New Zealand Times. (PUBLISHED DAILY.) MONDAY, SEPTEMBER 27.

New Zealand Times, Volume XXX, Issue 4530, 27 September 1875, Page 4

New Zealand Times. (PUBLISHED DAILY.) MONDAY, SEPTEMBER 27.

The Government may be very fairly congratulated upon the result of a most difficult parliamentary campaign, as far as it has gone. Not that we can say by any means that Ministers have been free from mistakes of omission and commission. Far from it ; in both respects their errors have been conspicuous. But, taken as a whole, they are to be commended. And we may go a little further, and say that if they had taken counsel with the more moderate men of their own party, and less with members holding extreme opinions, their success would have been greater. It is seldom that exfreme views, in any case, are correct. The body politic is satisfied more by moderation than by carrying matters to an extreme ; and so far as Ministers displayed a spirit of moderation they disarmed opposition, and called into being a reserve of political force which will make itself felt at the next general election. Having said so much on the general bearing of the political situation, we shall say a few words on the actual state of the parliamentary campaign. The Abolition of Provinces Bill has passed through committee, altered and amended in many respects, yet substantially the same Bill which was introduced. This is owing to the fair spirit of compromise displayed by both sides of the House. It might have been so altered and mangled as to have rendered it useless or inoperative. Such virtue as was in it at the outset remains, unabated, and any blemish that exists is attributable in a greater degree to the precipitancy of the Government than to any wish of the House. Yet for all that, the Bill as amended, judging from the text which appears elsewhere, is not in any material sense a departure from the general principles embodied in tho original draft, although we are free to confess that wo anticipate more than one radical amendmont in the Constitution during tho first session of the now Parliament.

TJio Government, wo may state, intend to make, provision for the payment to local bodies, for the last eight months of the current financial year, as originally contemplated by the Abolition of Provinces Bill, although it does como into operation until after the closo of the first session of the now Parliament. As the Provincial Councils are not to assemble meanwhile, this provision is necessary to keep the local public works abreast of the, requirements of the country, and wo think this foresight on the part of the Government will be pro-

perly appreciated. It might have been otherwise. The Government might have said, that as the Act was not to come into operation until some time in the end of September, or the beginning of October next, there was no need to subsidise local bodies until the new arrangement qame •into effect; but having regard to the requirements of the country, and the expectations of aid that were raised on the promulgation of the Bill, Ministers have wisely determined to complete the financial part of their programme at once; The country will, therefore, have a double gain, namely, to decide whether the provincial form of government is to be utterly abolished, by recording their votes at the polling booths, and at the same time enjoy the substantial benefit of abolition. This outcome of the parliamentary campaign so far, will be gratifying, we have little doubt, to the bulk of tho people. With regard to the Local Government Bill, we do not think there is any pressing need for going further with it than the second reading this session. It the Abolition of Provinces Bill was to have been brought into operation ninety days after the prorogation of the present session, the case would have been different. There might have been some reason for pressing it through the House, although even then we are free to admit that it is just questionable whether it would not be quite as well to let the country discover, by actual experiment, its precise want in the matter of local self-government. Our own opinion is this, that it is neither expedient nor necessary to add to the machinery of local administration at present in operation. The highway and road boards, municipal councils, and harbor boards already in existence, may very safely be left to manage all local concerns for a few years at all events; and then if "shire " councils," or other central administrative bodies are needed, they will be constituted to satisfy a felt want of the community and not as an anticipatory measure. The great blemish on New Zealand legislation hitherto is, that it has been more of an anticipatory character than as a.mitigation of recognised evils. It has been generally a servile copying of statutes enacted in other countries, for. a totally different class of circumstances, and hence it is that so many elaborate laws remain a dead letter in the Statute book. But whether we are correct in our general observations or not, in this particular case we think there can be no question that we are right in saying that the Local Government Bill need not proceed bey,ond the second reading. The Bills for adjusting the representation and amending the franchise are of pressing necessity, and should be carefully considered. Heretofore this subject has been disposed of on no general principle. Neither population nor property have been fairly represented. If, however, the revenue of the colony is to be raised by indirect taxation, then it follows that population should be taken as the basis of representation ; but if a change is to be made in the incidence of taxation, then property, as well as population, should be considered. As we have said, we have a system based upon no principle but the _ rule of thumb. Now, a country which requires to raise a million sterling yearly to pay interest on it 3 public debt, should fairly meet the question of representation, because it must be apparent that the character of the electorate, and the classification of the electoral districts, will largely determine the source of revenue. We do not desire in any way to prejudice this question; but we throw out these hints for the consideration of the Legislature, which will soon be called upon to decide the matter. The other measures before the Assembly do not require any special mention. Finance, of course, will occupy some time, and if it be approached in a proper spirit it will well repay all the time bestowed upon it. We are not of those who take a gloomy view of the financial position of the colony, but neither are we among the crowd, of non-reflectives who see nothing in the horizon but fair weather. On the contrary, we think there are grave reasons for caution in finance. Wo have come to an end of borrowing on a large scale for some time at least, and Bhould set our house in order to prepare for the inevitable pressure after the loan expenditure ceases. If the Assembly acta with intelligent foresight there need be little if any jar in colonial finance ; but a very great deal depends upon this "if." However, we have no reason to think the Assembly will act in any other spirit than that of careful circumspection ; and we trust that at the close of this, its last session, we shall be enabled to congratulate the fifth Parliament of New Zealand as much upon its prudence in finance, as we had to praise i\ for a spirit of enlightened enterprise during its first session. The Public Works and Immigration policy has passed through many phases, but it has not once ceased to be such a policy as commended itself to all intelligent men. What is wanted to make it a great success is prudence in administration, and this cannot be secured without prudence in finance.