The Globe. SATURDAY, MARCH 6, 1875.

Globe, Volume III, Issue 231, 6 March 1875, Page 2

The Globe. SATURDAY, MARCH 6, 1875.

It is agreed on all sides that the approaching session of the General Assembly will be one of the most important ever held, since the memorable year when the colony awakened to dreams of prosperity through the operations of the Public “Works and Immigration policy. The Assembly will have to face the fact that borrowing is at end for some years to come at least. If Mr Vogel succeeds in raising the four millions he has gone home to borrow, he will do so on the distinct understanding that no more loans will be floated for some time to come. The members of the House will then have to set about seriously considering the ways and means, and to bring the expenditure within the revenue, This is, of course, a disagreeable and unthankful task, but it is one which must be faced. It is a matter, therefore, for serious regret

that the attention of the Assembly, during the last session of its existence, should be diverted, from this allimportant question, to the discussion of constitutional reform, about which the constituencies have not been consulted, The present House was elected on the cry of Public Works and Immigration, and it has no right to leave its work half done. The colony has a large number of uncompleted railways on hand, and the best energies of the House should be directed to making the most out of those works. The large profit, so confidently predicted over and above expenses has not been realised, and, to all appearance, is about as distant as ever it was, and yet the colony will soon be urgently in need of additional revenue. It will take all the £4,000,000 Mr Vogel has promised to return with from England to complete the lines agreed upon, and then the colony will will have to face the task it has of late been so little accustomed to, that of living within its means. The present Parliament initiated the borrowing scheme, and it ought to devote its old age to setting the house in order. But it is evident that such is far from the intention of Mr Vogel and his followers. Instead of setting about quietly to reap the fruits of past exertions, the colony is urged to plunge once more into the excitement consequent on the discussion of another great question. Apart altogether from the very problematical good to be derived from the proposed changes, it is evident that this continued condition of feverish excitement can result in nothing but harm to the best interests of New Zealand. We require now a period of perfect calm, in order that we may recruit our shattered nerves and regain again something like a healthy tone of political feeling. There has been no urgent cry raised for the proposed change, and were the constituencies consulted we believe that the large majority of them would pronounce in favor of keeping things as . a whoie has been benefitted by that expenditure, and had no provinces existed at all, the different parts of the colony would still have required money to make bridges, pay for education, &c. When the colony has no more loans with which to subsidise the provinces, they will have to go without Government assistance. Nor has it been shown that the machinery which is to replace provincialism will be less expensive, than the present form of Government.