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New Zealand Times, Volume XXXIV, Issue 5798, 29 October 1879, Page 2

Os the 12th of September we wrote in tho following terms about tho Christchurch electors “ They have elected as “ their representative a man who has “ just been duly elected for the Thames, “ Jiy doing so they have unseated one of l: the best and most moderate public men “in New Zealand. We look upon the “ exclusion of the Hon. Mr. RnniAituso.v “ from Parliament as one of the most nu- “ seemly acts which the country lias ever “ been guilty of.” We were pleased to find that wo had been mistaken, and that Mr. Richardson' might after all prove to have been duly elected for Christchurch. When lie took his seat yesterday, we believe that even his political opponents were quite prepared to regard his return to the House as a matter fur congratulation. The Thames constituency has already two members who admirably suit its purposes. Tho one was so impressed with the claims of the district that he started an illegal railway, which will cost the colony nearly a quarter of a million sterling before it is finished ; the other has secured the expenditure of about £12,000 of public money upon local roads, bridges, &c., within the county, through his influence as Native Minister at the time. With such tangible pledges of affection to appeal to as evidence of their extreme loyalty to their constituents, surely the Thames district could not hope to secure better or more useful representatives. We should be sorry to suppose for one moment that the rest of New Zealand has been unduly taxed to provide roads and bridges and a railway alongside of a navigable river in that district; but we venture to express an opinion that the late Premier and the ex-Nativo Minister wore infinitely bettor able to appreciate the full force of the claims of the district than any future Ministry is likely to be. There was an amusing scene in tho House yesterday when the report of the Elections Petitions Committee was brought up. The lawyers on the Grey side got up one after the other and tried to make members believe that lawyers ought to decide all questions of Parliamentary practice, oven in the face of the Constitution Act, which declares that the “ members of the House of Representa- “ tives shall be judges without appeal of “ the validity of the election of each “ member thereof.” Mr. Hislol- moved an amendment to the effect that because there was no evidence before the Petitions Committee that Mr. Richardson was a qualified elector or duly elected, &0., therefore a new writ should be issued ; but the House thought otherwise. Then Sir G. Grey denounced the injustice of disfranchising 11315 electors in Christchurch, but seeing that no less than 1227 hitherto disfranchised electors were once more allowed a-voice in making the laws of their country, it is clear that not more than eighty-eight electors have any reason to complain. Even &ir G. Grey must admit that the temporary disfranchising of that number of elector's is not a matter of enough importance to entitle them to a fresh election.

“ Old Grey died hard that was the familiar expression, that in one form or another met one’s ears at every corner of the House yesterday afternoon. No doubt he did, and very hard work Mr. Speaker must have found it to put the irrepressible member for tlie Thames down, and to keep him there. We could not but admire the rich fund of resources and excuses which Sir G. Grey had at his command, but fortunately for the future of the colony Mr. O’Bokke was quite equal to the occasion. This feeling of admiration for the ingenuity of the unseated member, was mingled with a sense of satisfaction, caused by the reassuring knowledge that the Speaker of the Lower House was not, as in the case of the Upper House, a nominee of the late Government that, in short, it was not of Mr. O’Borke that Sir G. Grey wrote “There is a “ necessity in such an appointment ” (i.c,, as Speaker to the Legislative Council) “to give assurance to the public “that the Government intend to carry “ measures of a certain character, and to “ secure if possible existing laws, to “ which they stand pledged, from being “ repealed qv in any way altered so that “ their force or main characteiistics “ might be destroyed.” Mr. Richardson’s return to the House will be heartily welcomed from one end of the colony to the other. The keenness of his political vision is well known, and wo need only refer co his detection and exposure of the Tapanni railway job, of the falsification of the copy of the railway map, and of the illegality of the Grahamstown railway, as instances of his “detective” ability, a quality which was unfortunately much needed by the present Government when in Opposition. His accurate knowledge of the laws relating to public works expenditure enable him at all times to exercise a wholesome supervision, not only over the Ministry of the day, but over the whole House. When the hurry and scramble of the last few weeks of the session begin, Mr? Richardson’s critical eye will be useful. The task is a thankless one, but members want a little looking after when public money is being distributed and scrambled for. Mr. Richardson has shown himself both able and willing to undertake the duty.