REVIEW.

New Zealand Times, Volume XXXII, Issue 4948, 31 January 1877, Page 3

REVIEW.

THE HEW ZEALAND CONFEDERATION." The brochure to which is .appended such an imposing title* is anything but what, it professes to be. The author has for'some time 1 harped on the sad condition of the land law in New. Zealand,.and .prophesied aJI sorts of. evils to come, generally haying blamed the Provincial. Government, for its conduct ed , affairs. Now that the Provincial Government has been swept away*. Mr- Purnell :iar amusing himself The author, be it known, is one of tbosg considerate gentlemen who undertake to. show thatfhelpless infant “the poor man" how Jp>. is sufferingjfsg thatdfe is pp.tsarprising to find he _ result of the legislation-attending -the -abolition--Of provinCiaT institutions haabeeu the-matirial increase of- the-politicil power of thorichtsrclasaea.bf the’community, notably ,the-:ri»nh6lders;'’ci He says the Government hold 'office in 'the nmholders’interest, though; immediately before, he blames the legislative ’Council for refusing to abeept khe Land - Bill bf tho.Govefnment last session. Passing from this point, he bemoans the -fact- ’that .Ministries have been sworn' into office since Mr. Stafford resigned .in 18t59,; but in one instance only was the change the result of -a'parliamentary vote of -'want of copfidence,’’ 'and, on the rsUbject of ’ the Civil .Service! aniLWellingtonJje .is .excess! vely .complimentary,! thus:,“The,Civil Service of New Zealand is: ’ peculiarly; 'fitted'. ;to lend political support to any Ministry which-happens,to, be in office, and so to obstruct the free working of Responsible Government; which requires tbe possession, of office -by- tho-'Ministry to hinge solely upon political reasons—-the outcome of public opinion.' A large and compactibody of the Civil Service resides permanently-at Wellington, where it exercises an immense social influence ’ Over both the Ministry' aUd-Parlia-ment, while from its isolation' tbpfWjit is practically exempt from the criticisms ’of the bulk of the inhabitants of the colony, who may feel that wrong -is being done, .but ;are.quite unable to see for themselves .the. exact modern which the mischief, is being, perpetrated;, add so are powerless to check it. Wellington is swiftly degenerating.’ into; the Wpshington.Of New Zealand,' but It will become, if left-alone, -a -Washington- of - a-very-low-kind, because of the impossibility of’‘bringing it<under the cphstant light of public opinion. Its very smallTress renders It the more-' dangerous, because in a-large city the iCivil-Servrce would he one of many social influences, while here it-ief all-in all; and a town which, from ita geographical situation, ought to attain commercial importance, will be converted-iuto An official barracks and the haunt of political jobbers.” He describes the Government .of New Zealand as “a long way on- the road to an oligarchy,” . adding ’ “ the General Assembly, like the Ministry, is grown corrupt.” Then the Press gets a rap over the. knuckles. “An independent Press arid full publicity are essentials to the proper working of -the parliamentary system. Neither can be gained if the whole business of the’ country is confided to the General Assembly- seated at Wellington, A fow-yeareago, there was a certain independence ofspirit in the, Wellington; journals, but all three supported the Ministry last session, and differed-only -in the - virulence of their abuse >of any 1 member' of the Assembly who was - bold enough to criticise the actions of the Government ;;and if is reasonable to suppose that the Wellington Press will yearly become more official in tone. Nor can the.mass of the population of the colony obtain reliable'information of the. proceedings of 'the Assembly. The Wellington papers practically .'.'-do' not penetrate beyond-the boundaries:of; their own province ; and, moreover, the brief .abstracts of the'debates of the Assembly-which they furnish are,' for the most i part, not irejjorts’ at. all, : But; partisan summaries. The newspapers in -the - other provinces - confine themselves to, publishing . telegraphic .abstracts of the debates, wMch;«'e.'idways imperfect, and often do the grossest'lnjustice to the speakers,' as any one'will discover by comparing the summaries- of- the-principal debates of last session with: the extended reports iaZfansanf. All the general news which comes from Wellington during the session: is strongly tinged with partizanship, the official color predominating;

' The Now Zealand Confederation : An Inquiry into the present state of 'political affairs, with sugges ion* as to the best form of government for the colony. By Gluts, yf, Barneli.—Xt. T. Wheeler, Dunedin.

and, as a’ further ' meaiis of" misleading the public mind, 'the Ministry is in the habit of using, the Government printing, telegraph, and post offices tor the purpose of disseminating its views on any important' question'.'.throughout the country.at; the public 'expense, while the ; same facilities are mot afforded: to. its opponents.” This is all very well, if, aawe suspect, ; the pamphlet-is 'published as one of the modes adopted by Mr. Maeandrew to educate Otago public opinion, but where is the inquiry, pito our present political condition? We .cannot find any attempt to inquire or to reason, ihe remedy the writer proposes for all these ills:is the establishment of four provinces and a confederation.

AUSTRALIAN INSURANCE AND BANKING RECORD. We are in receipt;of the. specimen copy.of “The Australian Insurance and Banking- Record,” a monthly journal of insurance,,bank- ! ing, and finance. , The, pyospectus plates that “this new journalistic .undertaking is confidently introduced to the notice of that large section of the Australian public, whose. Interests are in various ways-connected witli, the important subjects referred. The range ,of topics embraced under the general heads of Banking and Insurance is vyide,.and . ever,growing. They closely affect all persons any capacity professionally C®Rbbn?,fd With monetary institutions. Nor is this the limit of their interest. They engage the attention, from the instinct of saU-protebtion, of the merchant, the speculator, the ‘.borrower, and the investor. To the thousands, of persons effecting assurances on tbeir lives, an iudepehdent journal, pledged to ho exclusiye J system or company, must bo of value as a beacon to safe anchorage, or a warning as to where the hidden breakers lie. The business of marine and of fire insurance is of great extent, and it is believed that by the interchange of well-in-formed and skilled opinions there , will grow up a system of trade which will remove .difficulties, and facilitate' the practice df'insurance and re-insurance. The "number of ! building societies taking charge of the money of investors and' lending bn fixed securities is Very large, and as their systems differ .widely comparison cannot fail to be useful aud, Instructive.” The copy forwarded to us is.; excellently got up. The information given upon all branches of the subjects professed to bo dealt with is voluminous and Varied, and from a typographical point of view it compares 'favorably with anything of its kind yet printed in the colonies. If New Zealand matters receive adequate attention, no doubt the “ Record” will meet with support in this colony.”