The Globe. TUESDAY, JANUARY 21, 1879.

Globe, Volume XX, Issue 1537, 21 January 1879, Page 2

The Globe. TUESDAY, JANUARY 21, 1879.

The nominatiou of Mr. Patrick Dignan to a scat in the Legislative Council appears to lack that approbation on the part of the Government press Avhieh was to bo expected from those who enjoy such unexampled privileges as the price of support. Even the announcement of Mr. William Wood's peerage was received with coolness, the commendation bostowod upon it being of that half-hearted kind which was really less complimentary to tho now Councillor and his friends in the Ministry than absolute silenco would have been. It is, however, not our intention to discuss the attitude of that portion of tho Press which was lately supporting the Government. They have a difficult part to play just now, when, having given the Ministry tho strongest possible support, and sworn foalty in the most emphatic way, they find that at length their powor of condonation has been exhausted, and they must alter their tactics. This they are, perhaps, doing as discreetly as the circumstances will admit of, careful always, like Polyxena' at her sacrifice, to obsorvo doconcy in their mode of falling. With respoct to tho matter in hand it would perhaps have been too much to expect them directly to imputo blame to a Government to whom thoy are bound by all ties of gratitude, and their silence must bo accepted as sufficiently significant. But is it really the caso that tho Government's action in reforonco to nominations to tho Council is indefensible ? Many of the Opposition papers maintain that the Ministry have made their rocont nominations with tho avowed intention of degrading tho Legislative Council into a Ministerial tool. This was allogod at the beginning of tho recent session, and has been repented since in many quarters. Evidently if Ministers' own statement of the caso is correct thoy must- harbour some such design. They say that the majority in tho Council is opposed to them : thoy also say that thoy are determined to cany through certain measures which thoy are convinced will be distasteful to that majority. Clearly, therefore, the inference is that they propose to convert, tho majorily into a minority. The first fruits of this determination are supposed to bo found in the nominations of Messrs. Wood and Dignau, which have been made, it must be remembered, in tho teeth of tho Premier's recent denunciation of the monstrosity of creating members of Parliament with two hundred pounds a year for life, If we may accept Mr. Stout's view as that of tho Ministry, tho proposal of the Government will bo that a nominated JTeuap shall bo retained, Vmfc that the

nomination shall only bo for a definite term of sovon or ton years. It is not to bo supposed that tho present Council will pass a Bill to give orl'ect to any such project, and tho question therefore narrows itself to this —Will the Ministry venture so to abuse their power of nomination, as to create a sufficient number of members of Council to carry such a measure ? That the Premier would not hesitate to commit tins or any other oxtravagance wo can quite beliovo, but it is inconceivable that the remnant of the Ministry would carry their adhesion to their chief to such an unjustifiable length. They are probably too woll aware that any such step would only precipitate their own downfall, which will certainly come about too soon for most of them as it is. Tho Lower Houso may at times have had its fits of jealousy against tho Council, and the latter may occasionally have committed blundors. But on the whole they have unquestionably worked together with more than averago harmony, as colonial Parliaments go, and certainly tho Lower House s not prepared to see Parliamentary institutions made a laughing stock to please the whim of the presont Government* It cannot be but that Ministers have a clear perception of tho insecurity of their tenure of office, and wo do not beliovo that they are so anxious to retire as to provoko a storm of indignation which will inevitably sweep them away. They may possibly cherish a hope that a new election will give them a representative chamber more favorable to their views. But there is no sort of reason for drawing any such conclusion. On the contrary, such indications of public opinion as there have been since tho session would point to a quite opposite inference. On the whole, therefore, wo do not think that the danger to the Legislative Council's constitution is by any means so imminent as some of our contemporaries appear to believe. Tho Ministry will not in any case be likoly to survive to carry out their designs, and if they attempt a coup in tho creation of a largo number of new councillors, they will probably both fail to obtain the Governor's acquiescence in any such uncallod for and revolutionary measure, and they will at the same time bring about their own immediate overthrow.

The official opening of the Dunedin-Inver-cargill railway will take place to-morrow, and those visitors from this part of the colony who intend to participate in the ceremonies incidental to the occasion started for the South by the early train this morning. On the subjeot of such celebration there is little to be said which was not said at great length, and with wearisome repetition, when the line between Christchurch and Dunedin was opened a few months ago. There is, however, this novel feature about the section to be opened to-morrow—the railway is thereby completed to its natural terminus, and no further development of the colony, no new scheme of public works can carry it farther. On the influence which this event will have upon the future of luvercargill it is scarcely possible to speak with exaggeration. As the southernmost city of New Zealand, the depob for an excellent mining and agricultural district, close to the port of arrival and departure of the Suez and Australian mails, it is quite safe to anticipate that Invercargill will spring ahead with a celerity which will astonish even the most sanguine of her friends, and will in a very few years be no unworthy rival of the cities of the north. It may be anticipated that the attention of the people of the south will now be directed to the feasibility of extending the line north, wards. It becomes as much their interest as that of Canterbury that Amberley shall not be suffered to remain the northern terminus longer than can be helped. Quick means of transit to and from the metropolis—which will only be attained by carrying the line to the shore of Cook Strait—is to them of as much importance as it is to us. Business connections, and interchange of trade in a multitude of ways now unthonght of will spring up and extend as the line extends" bringing mutual good to all the communities thus connected. Therefore, we anticipate that in a short space our southern neighbors in place of urging that an excessive mileage of railway has been made for their neighbors to the north, will shortly be assisting in the clamour for a further extonsion of the northern lines, for connection with the business centres and ports of the north and the west.