THE Mount Ida Chronicle FRIDAY, SEPTEMBER 22, 1876.

Mount Ida Chronicle, Volume VII, Issue 393, 22 September 1876, Page 2

THE Mount Ida Chronicle FRIDAY, SEPTEMBER 22, 1876.

The difficulty into which the AttorneyGeneral haß plunged his colleagues is a lit retribution for his bumptious arrogance. All he wished for was to meet Messrs. Rees and Stout in the Appeal Court. Xet in the very first cast he and his crew are mercilessly overthrown. A few years ago, when the Government wished to make the present Chief Justice Attorney-Gene-ral, the House was assured that there were excellent reasons why the Attorney- General should be placed in a position where, removed from party politics, he could advise the Government of the day m such a way as to give greater satisfaction to the House and to the country. An Act in accordance with this theory was passed, making the office of Attorney-Ganeral non-political. Immediately after the passing of this Act Mr. Preudergast was appointed. "When the office was again vacant by the elevation of Mr. Prendergast to the Chief ,7 usticeship a non-political Solicitor-General was appointed, and the Attorney-Generalship remained in abeyance. Upon the retirement of Sir Julius Yogel Mr. Whitaker was appointed Attorney-

General, and gazetted as a member of the Executive Council in direct defiance of the unrepealed Attorney-Gen-eral 8 Act. Mr. Wfiitaker's first act in the House—in which really his seat was forfeited by his acceptance of a non-political office—was to give notice of his intention to introduce an Act to repeal the to him obnoxious measure. That is not the whole difficulty. It is laid down by Act that the Executive Council shall not exceed seven in number. Now nine Ministers were gazetted, and eight appointed Jo special office. It was thought that if seven only were paid the difficulty was met. Unfortunately it was subsequently discovered that the right to draw travelling allowance was equivalent to receipt of pay, and an effectual disqualification. This being so, Which of the eight Ministers ought to be the sacrificed victim? Again, it is said—The Cabinet is appointed as a whole, and if one Minister is disqualified, all are. Hence, if that axiom of law is sound, the gazetted Ministers are all disqualified, and no longer hold seats either on the benches or in the House. This is certainly a pretty kettle of hot. water for the Attorney-General to bare plunged his colleagues into. The Government, it is said, now mean to make it all right by an Indemnification Act. We very much doubt whether the two. Houses will lend themselves to any such thing. In deciding upon the privileges of the House the Assembly is the highest Court in the Colony, and should not allow its judicial functions to be influenced by party considerations. Besides, if the disqualification is effectual, as we believe it is, the constituencies rights become paramount. The House has no right to defraud Waikouaiti or Waikato of its right to return what member each chooses. The issue of writs against Ministers must not be mixed up with the more important matter referred to. If an offence , has been committed against the law any individual has a right to lay an information, and personally recover any penalty the law adjudges. .The writs issued are for various illegalities. For instance, Sir Julius Vogel was elected for Wanganui while drawing special allowances and special pay as a loan agent in addition to his salary as a Minister. If that be so he was disqualified, and not entitled to take his seat in the House, or, if he did elect to sit, he sat clearly at the risk of an information being laid. Dr. Pollen and. Sir Donald M'Lean have laid themselves open to attack, because while sitting as Ministers they were quietly scoring time towards their civil service pensions. Dr. Pollen admitted this the other day by announcing his intention to ask that his resignation as civil servant might date from 1873. This somewhat late good intention will not, we think, be found a valid protection. Again, the Atkinson Ministry are open to the enemy simply for sitting in the House since their appointment. Mr. Hall sat for two days, and was at once served with a writ for £2OO by Mr. Waterhouse. He, wise man, under the circumstances declined to sit any longer at such a price. What will be the outcome of all this confusion it were hard to say. Certainly it is not against the interests of the Opposition.

The Upper House has thrown out tlie provisions in fcho Hating Bill which exempt mining property from being rated so long as the duty is levied at or over Is. 6d. per ounce. The probable offset of this will be to induce the Lower House to abolish the duty altogether. Mr. Pyke'sßill, before the House, proposes to take off Is., and gradually reduce to 3d., which is favored for statistical purposes. When the Bill comes on for discussion an amendment will be proposed to sweep off the duty as a whole. The Government are not unfavorable to this if they can see their way out of the rating difficulty. The action of the Upper House may prove to be most beneficial to the mining interest.

The Local Option Bill was strangled immediately it got into Committee. Mr. Hunter and Mr. Stout protested against the system which was cropping up for members to vote for the principle of a bill on the second reading, and then turn round in Committee and prevent all consideration of the details of the measure. The action of members on this bill was half-hearted and spiritless. The main objection to the bill appeared to be the absolute power given to stop all licenses. An amendment proposed to confine the prohibition to new licenses would, it was thonght, confirm bad old houses, and prevent the establishment of good new ones. The division was a very good one for the Local Option men—24 to 29. There were any amount of pairs, which, of course, do not affect the majority of five only against the bill.