Mataura Ensign GORE, FRIDAY, NOVEMBER 14, 1884. THE SESSION.

Mataura Ensign, Volume 7, Issue 409, 14 November 1884, Page 2

Mataura Ensign GORE, FRIDAY, NOVEMBER 14, 1884. THE SESSION.

It is admitted on all hands that the second session of 1 884 is in all respects one of the most; notable in the history of New Zealand, and in .some reaix-uis altogether without a rival. The Continuous Ministry had been defeated in the previous session — of short work and lon# pay notoriety. Jn the appeal to the country there were t.o principles at issue, but simply questions of administration. j.n fact, the cry was " Men, and not measures." 'lhe presence of Sir Julius Yogel in the arena defeated the Government. Had he not brought his name and fame to the rescue, the Major would undoubtedly have ruled the country for another term. The Government returned from the country with only a third of the House at their backs, and Parliament only met to be informed that they had resigned that morning. Sir Julius Yogel, who had about a fourth of the riouse pledy^d to him, was then called. After a great deal of delay he formed a Ministry with Mr Stout for figurehead. After a short and sharp debate upon the most singular Governor's Speech ever uttered, the hybrid Ministry was defeated by a majority of nineteen. Mr Thomson, of Clutha, who had moved the vote of want of confidence, then tried to form a Ministry. The result was never doubtful. He failed, and Sir George Obey was called. The wary old knight could save or ruio others, himself he could not save. The Major was then called, and it was very generally thought that the procession of crises had come to an end. In many quarters this thought provoked unbounded joy, and in many others wailing and gnashing oi teeth. But Sir GEORGE was not conciliated, and the House mistrusted the new - blood Ministry which from its inexperience would pi'obably be more thoroughly Atkinsonian than any of its predecessors. The result was the " letting '' of the new blood. The hostile majority was thirteen, and the "Hon. E. Wakefield " and some other Ministers of a day have become quite familiar with the four Latin words, •Sic transit gloria mundi. There was in House and country a general feeling of disgust and weariness, mingled with a dread of another dissolution. His Excellency, however, sent for Mr Stout, who discarded several of his former colleagues and formed the present Ministry, to which allhands agreed give a fair trial. The " independents " now began to come down from the fence,and the Cabinet which at first ! stood only upon sufferance gained strength daily until it is now quite as strong as it is desh'able any Government should be. The Financial State- ' merit was received with great favor and ensured the authority of its framers. i It dispelled the fear of immediate and ; headlong borrowing, and it showed a fertility of resource both in Treasurer and country that made things " look pleasant," as the Major observed. The long delayed Public Works Statement '< confirmed the good impression, and the Government have now only to behave with reasonable prudence ; during the recess to command an over- " whelming majority next session. ; The chief features of the Government policy are very practical. They are i the abolition of the sinking fund \ the ■ steady and regular borrowing and ! b pen ding of about L 3 per head per annum \ of the population ; the West Coast : Railway; tbeimporovementof the West Coast harbors; the encouragement of ■ sugar growing ; the rearranging of the \ Government Insurance Department ; the purchase of the District Railways ; the appointment of Railway Boards ; the providing of adequate funds for ' local government and lhe reduction [ of the armed consfa' ulaiy. \ Notwithstanding the loss of time at i the beginning of the session a large » amount of work has been done. [ Eighty-eight public bills and four ; private bills have passed. Of the ; public bills sixty-six came from the ■ Lower House and twelve from the ' Upper. The Lower House also gave birth to sixty-nine other bills, which for various reasons have not become law. Dividing the whole of the time ■ which the House sat by sixty-six— the number of public bills passed — we get five hours aucf forty two minutes as r the time spent over each. r ' The dtviL pinna number 55 in the House and 100 in Committee. Ministers were 5 asked 550 questions. The petitions presented numbered 562 (!). The s much enduring House also had laid ' before it 124 Parliamentary papers, > 74 of which were printed. Bub this g was not all : The 'arious Parliamentary Committees presented no less than 415 • reports. All this means that members, " besides Ministers, were hard at work when the H< use was not fitting. No r doubt th 1 1 .< eoi.Mil^rable number have this time < -am- d llu-ir two hundred guineas. The last remain would so j ' seldom be true that we make it the more readily on this occasion,

The tone of Psiriiaimnt is never a j matter of indifference to the conn'ry. "We are bound to say that the session just ended has been remarkable for its j;ood manners, and its respect for the prop unties in general. It has also been marked by a ring of talent and education, plentifully lacking in its predV- • cessor. The Sedbons, the Greeks, the Hatches, the Daniels et hoc genus \ omne have not been leading features. They — as far as they were represented in the IT owe — must have felfc that (hey had formerly been men among hoyt hue wore now Loys among men. A wit once remarked to a Homo Uuler who was a pig merchant, "You're a gentleman among pigs, >mt a pig among gentlemen." This des-Kcribi-is the position of the wind-bag olMineut in the late House and in the present one. The effect of the addi- 1 tion of half-a-dozen able and respectable men to an Assembly is amazing^ There has beon genius, wit, and eloc] nonce on the Government benches, and not a little of the same articles in opposition. We cannot closo without n tribute of praise to Mapr Atkinson" for his tfinperate, firm and manly op-po.-'iiion. IS T o one can say of him that he is a mere office-seeker, ov that ho opposes a measure because he did not ii(ro:luce it h inn-elf. He has shown high.tr qualities in his fall than he showed in his greatest power, and wo h. lit'vo he Ins won the respect even of his bitterest opponents.