PARLIAMENTARY.

Manawatu Standard, Volume IV, Issue 283, 27 October 1884, Page 2

PARLIAMENTARY.

After the delivery of the Public Works Statement on Friday night, The Premier, m seconding the motion, said : —The G-overnHient wish the House distinctly to understand that all the proposals and intentions stated by my colleague m regard to railways m both islands stand together, and stand, moveover, connected with Bills which have passed this House, to which we have already, said to attach paramount importance. The Government are not inclined to take too local a view of rail ways, and to say we cannot make a railway to this • town because we cannot make it to another. Patience must he exercised by localities, so that railways must be carried on with some regard to speed- j ily obtaining returns from works m j progress. But, whilst not taking a contractedly narrow view of local claims, the Government have no notion of seeing ono-Tsland raised to a prosperous condition and the other plunged into gloomy depression. I will go indeed further, and add that, since I there appears an inclination to bring about such a vesult, the Government will be no party to it, nor will they suffer it. They would sooner that this session should-be entirely barren, and that another session should immediately follow, with or- without an appeal to the 'constituencies. Mr Thomson complained that the printed statement had not b*ea circulated amongst the members of; the House, and he regretted more especially as the voice of the hon. thr» Minister for Public Works had been iuaudable m the Hou^e. Mr Thomson referred to the speech so fur as it referred to the railways mentioned by the Minister foi Public Works, and expressed the hope that, liefore very long, the railways would be self-sup-porting. As a whole, he did not think the speech particularly objectionable, though on several points the Minister for Public Works was not very clear. The policy of the Government, as indicated m the speech was satisfactory and acceptable. Mr Bryce considered that the speech as a whole was satisfactory, but the Premier, m his very .short remark, had introduced matter of the gravest character, and for this reason he considered that the House should have time to consider it well before the debate was continued. Writing on the Premier's remarks referred to above the Wellington morning paper observes : — The remarks subsequently made by the Premier liad been carefully prepared beforehand nnd were read from a printed paper, copies of which were distributed later m the evening: Had the Premier stood up and made it on the spur of the moment, and when labouring" under strong excitement, we should have regretted his misfortune m being the victim of uncontrolled passion. Tinder such circumstances the wisest men will say foolish things for which they are very sorry afterwards. But Mr Scout was as cool as a encumber, and was reading a paper drawn up no doubt carefully, not. to say painfully, at a solemn meeting of the Cabinet. Yet this production of the combined Ministers was about as ill-judged as one could have well imagined. There, was not the slightest occasion for it, and it was far more likely to stir up opposition than to allay it. It was supremely ridiculous to tell Parliament at this present juncture that the Ministerial programme must be swallowed as a whole or members must be prepared to run the lisk of a dissolution. For bad English and bad judgment we are prepared to back Mr Stout's little document against anything whioh has been read m an Australasian Parliament during the last twelve mouths. We would give something 1 to know who suggested and who drafted it. He is evidently a genius.