The Evening Star WEDNESDAY, SEPTEMBER 15, 1875.

Evening Star, Issue 3919, 15 September 1875, Page 2

The Evening Star WEDNESDAY, SEPTEMBER 15, 1875.

The concession proposed by the Ministry to the Opposition is merely one of time : the Abolition Bill is not to be brought into operation for a few months after November instead of in November itself. All things considered, this may be pronounced a judicious arrangement, equally advantageous to the Government and the country, as faction will be silenced, a positive position gained, and the practical business of Parliament proceeded with. The relief to both sides of the temporary cessation from tactical operations, evinced itself yesterday in the attention given to several Bills before the House, and in the despatch with which many of them were dealt with. Although the Opposition will undoubtedly sound peans of victory, ! and boast at the next election of the j mighty deeds achieved in defence of the people's rights, it may be fairly shown that the real gainers by the delay will be the A bolition party. The measure itself will be incomplete without the supplementary Act providing for local government. With a faction so determined to obstruct the progress of business, unless as a minority they can rule, there would be no chance of passing the supplementary Act in any :<-a>om<bla time; and as the Abolition Bill does not provide machinery for carrying on the administrative government of the Provinces, it will be well to leave to the new Parliament the task <:■.. •u":;.]chn.f th'-f arrangeUitiUuti. n't; Uunk this a course that is Ukely to meet general

approbation. There will be then something for the people to decide ; the expiring Parliament will have done their part by removing the hindrances to successful administration; and the constituencies will really be asked to determine what forms of local government will be in accordance with their requirements. As it is scarcely likely that the Government would have proceeded with the Local Government Bill this session, it will be a relief to them to be free from the responsibility that would have been thrown upon them of providing for Provincial administration and necessities. That they would have to do that at very great inconvenience, and by subjecting themselves to a great amount of obloquy, must be evident from the nature of the case. The position of Otago and Canterbury affords no clue to the difficulties in which the Northern Provinces are involved. Our Parliamentary telegrams tell us of a demand on behalf of Auckland of £1,500 for education, and that £5,000 more would be required. The ne:-t. demand will, no doubt, be for ga».l:- and police. Auckland has an education (ax, which yet does not provide revenue sufficient to support its schools. No doubt it is an unpopular measure, as its incidence is not propor- | tioned to the wealth of the assessed, but burdens rich and poor at one uniform rate. For this reason, in addition to the usual impatience respecting payment of direct taxes, it has been found difficult to collect, and so the Colony has to do that which the people ought to do for themselves: to pay for the education of their children. Yet this mendicant Province is the stronghold of the Opposition, the very hot-bed of disaffection and of a spirit of repudiation. Little right have its inhabitants to assume the attitude they place themselves in towards the South, when they have not public spirit to enact equitable laws towards each other. This considered, however, may serve as an excuse for their blindness iu regard to the obligations of the Compact of 1858. With the difficulties staring them in the face, therefore, of standing in the place of Provincial Governments with only provisional authority, and liable to be called upon by representatives elected by constituencies discontented with inattention to their demands, reasonable or unreasonable, the Ministry do well to escape by postponing the operation of the Abolition Bill until after the next meeting of Parliament. The Opposition may claim the delay as a victory, but the advantage lies with their opponents, who, we have no doubt, are glad of the opportunity of putting an end to the contest by this skilful move.