The New Zealand Times. (PUBLISHED DAILY). TUESDAY, SEPTEMBER 23, 1879.

New Zealand Times, Volume XXXIV, Issue 5767, 23 September 1879, Page 2

The New Zealand Times. (PUBLISHED DAILY). TUESDAY, SEPTEMBER 23, 1879.

There are nine provincial districts in New Zealand, and they return eighty-four members, exclusive of the Maori members. Only two provincial districts out of the whole lot have returned a majority for Sir G. Grey. . According to the list of Government and Opposition members which we have published, and which differs but very slightly from those published in Auckland, Christchurch, and Dunedin, the relative numbers of supporters, and the several districts from which they come may be seen at a glance in the following table :

Sir George Grey will, no doubt, -hum that he still commands the confide. ;; of a majority of the people in New Ze.u.iml, because his sixteen Auckland supporters 1 will go far to over-balance the disparity elsewhere. In the division oh the noconfidenoe motion, including the pairs, 82 members took part; of these 4.8 were in favor, and. 34 against the motion. There were three doubtfuls—Messrs. McMivn, Murray, and j. E. Brown—who did not vote ; one Opposition man, Mr, DrivsEj and one Government man '

Mr. Bastings, were absent. The Speaker completes the number. Au analysis of :thc recent elections, as compared with the above division list, shows that tne Opposition haslost seven aeatsin Auckland, viz.— Messrs. Douglas, Hobbs, Macfablane, JVlorris, Rowe, Whitaker, "Williams. Of these the Grey party have gained five, and two are doubtful. In laranaki the Opposition has gained, one seat. In Nelson the Opposition can only count upon six votes instead of seven, one being doubtful. In Wellington they can count upon seven, if not eight votes, instead of six. In Marlborough they gain a vote. In Napier they retain three votes ns before. In Westland, on the other hand, the Opposition have lost two seats. In Canterbury they can only depend upon nine instead of eleven votes. In Otago, however, the Opposition has been very successful, as they can now count upon ten, if not eleven votes, instead of only six or seven, as at the last division.

In drawing conclusions from the above figures the difference in the number of .doubtfuls or independents complicates matters somewhat. The Grey party have gained five seats in Auckland, two in .Westland, and two in Canterbury, and iflne Maori member —or ten seats altogether. To set against this, the antiGreyitos have gained one seat in Wellington, one in Marlborough, and four in Otago-—or six seats altogether. By our 'calculation this would givo the Grey party a gain of four certain votes. Our list shows 39 Groyites. This rosiut, if " the division-list of last session were consulted, would be arrived at by adding tho four votes gained to the thirty-four recorded, plus the name of the Speaker. The anti-Greyitos have lost four votes from forty-eight, leaving fortyfbuf/ The live doubtfuls and absentees whose votes wore not recorded in the last division, have been replaced by seven doubtfuls, thereby reducing the Opposition,by two more, leaving only forty-two declared anti-Greyites instead of fortyeight. But for the overwhelming preponderance of Greyites returned from Auckland, the party would be in a hopeless minority. It is but a year ago since Sir G. Grey faced the House with a majority of fourteen or fifteen members. Within the. space of ten months he had reduced the number of his supporters by nearly thirty. If he should by any accident or generalship be again able to secure a small working majority, we have not the least doubt that he wiU very soon repeat the experiment of alienating a host of his friends and supporters. His Ministry a year ago included men of a very much better stamp than the Gisbornes and ■ ’ Thomsons of to - day, who, though they may bo respectable politicians, are of a vary different class and Parliamentary standing from that claimed by Messrs. Stout and Ballance.' The Grey Ministry is admitted even by its friends to bo tottering; the very limited success which has attended ,the general election cannot possibly save it. Seven provincial districts out of nine have pronounced strongly against Sir G. Grey ; and one of those, viz., Westland, hardly deserves to be considered, as it has been distinctly bought over by the Premier’s promise to spend a million and a quarter of Government money on the Amberley and Brunnerton railway. In tho above calculation Sir G. Grey has been counted twice over. Pending another election for the Thames that constituency will bo but half represented, and the party will lose a vote in consequence. We learn upon good authority that; Mr.' Lund on will have to give up his seat also. The loss of these two votes will go far to wreck any chance the Greyites might otherwise have had of remaining in office.

Greyite. Anti-Greyite. Doubtful. Auckland 16 — , \2 • Taranaki — 3 — Hawke’s Bay.. — 3 — Nelson 2 6 . 1 Wellington .. 1 .7 2 Marlborough.. — 3 — Canterbury .. 5 9 — Otago 0 10 2 Westland 3 — — Maoris 3 1 ~ 89 42 7