The Globe. THURSDAY, JUNE 17, 1875.

Globe, Volume IV, Issue 316, 17 June 1875, Page 2

The Globe. THURSDAY, JUNE 17, 1875.

“ His Honour’s message No 10” has caused no small stir amongst the members of the Provincial Council. No sooner did the Provincial Secretary move that the message be considered, than the manner in which the question was to be discussed was brought forward by different members. The Government seem to have had no fixed plan as to the way in which they would ask the House that the arguments on his Honour’s message should be taken, and they appear to be merely trusting to their majority to send the Bill back again to his Honour with bis recommendations carefully disregarded. There can be no question that such is the programme of events that appears most likely to be carried out. One gentleman went so far as to suggest the refusal by the Council of the passing of the Appropriation Act until his Honour returned the Bill, and from the reports of the sitting of the Council in the morning journals we find that this suggestion was received with applause. We decidedly trust that there will occur no dead-lock between his Honour and his responsible advisers, but it appears that this event is not beyond the bounds of possibility. His Honour’s views on the Education question are well known, they are not crude ideas hastily conceived, but are the results of a careful watching of the system of Education as it has been carried on in this province, and are the opinions of a gentleman who has brought the whole force of his mind to a task for which by nature and education he is thoroughly qualified. On looking at the Government benches we cannot see that the members of the present Executive would be at all likely persons to be selected by the ratepayers of Canterbury to introduce important changes into the present system of Education. But the fact remains that they are in power, and that they can command the votes of a willing majority who will back them up if there should appear to be any chance of a conflict between the Superintendent and the Government. Such being the case, it is not likely that the Executive will shirk the conflict, if there is to be one, and they will insist on their Bill being let alone, knowing as a matter of fact that they hold the winning cards. We cannot think, however, that (he conduct of

the present Executive has been either conciliating, or even becoming, towards his Honour. With the result of any argument on his Honour’s message rendered a certainty by the majority which the Government can command, it would have been only ordinary courtesy on the part of the occupiers of the Ministerial benches

to have taken the message into their consideration. This, however, they appear to utterly decline to do, and consequently we say that they have behaved in a manner which in private life would be termed discourteous, and which under the circumstances of the present case merits even a stronger term of reprobation.