The Kumara Times. Published Every Evening. WEDNESDAY, JUNE 15, 1881.

Kumara Times, Issue 1471, 15 June 1881, Page 2

The Kumara Times. Published Every Evening. WEDNESDAY, JUNE 15, 1881.

What, we should like to know, has become of the wonderful Young New Zealand Party which was ushered into unexpected existence with such an uproarious flourish of trumpets during last year's session of Parliament 1 We may safely venture to hazard an opinion that the celebrated body of which we heard so much is entirely dismembered, leaving the head thereof to its own devices. A greater absurdity was never conceived than to imagine that a peculiarly-minded individual like Mr de Lautour, could ever maintain a following sufficient to give even a ghost

of a chance of success to the party he led. Mr de Lautonr has unquestionably considerable abilities, but he is at the same time the most venemous and vindictive speaker in the House. No one ever heard him say a good word of anyone, and until the sudden irruption of a large number of new members into the Assembly, he was unknown except a'S a bitter speaker. He has a method, entirely his own, of carefully storing up every idea which occurs to him which may produce unpleasant feelings upon the luckless victim he intends to scarify, and, having disgorged himself of his venom, there he ends. The old members, as a rule, take no notice of him, but it appears that some of the new one 3 held different opinions last year; in fact, it may be fairly said that the present is a " new chum Parliament." There are upwards of thirty new members in the House, a majority of whom know no more of the political history of the colony, and the laws in operation within it, then a barracouta does of the differential calculus. It is quite plain that some of them are barely in their political A.8.C., and it is quite possible that this to no small extent contributed to the barrenness of more than one session. Tongues hung in the middle and swinging at both ends may, in the sounds they produce, be satisfactory, property to their owners, but it is " vox et prseterea nihil." As to any thoroughly organised Opposition during the session which commenced last week, there is very little chance of that. It is not as some persons have said, a case of "all officers and no men," but rather that all the rank and file want to be officers, and that the few who might be leaders are divided in opinion upon very many of the leading topics of the day, and what might be a party is disintegrated by numberless petty jealousies. Unanimity is a thing utterly unknown, and it is easy to 'predict that the Government will carry things pretty much in their own way. An honest Opposition, fairly constituted and in a compact body, is a real help to a Government; but, as things stand at present, there seems to be but little chance' of any such help being rendered during the present session.