THE GLOBE. FRIDAY, APRIL 29, 1881. MR. ANDREWS BEFORE HIS CONSTITUENTS.

Globe, Volume XXIII, Issue 2237, 29 April 1881, Page 2

THE GLOBE. FRIDAY, APRIL 29, 1881. MR. ANDREWS BEFORE HIS CONSTITUENTS.

We must confess to fooling some degree of curiosity as to what line Mr. Andrews will take this evening in giving an account of his stewardship to the electors of Christchurch. He differs, it must be remembered, in a considerable degree from other representatives, inasmuch as he went into Parliament avowedly as the representative of that much ill-used and long-suffering class—the working men. As Mr. Andrews is approaching political dissolution, we should like to hear from him what special legislation he has promoted or assisted in for the benefit or welfare of tho class which he presumedly went in to represent. We have been told time after time by Mr. Andrews of the courtesy and kindness extended to him hy the other members of the House in his character of special representative of the working mas, as though an intelligent mechanic was a rara avis. But, while this is so, we have failed to discover any point in which Mr. Andrews has made such rigorous efforts to assist in ameliorating the downtrodden condition of the New Zealand workmen as would entitle him to the distinction of their champion. It is true that he did, wo believe, assist Mr. Stevens in attempting to get the hours of polling extended —a very excellent thing, but certainly falling far short of the magniloquent promises with which Mr. Andrews sot forth on his political career. Wo trust, therefore, tonight, if possible, Mr. Andrews will give ns, not a dry resume of the events of the past session, with which every one of his audience is as familiar as himself, bat a straightforward exposition of his opinions on the present state of the colony, irrespective of party politics. We have now arrived at a crisis in our history when it is incumbent on all those who take a part in public affairs, whether so-called Liberals or Conservatives, to stand forth to aid by their advice the efforts which are being made to place the credit of tho colony on a firm and sure foundation. This we should desire to point out is a work in which all are interested. It is not a party question at all, because whether Sir George Grey or Mr. Hall be at the head of affairs, the credit of the colony has to some extent—by whose fault it does not matter—been jeopardised. What, therefore, we want from our representatives is not a windy harangue on what has taken place in Pailiament, but their deliberate opinions upon subjects of great weight and moment, which must and will occupy the attention of Parliament during the last session of its existence. If, therefore, we may presume to advise Mr. Andrews, we should do so in the direction of hinting to him that the very briefest possible reference to the details of the work done last session would suffice to-night. What we, and the electors of Christchurch, desire to know is what Mr. Andrews thinks of our present condition, and what remedial legislation he proposes should ho adopted so as to meet the exigencies of the case. If he will do this, and so far as possible drop all party bickerings from his speech—which really now in the present juncture are out of place—we feel certain that his audience would be far better satisfied and infinitely more edified than in listening to a long, dreary description of what Bills passed and what did not.