The Kumara Times. Published Every Evening. THURSDAY, DECEMBER 4, 1879.

Kumara Times, Issue 992, 4 December 1879, Page 2

The Kumara Times. Published Every Evening. THURSDAY, DECEMBER 4, 1879.

That the downfall of the Grey Ministry was hailed with satisfaction by the leading journals of the mother country we learned by cablegram ; but that the feeling against Sir George Grey, individually, was the chief cause did not, on the face of the short message received at that time, appear. From English files now to hand we find the late Premier spoken of in a manner that can be called far from flattering to an ex-governor or a popular politician, The Pall Mall Gazette, one of the leading journals of the day, referring to this sul ject, says :—“ As was expected, Sir George Grey, has been defeated in the New Zealand Parliament, called together after the dissolution which he himself asked for. This is satisfactory, for no one who has followed Sir George Grey’s career daring the past few years can suppose him a fit person to-conduct the policy of New Zealand- through the trying period which seems now to be before the colony. He has, to speak plainly, put'' himself entirely in the hands of the mob, and has done so under circumstances which were specially objectionable. lie ought ceitainly to have foreeon that the wholly uu-

checked democracy which he wished to establish, with a plebiscite, an elected governor, and the rest of it, would not be acceptable to the country. He ought to have been aware also that his Native policy' was not calculated to satisfy either Maoris or colonists. Yet he pursued his coarse regardless of consecpiences, and at one moment it seemed as if New Zealand might suffer even more severely than Victoria from the mischievous attempt to set classes against one another. However, the people have proved for the time wiser than their leader, and Sir George Grey has ceased to be the Premier of New Zealand. Unfortunately, we fear this will not be the end of it. Sir Geo rge Grey is now seventy years old, but he is not a man to take his defeat quietly, and there is dangerous material for him to work upon if he should resolve upon agitation. The exceptional and perhaps rather inflated prosperity of New Zealand is over for a time, while the working population of the colony consists mainly of assisted immi grants. If, therefore, Sir George Grey displays the same recklessness out of office that he has shown while in power, there may yet be serious trouble with these people. Luckily, the Governor is a man of judgment and experience,” Subsequent events, however, have definitely proved that the assumption of the Pall Mall Gazette in this respect was a well-founded one.