THE CABINET AND THE STUMP.

New Zealand Times, Volume XXXIII, Issue 5363, 5 June 1878, Page 3

THE CABINET AND THE STUMP.

(Prom the Canterbury Press, June 1.)

It was pointed out in Thursday’s article that the disagreement between the Premier and his colleagues on the subject of the franchise was of a character, which would be regarded as wholly irreooncileable .by men.Tvho; were disposed to pay the least attention to constitutional usage. It was then shown that the very moderation and harmlessness of the Ministerial programme involved the violation by Sir George Grey, of the most solemn pledges given in a dozen places,. and this abandonment by him of objects which he has . represented as being absolutely and immediately, essential to, the good government of the colony, The next point upon which the; incongruity of the views held respectively by the Premier and, his colleagues is most striking is on the question-of taxation, and in order that there may be no room for . accusing us of misrepresenting the difference, we must again quote the remarks made by tho Premier in his elaborately prepared speech on taxation delivered on August 17th. We prefer taking the statement of his views which hegave to Parliament, rather than those which she gave to the country, because it avoids the possibilityof his saying that ha was misreported, or that his words were only obiter dicta. The. following is his own summary of his proposals in regard to Customs duties :—“I passed on to enumerate certain articles upon which I thought; duties should at ; once , be taken off., They were as follows: —Tea, 6d.'J per lb., £75,751 ; sugar, molasses,.and treacle, £128,121; coffee £4296 ; rice, &c., . £9640 ; haberdashery; £8509 ; cotton , goods, £7923 ; drapery, 1 £84,099 ; apparel, £IBOO ; candles and kerosene, £23,000 ; making a total of £359,545." As to the time when this should be; done Sir George Grey said There : would be nd difficulty in i effecting such a; saving immediately. In one month from the present time the proposal might in part be in operation." Notwithstanding this, when the Grey Ministry came into power, there was not a whisper of any proposal for reducing . the ■ duties named, and the expectant people, for. whose relief Sir George was so profoundly solicitous,: had perforce to wait another year. Then surely, it was thought, the Minister, who had promised such things, who.made, so little of any difficulties as to tell his opponents, the ex-Mimsters, that it they were in . earnest “..they would run off to that room behind, and immediately draw up a Bill, which they could, do In an hour,, would - not delay the reductions. How Sir 'George Grey has kept up the fiction during the recess, mourning Uvith the Customs-paying men, condoling with the women, weeping over 1 -the children, is very - well known

to everybody. The burden of his. speeches < was that the system of taxation should be changed, the Customs duties reduced, a tax laid on properly, and that the present was the best time to do it. Over and over again this wailing for the working man and his wife was repeated, and betweenwhiles came the gnashing of teeth at the wealthy for daring to have great possessions. But now what is the Ministerial intention in regard to any reduction in Customs duties ? Simply that such a thing is not so much as named in the programme which they have laid before the country. That circumstance is in itself conclusive upon the point, for we cannot conceive that even the firmest Greyite can suppose they would have omitted to announce such pleasant tidings ns a coming reduction of Customs if it had been coming. Credulity herself would be choked in the effort to swallow that hypothesis. The unavoidable inference therefore is, either that Sir George Grey has abandoned the working man to the supposed cruel impositions which he depicted in ' such burning language, or that he is in direct antagonism to the Ministry in the matter. Another material point in which the Ministers differ on the subject of taxation, and in which the Ballauce section adopt a more liberal view than the Grey party, is the imposition of taxes upon small properties. In the speech from which we have above quoted, Sir G, Grey said “I am not one of those who would advocate letting a man off the land tax who has a' cottage and garden. If he has an acre of ground let him pay his 3d , or whatever the tax may be. It will not hurt him.” On the other ‘ hand. Mr. Ballauce, on behalf of his section of the Ministry, said :—“ He would take the area laid down in the de- ' ferred payment .clauses, and say that properties under ; 320 acres in extent should be totally exempt. Also, that the exemption should be general, so that a man with 1000 acres would only pay on that acreage less the exemption of 320 acres.” Does not this difference touch the working man pretty nearly ? If Sir George Grey has yielded the point, does not the fact prove the extreme mobility of his opinions,, and the Insincerity of his speeches ! If he has not yielded it, and will still fight for the imposition of a new tax upon every cottage freeholder in the land, how can he be regarded as the laborers’ friend! If is true that he did not say the same thing in Christchurh. But this only further proves his untrustworthiness, and it becomes a question whether it is better to attach weight to his deliberate speech as a legislator in Parliament, or to words uttered in a public meeting in the hope of catching a vote of confidence.

There is another point in which Mr. Ballance, trying to bless his leader by apology, has cursed him , utterly. We allude to the Land Bill business. “ Perhaps,” said he, “on constitutional, grounds his action might be criticised, but his motives were as had been stated.” In quoting this the other, day we omitted to point out what a very singular medley, must exist in the mind of the Minister who uttered ini “On constitutional grounds!” Why, what stronger ground for condemnation of a Prime Minister could be imagined than that he was wanting'in constitutionality; that he endeavored by a trick to override the deliberate decision of the Legislature, and to inveigle her Majesty’s representative into becoming a partner in his crime ? Mr. Ballance, and therefore, we presume, the other Ministers, admit the offence, butj seem to regard it as very venial—a mere constitutional matter. Plainly described, the .offence was the most gross abuse of the highest confidence which a Legislature can repose in a man that has ever been attempted in New Zealand, and probably in Australasia. It is gratifying to know at least that some Ministers are disposed to think that the transaction was not quite the thing. There is hope that their perceptions may grow keener' as they grow older. But how, admitting even the little transgression, the contempt for constitutional practices, involving the utter disregard of common political honor, Mr; Ballance can call Sir George Grey “a politician with clean hands,” we are at a loss to understand. It has now been shown in this and the former article that the two parties in the Ministry represented respectively by Sir G. Grey and,Mr.,Ballance, differ in the following particulars’:—(L) 'As 'to the franchise, the former would give each man one vote and only one for the colsny, subject to a residence qualification of one year : the Ballance party, on the other , band, would admit all existing qualifications, but would add a residence qualification of two years in the colony and three or six months in an electoral district. (2.) The Grey party hold that a large reduction in the Customs duties is demanded on all principles of justice, and is immediately possible .without inconveniencing the Treasury : the Ballance party see ’no sufficient reason for proposing any such reduction, or at least believe that it would be inadvisable at present. (3.) On the subject of taxing cottage freeholders, the'Grey party is undecided, saying now one thing, now another : the Ballance party would not impose a tax upon any estate of less than 320 acres. , (4.) The Grey party regard their leader’s action as to the Land Bill as exhibiting a noble disregard of consequences, an excusable immorality, to befriend the people of to-day and generations unborn; the Ballance party admit that it was a disregard of the very basis of Government—constitutionality. These are in brief thedif-, ferences which exist in the Ministry, and it is easy to understand that their avowal by Mr. Ballance has involved the supporters of the Minitsry as a whole in the utmost doubt and perplexity. That perplexity will bo morq clearly exhibited when the Assembly meets, and it may be hoped that; however strongly wedded to reform the members are and anxious to fulfil their promises to constituents, they will insist upon the Ministry which they support being rendered coherent in itself, not composed of members fortuitously drawn in, though as far apart in political principle as the Bast is from the West in nature.