THE EVENING MAIL. MONDAY, APRIL 30, 1877.

Oamaru Mail, Volume I, Issue 318, 30 April 1877, Page 2

THE EVENING MAIL.

MONDAY, APRIL 30, 1877.

" Words are tbinsjs, and a drop of ink falling u]ion a thought may produce that wliii.ii wakes thousand think."

The speech delivered at New Plymouth the other evening by the Premier contains but little that is nyw or important. When it was announced that Major Atkinson intended delivering a political speech at the banquet, speculation at once become rife as to what fresh surprise the Ministry was going to give the country, and the

Premier's speech v.-as looked forward to with no small degree of interest, many hoping to get a glimpse of the intentions of the Ministry. How disappointed they must have been at the • result! The speech, as we have said, contains absolutely nothing that «is new. Every item contained in this wonderful after-dinner speech was perfectly well known to the public already, and Major Atkinson might have saved himself the trouble of preparing so elaborate an address. It is just possible, however, that he did not think his Taranaki supporters so conversant with matters of fact as the people of other portions of the Colony. He may have felt himself called upon to say something, and adopted the easiest and safest way of performing the task. This may in some degree account for the fact of his delivering himself of one of those timehonored speeches which are so freely indulged in by that class of politicians whose mental calibre prevents the possibility of their going beyond the limits of commonplace utterances. The Premier's speech, as telegraphed throughout the Colony, is unworthy of the name of a political address. J* is a mere recapitulation of expressions which have by this time become stale and unsatisfactory. Tiie Colony looked for something better from the professed leader of public opinion—something conveying an idea of what the Government intend doing in the future — and not a mere repetition of hackneyed phrases. It is, however, pleasant to find that Major Atkinson is proud of being.a Taranaki settler, and that the pain of being turned out of office would be lessened by the thought that he could once more return amongst the settlers of Taranaki. Happy Taranaki, and thrice-blessed Premier! It is exceedingly gratifying to know that one, at least; of the members of the Government will find something to console him for the loss of place, pay, and power, when the present wretched apology, for a Ministry is driven from office, as we believe it very-shortly will be. Not for worlds would we rob the settlers of Tara-

ijaki of the presence of so genial a fellowsettler as the Major undoubtedly is, and we can only hope that he may very soon be afforded an opportunity of enjoying undisturbed communion with the people of his ideal Arcadia, the much-loved and much-prized Taranaki. Having told the settlers of Taranaki how much he loves them, the Premier, to quote his own words, proceeds to indicate ."what are the i>olicy anc l intentions of the Government," merely contenting himself with indicating the broad lines upon which they intended to travel." This he does in the following manner : —" The policy of the Government would be—first, to complete the establishment of local self-government throughout the Colony ; to complete the establishment of a system of primary education; to promote the settlement of our waste lands by a yeoman population, and cultivate and maintain a good understanding with the native j race ; to reduce considerably the annual expenditure on public works, and continue the construction of main lines of railway throughout the Colony until completed; to reduce the ordinary expenditure to within the narrowest limits consistent with efficiency ; to simplify our finances and place them on a sound basis for the future." After having thus enumerated the "broad lines" upon which the Government intend travelling, the Premier treated his hearers to a remark' which was so obviously antagonistic to truth, that we feel compelled to refer to it, "That policy," said the Premier, "had been carefully .pursued during the last year." We should feel obliged to the Premier if he would point to a single instance in which the Government has pursued, during the past year, any such policy as that which he has indicated. More especially Ave would be pleased to learn in what manner the Government has attempted "to reduce the ordinary expenditure to within the narrowest limits con-

sistent with efficiency," or "to simplify our finances and place them on a sound basis for the-future." We are perfectly aware that Ministers have, times out of number, professed themselves desirous of acting in the directions indicated ; but as yet we have failed to perceive any tangible proof of the earnestness of the desire of Ministers to bring about a financial re-

form. For aught we know, they may be perfectly serious in their professions, and the failure to carry those very excellent professions into practice may be attributable solely to a want of ability to do so on the part of the professors. The remarks of the Premier upon the different heads of the Government policy, as quoted above, are extremely vague and itnsatisfactory. He contents himself with saying, in a roundabout fashion, that the Counties Act requires amendment ; that education must be secular and administered by local committees ; that the settlement of waste lands was of vital importance ; that greater facilities should be afforded for the acquisition of native lands by private individuals. All these things we knew before, and it required not the Premier to tell us them. What the public want to know is : How are all these improvements to be worked out?' Possibly Major Atkinson was not prepared with any information on the subjects. He has not vet had an opportunity of consulting with his colleagues upon these matters of vital importance, owing to the persistency with which they have absented themselves from the Seat of Government. Had they been properly performing their duties, all these matters would long • ere this have been properly considered, and measures having for their object the achievement of the ends so grandiloquently pronounced by the Premier as desirable, would have been in a fit state to lay before Parliament. We might then have expected to hear something that was interesting from the Premier—something that would have set the people of the Colony thinking, and so prepared the way for the coming changes. Major Atkinson's remarks in reference to finance form perhaps the most vague and unsatisfactory portion of his speech. He attempts to satisfy the craving for information on this subject by saying :—" Those interested in finance would find in the Financial Statement of last year a short and clear statement of what, was then their financial position. There was nothing to add to that statement, except that the Customs revenue would not come up

to his estimate." Not one "word did lie utter as to how this deficiency was to be met. Whether it will be done by the imposition of fresh taxation, or by again resorting to that charming expedient with which the name of the Ministry has become inseparable—the issue of Treasury bills —he leaves his hearers in a state of blissful ignorance. It is true that he took his dinner-party friends into his confidence to the extent of telling them how, by a clever bit of financing in obtaining a small loan from one of the Colonial banks, the Government had avoided the necessity of again going into the money market at Rome, and so managed to hood-wink the English money-lenders into the belief that New Zealand had ceased borrowing for some time. Taken as a whola, the Premier's speech is an admirable illustration of the facility with which some people manage to say nothing with ease and elegance. A more unprofitable and unsatisfactory political speech it has not been our lot to. peruse than that to which the present nominal Premier treated his entertainers at Taranaki.