CONTEMPORARY OPINIONS ON CURRENT EVENTS.

Evening Star, Issue 3012, 14 October 1872, Page 4

CONTEMPORARY OPINIONS ON CURRENT EVENTS.

THE SITUATION. We are persuaded that if Mr Stafford had announced the names of some of his colleagues he would have been saved the ignominous defeat he has sustained, as his resolutions would not have been carried, and the country would thus have been relieved from anxiety and confusion. His Ministry was so composed that it had not the attractive power to augment his supporters and to weaken the Opposition—and hence he is unfortunately out in the cold. We were at first disposed to believe that nothing short of a dissolution would have solved the difficulty arising from such evenly balanced parties in the Assembly ; but we feel convinced that with moderate tact and prudence the Ministry proposed may secure a very general approval of the country, and a good working majority in the House. —Ouniuvu Fivtits, What does Mr Stafford think of the short “shrive” given to him ? The new, or rather late Ministry, have made themselves a laughing stock. Collectively the body had no ideas ; the Otago Daily Times notwithstanding. it jumped into the boots of its predecessors which were found to be very comfortable, but they were not worn well, and consequently members soon saw that the “little game was up.”— Wahaiip Mail. Should all efforts at forming a coalition Ministry fail, it will be found that a reconstructed Vogel Cabinet would command the conlidence of the House and countiy. His Excellency deserves credit for the high and firm stand which he has taken in this matter, and it is to be hoped that the views expressed by him upon the subject of the present state of parties will turn out to have been well founded. The whole countrygoldfields in particular—were thoroughly disappointed and disgusted with the Stafford Ministry’s programme. The notification of the intention to discontinue subsidies to road boards, which had worked so well—the omission of all mention of water supply and other works on goldfields, took everybody by surprise and caused a very natural and general alarm—the policy being so entirely subversive of that of the Ministry which bad preceded them. A strange and anomalous feature in Mr Stafford’s notion of immigration is that while he is willing to expend hundreds of thousands of pounds of public money in bringing additional population into the country, he does not seem in any way disposed to make provision to retain the population we already possess. We wonder that it never struck Mr Stafford that unless some works, admittedly of a reproductive character, are constructed on the goldfields a large amount of the mining population will undoubtedly leave for more attractive countries ; and it is not to be doubted that many of the to-be immigiants will, unless inducement be offered them to remain in the country, f-llow in their wake, lhat the policy of the Fox-Vogel Government, with all their dilly-dally and shilly-shally, recognised the importance of the mining interest, and were prepared to foster and developc it, there can be no doubt, and it is much to be hoped that, upon their return to power, the works previously sanctioned by

them iu reference to this district will be proceeded with energetically and at once. Mr Stafford’s idea of immigration —namely, to bring at a large expense additional popu* lation into the country, while, by his inattention to existing interests, he is denuding it of its present population—reminds us of a man pouring a valuable and expensive liquid into a vessel which is not watertight. So fast as the liquid is poured in, so fast will it run out, till in the end we find the fluid exhausted, and the vessel no nearer being filled than at first. ■"o with Mr Stafford's scheme of immigration : he may bring in immigrants, but unless the country be made attractive, they will go out of it as quickly as they are brought in. For our past, we say develope and foster the interests we have, and make the country attractive to those already inhabiting it. —Mount Ida Chronicle. We are glad to welcome the three former able men back to office, and with such an able administrator as the new Premier, it is to be hoped that the business of the country will progress satisfactorily, and an end put to any further factious opposition. There is no doubt, though, that if an augel were to come down from Heaven, it would not suit some people among our New Zealand politicians.— Timaru Herald.