THE GLOBE. SATURDAY, OCTOBER 11, 1879.

Globe, Volume XXI, Issue 1761, 11 October 1879, Page 2

THE GLOBE. SATURDAY, OCTOBER 11, 1879.

The late Government are certainly quite equal to the present emergency. The knowledge that such is the case must be very satisfactory to their party. Turned out of office on a charge of gross administrative incapacity, their main object now is to get back on to the Government benches before the present Government are able to thoroughly examine the state in which affairs have been left. Mr. Sheehan appears to be particularly anxious in the matter. He does not seem at all desirous that the secrets of the prison house should be revealed. Ho is certainly to be sympathised with, but still the country at large would like to see the reverse of the picture that has of late been submitted to public gaze. The utter break-down of our Native policy has long been evident, and although the causes of this effect are more or less palpable, yet there are many transactions which require elucidating, and the admission of an active stranger behind the scenes cannot but do a considerable amount of good. And if the ventilation of the Native office is desirable, it may be said that the ventilation of the Treasury is even more so. There is a widespread feeling that the financial position of the colony is far from satisfactory, and that it is absolutely necessary that a competent man should look into our accounts. Of these we have, of late, heard but little. Sir Geo. Grey is not strong on figures. Like many other philosphers, calculations are not his forte. Uufortunately, however, the public credit is not based on any system of philosophy. The English capitalist, on whom we depend for the raising of the money that is to complete our public works system, is an individual who is singularly hard headed. Some people go the length of saying that he has no heart; that the finest sentiments do not move him; that he is a species of animated calculating machine; that systems of philosophy bore him and that, much as the late Mr Babbage was constantly at war with the organ-grinders, so that the British capitalist is annoyed by too much Rousseauism oven when put in the most rounded periods. The Lyttelton Times a few days past gave it as its opinion that the reason why the London Times has sung a paean over the fall of Sir George Grey was because it had fallen under the influence of reporters adverse to the late Premier. That is a comfortable view to take of the matter. But the London Times is not so easily influenced. It is a singularly practical journal, and that it is the reason it commends itself so widely to a singularly practical nation. Affairs in the city move tho springs of the great English journal to a very great extent. When commenting on New Zealand affairs, it may be taken for granted that the state of Now Zealand credit largely enters into any judgment it may form on our affairs. And it was because the London " Times" saw clearly that Sir G, Grey and his Government were sinking the colony deeper and deeper into financial embarrassment that it penned the words that we have alluded to. It was not because it was influenced by any particular set of penny-a-lining correspondents. We hold that it may be taken for granted that tho outside world are not satisfied with tho finance of the late Government. Nothing kills confidence in tho money market so much as a general haziness in statements and proposals. Sir George's financial moasuros and proposals have been of the foggiost description, and it is above everything necessary that a clearheaded accountant, such as is Major Atkinson, should turn over the records of tho office with a view to laying boforo tho colony an intelligible and trustworthy record of the present state of our monetary position. This would not, however, suit the late Government, and they may be expected to fight tooth and nail to prevent such a catastrophe as the ventilating of the secrets of the Treasury. They are " children of a financial fog," and such they desire to remain. I Whether they will succeed in ousting I

the present Government is a moot point. If they can burke all inquiry, they are at least wise in their generation. They do well to adopt the t&eory held by Mr. Mess that a new Government cannot mas its position to call in question the acts of its predecessors—that any information it may obtain it will have to bottle up until it may again find itself in Opposition, i.e., until its power of effecting any good by means of the information obtained has passed away. A more comforting theory for incompetent Governments at large it is impossible to conceivo, and the late Ministry do well to patronize it.

It is unfortunately but seldom that we are able to endorse the views of our vivacious evening contemporary. Its ideas on general cosmogony are usually so deep that we, along with a considerable majority, quite fail to get to the bottom of them. When it endeavours to follow Sir George Grey into the empyrean, where the sage of Kawau delights to poise himself on outstretched pinions and warble sweet nothings like a philanthropic lark, our contemporary generally becomes so deep, or so mixed, that it baffles all pursuers. Moreover its grammar is sometimes shaky, and its history and geography are culled from authorities not much in vogue. And finally the leading idea of our contemporary appears to be that we have been colonised from Victoria, and that it is necessary to refer back to that lively community for an example in all our difficulties. Nay, it almost appears as if it is the opinion of the " Star " that from Hobson's Bay has issued the world's civilisation. Its ideas on early Scripture history are, peradventure, somewhat heterodox. It may possibly place the Garden of Eden on the banks of the Tarra, and may hold that the Ark was made of stringy bark. Being unable, therefore, generally to agree with our worthy contemporary, we feel all the more pleased to find that in one particular at all events we hold opinions exactly similar. We allude to the views embodied in its article of last night where it adverts, with unmingled satisfaction, to the disappearance of the Victoria Loftus troupe. The Star is perfectly justified in treating the subject as it has done. Luckily,* however, the vulgarity of the performance much neutralised its capacity for evil. But there is no doubt but that the public should, as the Star suggests, be protected from the growing disposition of managers to prostitute the public stage to undesirable uses. The stage can be made a mighty engine for good, and it is sad and strange to see that, in an advanced stage of civilisation, it should be turned to other purposes. People cannot certainly be made moral by Act of Parliament, but it would be well that open violations of decency should be at once put down with a stern hand. As regards the Victoria Loftus troupe itself, we can hardly think that it can have done very much harm, simply from the fact, as we have suggested above, that the performance was without merit and intensely vulgar. But it may happen that other companies may follow in its wake, and that in them vice may be wrapped up in a more attractive envelope. Any over-strict supervision of the stage would, of course, defeat its own object, but there are performances which cannot be put a stop to except by the powers that be, and any Legislative enactment which would enable such powers to use their authority would be welcome.