The Nelson Evening Mail. MONDAY, OCTOBER 29, 1877.

Nelson Evening Mail, Volume XII, Issue 256, 29 October 1877, Page 2

The Nelson Evening Mail. MONDAY, OCTOBER 29, 1877.

It is au understood thiug, we believe, that the division ou Mr Reynolds' ameudmeut to Major Atkinson's no-confidence motion is to take place to-night, aud it is by no means unlikely that it will be carried, as the leader of the Opposition has undoubtedly- made a false move in attempting to bring matters to au issue before the date fixed for the delivery of the Financial Statement, namely, tomorrow eveniug. This was done agaiust the advice of some of the leading members of his party, and has given one or two votes to the Government that would have been recorded against them had they had " fair play." On the other hand, it is only fair to say that there was a very general and growing belief that the Ministry never intended to make any Statement at all, but to ask the House to adopt the estimates of their predecessors, and to be content to accept their assurance that next session they would come down with some financial scheme that would astonish and delight the colony. Still as the Statement was promised to be delivered on Tuesday Major Atkiuson would have been far wiser to have waited until then before making his attack. If Mr Reynolds' amendment be carriedat will of course be a decided victory for the Government. If it should be rejected a long debate on the original motion will probably ensue, aa every day's delay is in favor of the Ministry, who possess all the advantages that are to be derived from the patronage which is placed in their hands. Sir George was twitted by Major Atkinson with not having been able to obtain the requisite number of colleagues, but wbo shall say that in not filling the vacant seats on £he Treasury Benches the Premier has not displayed something of the wisdom of the serpent? Two portfolios unappropriated is a bait which would prove attractive to many more than the same number of members, who might consider that they possessed all the qualifications required to make a good Minister. It is the wish too of Sir George that all the provinces should be represented in the Government. Here is another bid for support that may have the effect .qf influencing one or two votes. Then there is the threat of a dissolution very plainly held out. Now in a EJouse of 87 members there must always be a certain number who would give their vote in any , direction rather than forfeit their seats with

£200 a year in esse, and fifty or a hundred more M»;ios-e. Without a dissolution these are ensured to them for the nest three years, but if they were to be sent back to their constituencies to-morrow some of them know full well that they would have to Jbid a long adieu to the honor and profit attached to the position of M H.R. When Sir George was iu Opposition ho had, as we all know, a soul above considerations of this kind, but Sir George in that position and the same gentleman a3 Premier are not by any means one and the same individual. He was a determined Separatiouist, he. is an ardent Centralist; he was a warm admirer of institutions, and considered that their abolition would not assist in promoting economy; now he tells us tbat the conduct of the public business may be much simplified and the expenditure greatly reduced by having but one Government; in Opposition he saw no difficulty in making at once and without the smallest delay vast changes and improvements in the finance of the country — if we remember aright he stated that it might be done in half an hour — now after heing in office a fortnight he has been unable to produce a financial statement of any kind whatever. So that with the changes that have taken place in his views on so many matters, it is quite possible that even the high-souled Sir George may stoop to adopt some of the tactics so frequently resorted to in the august Assembly of New Zealand on the eve of a division. With what result we shall bs curious to see.