THE Grey River Argus. PUBLISHED DAILY. WEDNESDAY, JULY 17, 1872.

Grey River Argus, Volume XII, Issue 1237, 17 July 1872, Page 2

THE Grey River Argus. PUBLISHED DAILY. WEDNESDAY, JULY 17, 1872.

The superior legislative bodies of New Zealand assembled yesterday in the nominal capital of the Colony, for the double purpose of pronouncing upon the action of the Executive Government during the past year, and of framing measures for the good government of the country in the future. As is usual on the occasions of such assemblings, the business of the day was limited to the reading of the Governor's annual speech, a summary of which will be found in our column of telegraphic intelligence. It is the common character of such speeches that they express as little as possible of anything provocative of t'iscussion, and most readers of His Excellency's speech as telegraphed will probably agree that, in that particular,' the peculiarity of gubernatorial utterances has been well maintained. The speech is, indeed, distinguished among speeches of the sort by its reticence on subjects which concern the country. For this reticence the Government is not much to be blamed. Several of the projects which they have endeavored to carry out during the past year have been by no means successful, but in some cases they were projects for which they were not responsible, and in others they have been prevented fnm carrying them to a successful issue by altogether exceptional circumstances. In excluding any reference to them in the annual speech they have exercised what will be recognised as a wise discretion. The subjects will, we have no doubt, be brought before one or other of the Houses of Legislature, and in prominent manner, before the session closes, but it is the policy of a Government, in placing before the Assembly a formal . statement of affairs, to ivoid aa far as possible the, introduction of debatable matter— to leave their iritredufitidn to the active spirits in th# i Afse~mbly'— and that policy the present ' Government seem to have carried out k llq In regard to the/^past^ ■ speech is admirable by wk of nothing on any * subject* .of material consequence. It is lef^'to the Opposition, however that Opposition may be created or constituted, to declare in what particu-

lars the Government have been deficient, and, in the absence of any indication of the points of policy in which the Government may consider they have succeeded or failed, the proceedings of the first few days of the session will be of rare interest, as revealing, more than the expressions of the speech itself, the action which the Government have taken during the past year, and the excuses which they can furnish for the failure of that action. To Mr D. M. Luckie, we notice, has been deputed the duty of moving the address in reply to the Governor's speech, and to his maiden effort as a member of the House of Representatives, and as a cordial supporter of the Government, more attention will be given than has been given to the speech itself. As a new member of the House, and at such a time as the present, Mr Luckie's task is not an enviable one, but, with his earnestness and industry, he is not likely to be deficient either in the extent or quality of his explanations of the conduct of the Government during the past year, and to his speech, and to the comments which it will raise, we must look forward with much more interest than we may have done to such formal expressious as those by his Excellency. As to the future, it is noticeable that in the Governor's speech no mention is made of the intended introduction of measures on the important subjects of education and the liquor traffic, but it is satisfactory to know that the programme for the session includes measures for the amendment of gold-mining laws, for tho reduction of the stamp duties^ and for the purpose of enabling municipal and other corporations to carry out public works of a useful character which it is now impossible for them to undertake. The mention of Mr John Hall's name as a probable member of the Ministry will be generally received with approval; but we imagine that there will not be equal agreement as to tho propriety of such a man retiring from the House of Representatives to take a place even as leader in the Legislative Council. That is, however, an arrangement the execution of which will much depend apon the events of the next few days, and, though they may well deserve to be maintained in office, we are not at all assured that the Ministry can calculate upon these events proving to be in their favor, and in favor of any schemes which they may devise. for increasing their own strength, or for the advancement of the interests of the country.