The Manawatu Standard (PUBLISHED DAILY.) The Oldest Daily Newspaper on the West Coast. MONDAY, FEBRUARY 1. 1886. THE PROBABILITIES OF DISSOLUTION.

Manawatu Standard, Volume XI, Issue 1623, 1 February 1886, Page 2

Manawatu Standard (PUBLISHED DAILY.) The Oldest Daily Newspaper on the West Coast. MONDAY, FEBRUARY 1. 1886. THE PROBABILITIES OF DISSOLUTION.

• The* Welliiigtoff correspondent' of the Auckland Herald, telegraphing to that | journal this day jweek, expressed s himself, as foljpws : — " Upon the subject of the coming dissolution, the Hon.. Mr Bal i;ance tpli ma to-day vthat <,not|ing^ was decided'as yet/biit that Tt will be* much better to have (he dissolia tion* "before date at wlu'ch the next session, b£ the present Parliament would probably be fixed. He considers that there is. abundant precedent for going; to the country 1 m the present state of parties and' public opinion. The precedent upon '-which :he appears. to rely is that afforded by the action of Mr. Gladstone m- 1874.; It does not appear to. me that tbe caae cited is quite analagous to the present position of affairs m this colony. However, it is alleged that the Government may fJis- - solve 'Parliament v at any time by , of. the JKoyal prerogative.; There. is/of^ coursej no answer to the , argument ,ot the prerogative, except' thiß," that the Governor wbutd tliinlc l himsblf bouiid; by precedent, or the absence; of precedent, and would expect io find *a': strictly analagous case to.be adducedrbefore exercising, this discretion. As .to . ths convenience of. dissolution befpre f the . date of -tne- ri^xt session of the. exist ing Parliament, the Hon. Mr Ballance said that if taken soon the cost and inconvenience. *of Ewp sessions m pne^ -year woujdUjej and^hig appears to him tblbej W vervj important 3coiftider^tion."w6n '• ■* the sanle' subject the Cbristchurch Press ..remarks : — " The fact of the matter pro-bat>ly!'-is that : the Government do not . k^now^exactjy what tp -.dp...... They can see. 'Plainly enough- that iiheV K i\kl very^ gre'ai' risk indeed; of being defeated when Par-, liaiuent assembles, and they do npt look J forward to that contingency with my pleasure, knowing that it is just possible that the House^ may make up its mind to give a new administration a trial'withdut .the necessity of an appeal to the con--stituencies. An election before the House meets holds out the chance of Ministers being able to retain office for some time longer, if they are only able to bid high enough fo.r support. The remarks of Mr Ballanoe, Mr Laenach, and the Treasurer point to the idea of advising the Governor to dissolvo has been seriously considered by some members of the Cabinet. But when they come to look into the matter more carefully, it is to be.hoped they' will see that to advise a. dissolution .under existing circumstances before Parliament meets would be ;to propose a most unconstitu-tionalj-steip, a step whichymifht be Warmly resented by the electors when the question v came before |heqi m the< course of, the contest."