouchsafed, nevertheless, as matters have gone, we hope the new Ministry will get a fair chance of developing their policy. Now that Sir J. Vogel is actually in office, the colony can be none the worse for knowing the exact nature of his financial proposals, and considering whether they reveal anything of real benefit to New Zealand."

The Otago Times says :—"That tho new Government is a really satisfactory or even strong Government will scarcely be affirmed by anyone. Tho past fortnight's disturbances have been time almost entirely wasted. We have returned to the status quo aiiti helium. The new Government is merely an improved edition of the old one. The omission of Mr Barron's pair should go far to remove objections which were legitimately made against the insular character of the first edition of the Stout-Vogel Cabinet. The desperate efforts which they made yesterday morning to force themselves in by be window after they had been shown the door will provoke much amusement, and in their disappointment they need not look for much sympathy. Tlie Middle Island element no doubt still preponderates in the Cabinet, but this is the almost unavoidable effect of the position of parties, and there is not a single aggressively Southern name on the list."

The Dunedin Star docs not suppose there can be any serious intention of allowing MiReynolds to lead the Legislative Council and conduct the Government business in that body. His appointment is at the least a curious one, especially in view of what was so strongly put by Mr Stout himself durin" the recent election as to the weak representation of Otago in the Atkinson Ministry. It thinks that it will be from the Grey or Montgomery-Macandrew section of' the House, and not from Major Atkinson and his party, that obstruction may be expected, even if another want of confidence motion is not forthwith published.

The Lyttelton Times says tho Ministry, so far as it is formed, commends itself to the favorable consideration of the country. The men represent the principles that are "•cnerally accepted, at all events in this part of the country. Mr Reynolds is a veteran politician of considerable strength and shrewdness of character, who brings much experience of oiice to the new Ministry, as well as an honorable record gained in

stormy times as the father of the ballot movement. Mr Reynolds will be acceptable to the country generally. Mr Tole is the new man. Of him it cannot be said that he is a fossil of the old time, nor can it be said that he is Avithout experience in the House of Representatives, of which he has been a member for many years. As a. lawyer of long standing, he may be said to bo conversant with the duties of Minister of Justice. He is, of course, untried as a Minister, but that is necessarily the case with every Minister new to office. As a representative of tlie Grey party he is an element of strength. W ltli Mr Tole in the Ministry the game of see-saw hitherto played by Sir George Grey will not in ail probability be repeattd. Sir George Grey, moreover, has come to a compromise on the subject of the property tax. We await with patience the appearance of the financial statement of the new Government. Then we will have principles to discuss, and principles may be relied on to win. The Christchurch Press says, if the new Government believe that they can depend upon tlie aid of Sir George Grey on the occasion of any crisis, we are afraid they are trusting to a broken reed. It is true thiit, if Messrs Macandrew and Montgomery are excluded from the new Ministry partly at his instigation, he will have been able to avenge himself for the slights cast upon him by these gentlemen in the late Parliament. But his action throughout the recent negotiations for the formation of a strong Government leads to the conclusion that he is determined to bring about the downfall of any Ministry of which he is not the chief. He is probably almost tho only member of the House who would welcome a dissolution, and his party have nothing to lose by such an event. The late Atkinson Ministry was offered the aid of Sir George Grey's eight or nine votes if they would agree to the terms proposed. These, it was stated, were tho repeal of the property tax and the reimposition of the land tax, a scat in the Cabinet to a Greyite, and one or two other concessions, but Major Atkinson promptly rejected the offer, preferring defeat to forfeiting his independence. On'tho subject of the new Ministry the Christchurch Press says :—" The concessions mean that tli3 Government recognise the weakness of their position. Not merely are they tho same Government slightly modified that lately received an overwhelming vote of want of confidence, but they are a Government composed of representatives of sections that have recently shown a most profound distrust of each other. A Ministry so constituted is certainly not to be described as a strong Government) about which members talk, and in order to create which the general elections took place." The Lvtteltou Times "considers that the new Government will probably stand, at all events that it is pretty certain to be allowed to bring down its measures."