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New Zealand Times, Volume XXXII, Issue 5196, 16 November 1877, Page 2

The majority in the House of Representatives aud the people of the colony are now apparently helpless spectators of an attempt on the part of- Sir George Grey to substitute personal for Parliamentary Government, and to re-establish the old despotism of the individual in ■lieu of that Ministerial responsibility which is the true guarantee for freedom and progress in a colony like New Zealand, enjoying, or supposed to enjoy, the advantages of representative institutions. The thirty-second section of the Constitution Act enacts that there shall be within the Colony of Zealand a General Assembly, to consist of the Governor, a Legislative Council, and House of Representatives. These are the three estates, in whom all legislative and executive power is vested, subject to certain wellknown and specific reservations of Imperial authority, to which, as a dependency of the Empire; New Zealand, as every other free British Colony, must necessarily submit. Now the position which Sir George Grey has established for himself is this : having got into place by crooked ways, he has succeeded in the shortest possible space of time in fixing a quarrel upon the Governor, which must in the future make any other mode of communication with his Excellency, except by writing, necessarily disagreeable, if not impracticable. The confidence which ought to exist, but does not, between the Governor of the Colony and the Premier as Chief of the'Executive' cannot, judging from the correspondence laid before Parliament in relation to the proposed appointment of Mr. Wilson, be easily recovered or restored—even if Sir George Grey desired that it should be so. With the Legislative Council —-the second constituent part of the General Assembly—the relations of the Premier are not more satisfactory than his relations with the Governor. Since his return to political life Sir George Grey has lost no opportunity, in season or out of season, to flout and offend the Council. The very act of attempting to place Mr. Wilson in the Council, for the reason contained in the memorandum to the Governor, viz., that the peculiar kind of intelligence possessed by that learned gentleman was a requisite addition to the existing stock in the Council, was, in itself, offensive to that body, and we have a right to assume that it was intended to be so. In the Representative Chamber tho majority is now under the spell of the Standing Orders, and.is being strangled by rales of procedure, oracularly interpreted by the Speaker; whilst the Native Minister, Mr. Sheehan, chaffs hen. gentleman who are apparently helplessly involvedin cobwebs, which, as they have themselves assisted to make, they ought to be able to break as easily. Sir George Grey addresses himself, over their heads, to the people out of doors, and to the future generations, and insists that he alone is the representative man and true ruler, and that they, the majority, are shams, and have not the confidence of the people. We are not giving an unfair |or exaggerated picture .of the situation, nor can we be said to be wrong in declaring that parliamentary government is—for the moment at least—at an end in New Zealand. Of course a way will be found out of the existing difficulty. Major Atkinson’s notice of motion, “That this House has now no confidence in tho Government,” stands third amongst the “notices” on the Order Paper, but, as it appears, may bo kept there by dexterous manipulation for an indefinite time, or until tho necessity for “ supply” affords to the House tho occasion of making its grievances felt. Refusing to grant supply is, however, an extreme measure, to which the* House would, we presume, be most unwilling to resort until all other modes of getting rid of an objectionable Government had been tried and exhausted. Mr. Travers lias, however, given notice that this evening ho will move, —“ On consideration of his Excellency’s message, transmitted to tho House on the Bth instant, on the question of privilege raised by Mr. Stout (1.) That a respectful address be presented by this House to his Excellency, thanking him for his message, and expressing.tho regret of; this'House that the .circumstances re-, ferred to, in - his message should Have provented.him at once giving a definite reply to . the address of this House ;; (2.) That, in the opinion of This House,’ tho course taken by Ministers in relation to the 1 matter in'question was ‘unconstitutional, and " otherwise improper, and deserves tho censure of this Hqnse.-’’ 1 Should tho House be able to arrive at the discussion..of this motion, and should it,bo carried, as it ought to bo,I the'orid which the General Assembly has’ in .view may be attained, and Sir Gijorgg * Grey’ 'may consent to 1 ristire quietly from a position in which, according

to all party tradition, and to all parliamentary practice, he is an intruder. If he should not do so, the danger to the public interests, and to the credit and character of the colony, of allowing'a gen tiemen to retain office who-is in antagonism to the Governor, to’ the Legislative Council, and to the majority of the House of Representatives, is so greatas to justify, and demand, the most strenuous measures to avert it. There are some moderate men who, out of a mistaken sense of generosity and a desire of seeing what they call ‘ ‘ fair play” given to one who has not, andmever had; ‘ a disposition to give fair play to others, have been voting of late with the Government. The constituents of , these gentlemen, as well as the public generally, have a right to expect that they will not persist in allowing a mistaken sentiment in regard to an individual to stand in the way of the public interest, and that, having given all reasonable time for the declaration of a policy which has, as they ought now to bo able to see, at present no form excepting that of drifting and waiting for something 'to turn up, they will assist in discountenancing and putting an end to an attempt to govern New Zealand in opposition to the will of all the branches of the General Assembly. It is said, and we believe truly, that none of the members of the late Government desire very earnestly to return to office. Surely, then, there ought to be no difficulty in forming from amongst moderate men now ranged on both sides a Government which would be strong enough at once to command the confidence of a large majority in the Parliament, and which, being relieved of the necessity of a perpetual struggle for existence, could apply itself energetically te bring the business of the session to a close, in order that the not less important business of the country, which has been so long postponed, may receive its share of attention. The Estimates, which have been three months befere the House, have not yet been touched, and although more than one-third of the financial year has passed, no legal provision has yet been made for the expenditure of the several departments of the Government, whilst the votes for many public works nf great urgency which ought now to be in hand are delayed. The daily expenditure of the Parliament, itself a very large item, goes steadily on in the meantime, with much talk on the part of the Government about economy and retrenchment, of which no other indications than talk are as yet visible, or likely to be.